Got to the arena, located on the northern outskirts of the city, around 6:30, and scouted out my third row seat, which was terrific, on the right hand (er, or Larry Campbell) side. The seating arrangement was good, in that they didn't stretch out the first three rows all the way to both sides of the rink, so there were no obstructed views for folks who shelled out sixty bucks for tickets. The interminable wait until showtime was made shorter, thanks to my friendly seatmate (and proud Bob nomad) "Dee from Corvalis", our converasation drifting towards what we hoped we'd hear, with myself fretting over my ever-so-tenuous hold on fifth place in the pool...soon, Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare For the Common Man" came on the PA, and the setlists were brought out, as my new bud said to me, "Your fate has been sealed." Too right.

Copeland's "Rodeo Hoe Down" exploded on the PA shortly after, making many people on the floor jump. Being on the right side of the stage, we were able to see Al Santos at the mike offstage, reading the now-infamous Buffalo News quote from a couple weeks ago, as he's been doing since the Buffalo show...his deadpan delivery was hilarious. So Bobby and the boys sidled onstage (Bob in his black suit with red trim and matching Stetson, Larry Campbell in a long grey coat, Charlie Sexton in a sharp charcoal suit, and George Recelli and Tony Garnier bereted and behatted, respectively), and pulled out the first of what would be many pleasant surprises on this night, a rollicking rendition of "Somebody Touched Me". "It Ain't Me Babe" followed, as George provided some nifty brush syncopations that greatly contradicted with David Kemper's previous, straightahead backbeat rhythm. After the final verse, Bob turned around, and the crowd cheered as he brought up a harp, playing a pleasantly lengthy solo. When the song ended, in a brief moment of supercool panache, he flipped the harp up in the air, caught it, and turned around..needless to say, he was definitely in good spirits on this night. The expected "It's Alright Ma" was next, the deeply countrified version we've come to know recently (with Charlie on a swanky dobro and Larry on cittern), and one of the best versions of the song I've ever heard, with Recelli really letting loose as the song grew closer to the end. "This World Can't Stand Long" was the next surprise, played in the fourth slot for the second night in a row.

After that, the guys got their electric gear, and as the "eye" backdrop gave way to the swanky white curtain, the guys launched into a flat-out blistering version of "Solid Rock"...another surprise, and one worth the ticket price alone. I hadn't heard the new version, and was completely floored by the intensity. Yet another surprise was in store, as the familiar pedal steel strains of "Lay Lady Lay" began, which went over very well with the audience. "Honest With Me" was next, as the band clearly enjoyed playing the new tune, with Recelli again shifting the song into overdrive. More Love & Theft material was on hand, as Bob sang a wonderfully tender "Moonlight", hitting the high notes perfectly, and even tweaking the lyrics a bit ("For whom does the bell toll for? It tolls for YOU, my friend...").

Another changeover, and Larry started the second acoustic set with the familiar strains of "Don't Think Twice". This is one Ubiquitous Bob Song I never tire of hearing, and it went over brilliantly with the crowd. Who knew Bob was merely setting us up...Bob had us floating after the song ended (or was that the weed from the guy behind me?), only to knock us all on out collective behinds with the first performance of "Things Have Changed" on this tour, and the first live acoustic version ever...utterly brilliant. I was euphoric, and that wasn't thanks the second-hand smoke, either. Closing out the acoustic set was the tried-and-true "Tangled Up In Blue", with Recelli (wow, was he the star tonight) injecting new energy into the Bob standard.

Next was "Summer Days", overflowing with energy from all members of the band, who were all smiles tonight, as it became a lengthy jam, forcing the folks out of their seats. The song sounds fantastic live, blowing away the album version...those boys sure know how to play the rock and roll music. "Make You Feel My Love" was nowhere near as schmaltzy as I expected it, the twangy performance eclipsing the syrupy version heard on Time Out Of Mind. "Drifter's Escape" followed (featuring another harp solo), and it was so different from the original that I absolutely couldn't recognize it. It sure was incendiary, though, as was "Rainy Day Women", which featured band introductions and solos by all four backing members, including some really funky solos by Recelli and Garnier (the funniest moment was seeing Charlie sit lazily on the drum riser and Larry stand with his hands on his hips, both facetiously "waiting for Tony to finish" his bass solo). As the crowd raucously cheered the guys at the end, Bob didn't show much emotion, but it looked like he certainly did appreciate the fine reception.

As the band came back onstage for the encore, there was a bit of a stage rush, and those of us at the ends of the rows quickly scooted into the front row, where we all dug the music up close, fitting comfortably, three people deep, between the rail and the seats. The expected classic trifecta of "Like A Rolling Stone", "Blowin' In the Wind", and the scorching "All Along the Watchtower" closed out the show, and it was such a monumental thrill for me to experience it from such a close distance. At show's end, Bob & band stood out to the crowd, and His Zimmyness dropped to one knee, embracing his guitar in an act of appreciation to such a fun audience.

What a recptive crowd it was. Sask Place did a good thing in its ticket distribution...they curtained off the upper levels (with the exception of two sections on opposite sides of the stage), left the end zone seats vacant, and filled up the floor and all the side seating, making for a surprisingly cozy atmosphere in such a cavernous building, and the band fed off the positive crowd the entire night, commingling and yakking all the time, nobody standing off to one side. The folks I talked to who had been to the previous shows this month all said that Bob was definitely on tonight, and I know exactly what they mean. Overall, a perfect night, especially for a city who doesn't see many Bob Dylan concerts at all. I had a total blast, as did everyone else.

After the show, amidst the bustle of getting out of the crammed seating area on the floor, I came across our Pool guru Arthur, and had a nice, brief conversation with he and his cohorts, whose names I can't remember, thanks to post-show euphoria (no, not weed-related). It was a great pleasure to meet everyone at the show...unfortunately, I won't be travelling to Edmonton with them; I'll be staying put in this neat little city, set to relive that phenomenal concert in my head for days on end. Which ain't a bad thing; as Mr. Dylan put it, "It sure feels right on a night like this." Happy trails, compadres.

[A postscript: I knew I had some big points in store for me tonight, but much to my horror, when I got home shortly after ten, I saw that I had leapfrogged into third place. This shouldn't be happening, but it is. Thanks, Bob!]

Monday, August 26, 2002

The three-month wait is finally over...it's Bob Day! Watch for a full recap late tonight...