As Bob Dylan kicks off the first of a two-night stay at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre today, there’s bound to be a familiar chorus.
No, not the one singing “Blowin’ in the Wind,” although that’s bound to happen, too.
It’s a chorus that comes from the crowd regularly when he or other musicians of a certain age – let’s lump them into the “classic” category – play live today. They sing about how these musicians aren’t what they used to be, that we’ve missed their prime and that going to the show isn’t worth it.
I’ve gotta be honest – there’s some truth to that assessment. Unless you’re a hardcore “Dylanphile” or the rash of 2016 musician deaths has driven you to “catch ’em all,” Pokémon style, you can probably skip out.
As someone who has seen Dylan four times on what’s been dubbed his “Never-Ending Tour” since a June 7, 1988, stop in Concord, I have a complicated relationship with Dylan’s live show circa 2016. It’s like an old married couple: “Sure, my partner upsets me sometimes, but I still love ’em.”
But for the unwed, so to speak, caution is advised. Casual fans seeking a carbon copy of the Dylan who made his essential 1960s folk and rock albums are going to come away disappointed. He doesn’t look like that, sound like that and, often, doesn’t even play the songs like that anymore.
During a rendition of “Maggie’s Farm” a decade ago at ARCO Arena, the tune was unrecognizable until Dylan croaked the opening line because he rearranged the song. He does that. Considering he’s been playing some songs for five decades, it's hard to fault him.
The cries that these old, gray hairs, they ain’t what they used to be, ain’t what they used to be are bound to resurface come October when Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Neil Young and The Who converge on Indio for the Desert Trip festivals.
Looking at their catalogs is a “who’s who” of classic rock, but those who expect Macca to look and sound the way he did when he wrote “Hey Jude” are setting themselves up for disaster.
While McCartney, The Stones and The Who are sure to deliver the hits at that festival, it’s hard to imagine Dylan or Young will follow that script. I can’t see either of those men, who have made careers out of following their artistic impulses, doing anything other than exactly what they want.
If Dylan hasn’t made it abundantly clear during the past half-century, he doesn't care what anyone thinks. Or what they want to hear. To paraphrase a Bill Maher “New Rules” rant from earlier this year, we are not here for Dylan. Dylan is here for us.
Case in point: Tonight, he arrives supporting Fallen Angels and Shadows in the Night, two successive albums of songs performed by Frank Sinatra. Hopping on the Dylan train means rolling with whatever may come, even when he gets into phases when he does a Christmas album. Undoubtedly, some of Old Blue Eyes’ material will be sprinkled among the familiar tonight.
For committed music fans, though, there’s still value in seeing legends perform. Peak Steely Dan came in the 1970s, but last summer, they played a communal show with a gaggle of musicians at Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheater. Given the band’s history of collaboration with dozens of musicians even in its prime, was such an approach so far removed from the “real thing?” Not really.
As for seeing Dylan live in 2016, is he going to sound like a bullfrog gargling Jack Daniel's? Yes.
Is he a commanding stage presence? Not especially.
Is he still worth seeing? Absolutely.
He leads a tight, crisp band. He mixes in some latter-career nuggets, such as “High Water (For Charley Patton)” and “Duquesne Whistle,” too. I find his whiskey-croak voice endearing. It's unmistakable that it's Dylan.
Maybe his prime is gone, but the story of his career – and others of his age and ilk – is still being written. There's still an opportunity to be a part of that story, even for those who see Dylan tonight instead of in Greenwich Village circa 1962.
Accepting Dylan and other classic acts as they age is a "yes or no" prospect. There’s sure to be those disappointed by the gray hairs, but for those who take them as they are now, it’s still worthwhile.
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