November 22 Round up

A local light show for Christmas.

Music

There was only one show in town for me this month, and that was the Bob Dylan concert in Dublin. This would be my 19th concert by the Bard of Minnesota, and my first since 2017. Five years is the longest stretch I’ve gone without a shot of Bob since the early noughties so I needed my fix.

And what a great night it was. Bob was in super form, twinkling away on the piano and his voice was in better nick than I’ve heard for a while - I think the enforced break from gigging did him a lot of good. This was the 29th date on the European leg of this tour, and the final night. With 100 shows in just over a year, he’s still going strong at 81.

Dylan now spends concerts behind a piano, with his voice and phrasing leading the way. Obviously I’m well used to his concerts by now, but I’m always fascinated by how he manages to hold the attention of a sold out venue, 12,000 strong. It’s all in the inflection, the way he plays with the words.

The recent ‘Rough and Rowdy ways’ album made up the bulk of the set. What was noticeable was that some of these songs sounded different from the album, with even some lyrical changes. Highlights were many, but I particularly enjoyed ‘I contain multitudes’ and ‘I’ve made up mind to give myself to you.’ ‘Goodbye Jimmy Reed’ was also beefed up.

Part of the fun to is observing the interactions on between Dylan and the band. There are times when they are watching him intensely, paying attention to key or tempo changes. You can tell he keeps them on their toes, and the music is mostly jazz and rhythmic blues inspired.

There’s also those lovely momments when a song starts and the audience aren’t quite sure what it is. Suddenly, there are some familiar lines and there are a few momments when there is a small cheer and smattering of applause when they recognise it. Some of the classics tonight include a sultry ‘To be alone with you’ a crowd pleasing ‘I’ll be your baby tonight’ and ‘When I paint my masterpiece.’

I’m still amazed when I hear people say they are disappointed he didn't play ‘Hurricane’. He hasn’t since 1976. He’s not a heritage greatest hits act and never has been. I have heard him play ‘Rolling stone’ and ‘watchtower’ many times over the years but he’s 81 now, and those songs don’t suit him.

He’s always danced to the beat of his own drum (Tambourine) and part of the joy of Dylan live has always been how he plays with his own songs. Those that we heard on albums were how he recorded them that particular day - in concert the songs are new incarnations, alive in that moment and he changes and amends them where he pleases.

I saw Dylan in this same venue back in 2005 were he played two nights in a row. Over both evenings he played a total of 33 songs - and the only he he played twice was ‘watchtower’. I don’t know any other artist who could do that. I’ve seen him play the same song twice over consecutive nights but completely change the time signature.

Apart from a few ‘thank yous’ there’s little chit from Dylan, so no change there. It’s always been about the music. But there is a nice touch when towards the end he says ‘I want to send a shout out to Shane MacGowan, one of our favourite artists, and let’s hope he releases another record sometime soon ... Fairytale of New York is one of our favourite songs, sing it every Christmas.” For a brief second I thought he was about to cover it. A bootleg of Bob singing fairytale is what I want to hear.

One of my favourite momments is the final number, a transcendent ‘Every grain of sand’ where he gives us a lovely harmonica solo. And that’s it, a superb way to spend a couple of hours on a Monday night. There’s wild applause, and he does something rare - he and the band return to give us another bow. In my thirty years of attending Bob shows, I’ve never seen an ovation like that.

This was the first gig I’ve attended where the audience had to place their phones into a locked bag, which is opened again at the end of the night by crew members outside the venue. I appreciated not having to look at other peoples phones held aloft during the evening. I hope it’s something that becomes a fixture at gigs, though it seems it’s was something that Dylan’s people insisted upon.

But another step organisers could take would be to close the bar. It’ll never happen of course, as the ring of tills trumps all else, but it was distracting to watch people streaming out of the gig in between songs, either to the bar or the subsequent toilet trip. It was a well observed gig with a really respectful audience but you’d think people could sit in a seat for an hour and 50 minutes. A small quibble and another sign of my descent into old age.

Television

The one show I look forward to a weekly basis is ‘The white lotus’. It’s a murder-mystery about a group of wealthy Americans on holiday in Sicily. We’re told in the first episode that someone dies; we’re just not sure who yet. It’s so superbly plotted that I haven’t the slightest idea of who dies. I know who I'd like it to be (Cameron) but it really doesn’t matter.

Saying that, there are times I forget it’s a murder mystery, and just enjoy the crackling dialogue and tension between the characters, some of whom are entitled and annoying (mostly Cameron). It’s a razor sharp black comedy and a sharp satire. There’s so much going on under the surface - shifting sands of power, sexual tension, simmering resentments.

Italy in the sunshine makes it beautiful to look at, and the performances are superb. Jennifer Coolidge cracks me up, and I do hope it’s not her floating in the sea. To enjoy it you don’t have to have watched season 1 but I’m not sure why you wouldn't want to.

Best show on tv by a fair distance.

That’s enough for November. I’ll finish with this performance from the magnificent and magisterial Ms Nina Simone.