‘Sinatra’ Dylan didn’t disappoint in Kelowna show
Editor: I recently taught a Bob Dylan course to a group of local retirees, and Dylan conveniently scheduled a concert in our small city a month later.
A number of the class members decided to attend the concert on Monday, so I felt some trepidation that they might be disappointed. I am pleased to report this was not the case, with my group reporting that their expectations were met or exceeded.
Dylan himself co-operated by giving a very good performance. His voice was strong and his enunciation was clear.
Somewhat to my surprise, the near-capacity Prospera Place audience responded warmly to his set, even the “Sinatra songs.”
I did not detect any mass departures during the course of the show, and many clustered around the stage during the encore, rather than fleeing to the parking lot.
This was my first experience of Dylan performing the “Sinatra” material live, and I was impressed by how well he sang the likes of Stormy Weather, Why Try to Change Me Now, Autumn Leaves, etc. (I last saw him in Seattle just before he began including these oldies into his set.)
Dylan followed the now fixed set list to the letter. One observation I made was that the 20-song show seemed shorter than previous Dylan concerts I have attended.
I guess this is because of the brevity of the “Sinatra” classics and the truncated versions of his own longer songs like Tangled Up in Blue and Desolation Row.
My only regret is that he did not abbreviate a couple of his songs from the album Tempest, in particular Pay in Blood and Early Roman Kings, which I found a bit tedious after a while. Highlights for me were Don’t Think Twice, which stayed relatively close to the original and was clearly enunciated, a forceful Highway 61, Duquesne Whistle which gathered steam and evolved into a rollicking boogie, and Summer Days, which similarly gained momentum as it progressed.
I was impressed with Dylan’s intent piano playing that stood out clearly in the mix.
I also really enjoyed several of the “Sinatra” tunes, although his awkward manipulation of the microphone during these numbers was more amusing than sexy.
I noticed Dylan no longer stands in front of the band when he leaves his piano to croon; instead he embeds himself among his fellow performers. His band, as usual, was disciplined and effective, easily adapting to the various musical styles Dylan likes to explore.
At least one of my class members thought she saw a bit of a smile on his face during the usual post-encore line-up of the performers. This wasn’t confirmed by the others though he did make several (what I call Pope-style) hand gestures towards the audience. I think he was pleased with his reception in Kelowna. Jim Howard, Peachland