Bob Dylan - CONCERT REVIEW!- 8/15/2008 at the MGM Grand in Mashantucket, CT

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Click HERE to view the SET LIST!

Okay, so I had what was potentially (literally) the worst seat in the house, a position so high as to be unreachable by today’s best air conditioning systems. And I may have walked in late, after having sat in stop-and-stop traffic for half an hour, just as the familiar voice-over finished — “Ladies and gentlemen… Columbia recording artist… Bob Dylan.”  It doesn’t sound like the ideal way to begin a live concert experience…

But this was the MGM Grand in Mashantucket, CT.  Even the bad seats — the worst seat, in my case — is a good seat with a great view of the stage and excellent acoustics.  I could hear every word Dylan said… when it was possible, of course!

Seriously, though, aside from the first song (when I couldn’t figure out what he and his band were playing until the very last line when he annunciated and almost shouted “your Leopard-skin Pill-box Haaaat!”), the set list of songs was amazing and the performances were exciting and entertaining.

After starting with a track from 1966’s Blonde on Blonde, Dylan went on to reach as far back as his acoustic folk records and as recently as his 2006 album Modern Times.  And he presented a healthy variety of songs from every phase in between.  Some highlights were — “Things Have Changed” from the Wonder Boys soundtrack, a rocking version of the Time Out of Mind track “Can’t Wait,” and a passionate version of “Just Like a Woman.”  The latter was perhaps the most impressive, if only for the fact that he still gives this mild hit (still played on oldies stations) his complete attention, even after performing it live for over four decades.

There were some absolute gems in song choice.  The one that nearly knocked me off my seat (which would have been dangerous, considering how high up I was!) was “I Believe in You.”  This is my favorite — and obscure — track off of his 1970 “Christian album” Slow Train Coming.  Still, the album did net Dylan his first Grammy award, and it is most likely a tribute to his producer for the album, Jerry Wexler, who recently passed away.

And then there was “Nettie Moore,” a deep track from his most recent album — this is where I felt my friend Jim’s absence most profoundly, as it was one of his favorite tracks when he first heard Modern Times.  Now I may be biased (sharing the same last name and all), but this is a great track that was more upbeat than the studio recording.  It drew quite the applause from the first few chords, and this is not to be understated; so unique are his concert arrangements that it often takes the audience until well into the second verse if not the chorus to figure out which song is being performed.  Indeed, it was hard to shake the feeling that there is some connection between his line in “Nettie Moore” — “I’m beginning to believe what the scriptures tell” — and the themes of “I Believe in You.”

But, I’ll leave that for others to theorize on.

Overall, what makes Dylan’s show such an exciting one is not his faithful reproduction of classic hits and fan favorites.  Rather, this Dylan set list combined with the musicianship of his formidable band make for great entertainment.  They may not be a showy band, but he and his current band impress subtly at every turn — Dylan’s organ sound was clear and classic, the violin solo in “Things Have Changed” was cooler than I should admit to thinking, the riff I heard for the first time in “Can’t Wait” was infectious, the guitar solo in “High Water” was great and the one in “Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum” was scorching, and the drumming continues to be one of my favorite aspects of this band — George Recile redefines the terms “driving beat” (on “Honest with Me”) and “machine gun drumming” (on “All Along the Watchtower”).

Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in my excitement.  There wasn’t a still body in the place as Bob Dylan and his band returned to the stage for an encore — after several long minutes that almost made me question whether he was returning — and thundered into “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Compared even to last year’s show, I have to say that I was perhaps more excited last year, probably due to Dylan starting off the show on electric guitar as the lights came up — oh, the applause that brought on! — and his set list last year including some of my favorite tracks.  Still, after the encore, I couldn’t feel my arms from clapping so hard for so long (and, of course, from not visiting a gym anytime in my adult life) and my throat was sore for having cheered so loudly throughout the night, wishing desperately that the show wouldn’t end, making me wait another entire year before he comes around again.

If these aren’t signs of a great show, then I don’t know what are!

Bob Dylan SET LIST: MGM Grand, 8/15/2008

Friday, August 15th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Click HERE to read the CONCERT REVIEW!

Well, I’m sitting in my car with no reasonable hopes of escaping the MGM Grand parking garage before Bob Dylan releases Chronicles, Vol. 3… (For those who are scratching their heads, I basically mean it’ll be a long time!)

Thanks to the iPhone, there’s no better time to post tonight’s Bob Dylan set list!

1. Leopard-skin Pill-box Hat

2. The Times They Are A-Changin’

3. Things Have Changed

4. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight

5. Can’t Wait

6. Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine

7. High Water (For Charley Patton)

8. Chimes of Freedom

9. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum

10. I Believe in You

11. Honest with Me

12. Just Like a Woman

13. Til I Fell in Love with You

14. Nettie Moore

15. Thunder on the Mountain

ENCORE:

16. Like a Rolling Stone

17. All Along the Watchtower

The Laptop Sessions: “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” [Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Song)

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

If it was an honor to bring you “Getcha Back” three days ago, it is even more of a pleasure (it that’s possible!) to welcome you to the best cover song video blog in the universe tonight with Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”! This cover song video has the added bonus of my collaboration with not only fellow songwriter Jim Fusco but also his girlfriend (fiancee to be more precise!) Becky Daly.

Several years ago, before the band Masters of the Universe was even an idea, we toured and recorded briefly as “Chris, Jim, and Becky.” This was probably my happiest musical collaboration, my first recording that I was really proud to be a part of (Click here to listen to Live in the Studio), and if we could have devoted more time and energy to the act or even just found a venue that appreciated what we were doing, I would have wanted Chris, Jim, and Becky to go on for a good long time!

But, alas, all good things come to an end. Now, years later, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” is such a comfortable classic to us that we sat down and tore through it in one full take. I think it comes across on the video just how comfortable we are and I can at least speak for myself when I say this acoustic cover was a ton of fun to record. I hope it is the first of many collaborations to come, and although I’m out of them for a while, I know Jim still has some from that night’s recording session in his back pocket. Now, that’s something to look forward to…

I have one more major announcement before I rush off to my favorite weekly television event — TNA Impact!, my favorite and simply the best wrestling program out there. I’ll be going to the Bob Dylan concert tomorrow night, and as with the Brian Wilson concert last month, I’ll be posting the set list online immediately after the show, if not actually updating it DURING the show! I don’t know if it will be that cool, but it will be up immediately with a review shortly after and I hope all you Bob Dylan fans will hurry back for both the set list and the review!

You can also look forward to an all-new acoustic cover song from Jeff tomorrow…

See you next session!

Bob Dylan FREE mp3! - “Dreamin’ of You” from his forthcoming Bootleg Series CD!

Monday, August 4th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Hi all! Just had to write today because there’s some exciting new rock music out there on the web for all you Bob Dylan fans — and the best news is that it is FREE new music!

For those that don’t know, Columbia will be releasing the eighth volume in the Bootleg Series, titled Tell Tale Signs. This multi-disc collection will include previously unreleased tracks, alternate versions of previously released songs, and some great packaging options. For the complete low-down, check out Bob Dylan’s official website…

…where you can download a free mp3 of “Dreamin’ of You,” an outtake from the Time Out of Mind sessions!

What I find most interesting and entertaining about the song is that it has echoes of other songs from the album; a fan of Time Out of Mind will notice the lines from other tracks that are in “Dreamin’ of You” in various forms. It’s almost as if he scrapped this song and yet salvaged some key lines from the wreckage. But why wouldn’t the song have been included? From the moment the drums kick in, this is an amazing track and gives me high hopes for the Bootleg Series release on October 7 — if the other tracks are anywhere near this type of quality, then it will certainly be another amazing addition to the series. (It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two decades since the first Bootleg album was released!)

I really can see why the song wouldn’t have made it to the album; it has a different feel to it than much of the other material on his 1997 release. But it is a PRIME candidate for this collection of Dylan tracks — a must-listen, to be sure!

Thank you, Bob Dylan, and thank you, Columbia, for this advance release!

The Laptop Sessions: “All Along the Watchtower” (A Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Song)

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Now, this is truly a day of firsts for me. Three firsts, if I count them accurately. In order of occurrence: (1) I woke up on my own, on a Saturday, at a decent hour, and got right out of bed. Anyone who knows me on any personal level to any degree knows how amazing that truly is. (2) Then, I recorded my Saturday cover video in one take, including rehearsals. When it comes to these cover song sessions, I am probably more of a perfectionist than I should be. Thus, I repeatedly practice and record the music videos until I’m satisfied I could not do any better. Suffice it to say that usually takes anywhere between five and twenty-five takes. Today, one!! And, finally (3) I came upstairs from FMP Studios to find Jim, having just woken up, in an excellent mood. This is nothing against Jim — and I’m admittedly a bear (not one of those friendly, cuddly ones you might see at a show with a trainer, but one of those angry, blood thirsty ones that attack campers and hikers without provocation ala the John Candy movie The Great Outdoors) if you try to wake me from nodding off during a movie, etc. — but Jim’s just not a morning person. We sat and talked about the music blog, brainstormed some new ways to improve our views and content, and then laughed quite heartily about bathroom humor, the details of which I’ll spare you.

All told, really not a bad way to start a beautiful, sunny summer day!

But let’s get down to business. My acoustic cover song for today is Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” Ironically, you are probably more familiar with the Jimi Henrix’s cover version than you are of Dylan’s original music. And, even as a HUGE Dylan fan, I have to admit that Hendrix’s cover song is the definitive version. Even Dylan admitted as much — his live performances of the song still reflect Hendrix’s arrangement. That being said, Dylan’s original is heavily acoustic, so I felt that would be a better version for this acoustic guitar music video. So, I grabbed my acoustic guitar, dusted off my harmonica rack, and gave it my all. One take. Could it have been better, more polished? Yes, I suppose. But this is what the Laptop Sessions are all about — this is a snapshot in time, as though you sat down with me in my living room and I just played it for you, on a whim. I hope you enjoy it!

And, of course, don’t miss the unveiling of an all-new acoustic cover song from Jeff Copperthite — his next quality cover video will be posted here tomorrow…

See you next session!

The Laptop Sessions: “Tonight I’ll Be Stayin’ Here With You” (Bob Dylan Acoustic Rock Cover Songs - Triple Threat Tuesday!!)

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to not only another Laptop Session music video, but also a special treat from the three songwriters who bring you an acoustic cover a day EVERY day in 2008…

This is a little something we like to call Triple Threat Tuesday. What this means is today you will receive not one, not two, not four, but THREE video blog entries. Each video will be a cover version of Bob Dylan’s 1969 song “Tonight I’ll Be Stayin’ Here With You.” It’s such a great track that we couldn’t agree on just one person to record an acoustic cover of it… so all three of us will take a stab at it! This song originally appeared on the first fully country-rock Dylan album, appropriately titled Nashville Skyline. This album is filled with very simple, upbeat, and brief (under 3 minutes each) songs, not to mention they’re all sung in his “Lay, Lady, Lay” voice and Johnny Cash himself makes a special guest appearance on the opening track. I’ve heard better duets, but there are few things better than hearing two giants like Cash and Dylan harmonize (however loosely) on such a great song as “Girl from the North Country.” Dylan actually originally released that song on his 1962 acoustic album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

Personally, my favorite version of this song is Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue version, recorded in 1975 and released in the Bootleg series. He changes the words around and, although they’re a bit more blunt than the original, I love them and think they work well for this acoustic cover rendition. But that’s the beauty of cover songs — they give songwriters like us endless opportunities to perfect our own skills and to end some of our own style to the track. For instance, I can bet that Jim’s version will be faithful to the original, as he loves that album. He could have bet money that I would go for the obscure live lyrics, since I love Bob Dylan and have probably heard more live versions of this song than the average person should.

As Jim explained yesterday, I must follow up — it’s great to be back online. This music blog has been a lot of work for us and I can’t imagine losing the session - a - day promise this far into the game! We’re building more and more each day, and now that I’m on summer break from teaching, I’ll be able to devote all my attention toward my creative pursuits.

See you next session!

Jim’s version: Recorded the night of, using my new video filters and amazing USB microphone- just listen to the audio quality of this acoustic cover song!