It’s alright Bob (we’re only listening)

Paul Saitowitz

There he was. Clad in a long, black coat, cowboy hat and his posse in

tow.

The “voice of a generation” with a voice that now resonate with a

sound coming from a million cigarettes. Instead of slingin’ his ax,

he stood behind the keyboard. Instead of facing the crowd, he stood

at stage left -- making him the least visible person on the stage.

A few things may have changed, but the sentiment was still there.

Bob Dylan rocked the Bren Events Center on Wednesday night.

When he performed a blistering “It’s Alright Ma (I’m only

bleeding),” and that grave, sand-gargling voice lamented “While

preachers preach of evil fates/Teachers teach that knowledge

waits/Can lead to hundred-dollar plates/Goodness hides behind its

gates/But even the president of the United States/Sometimes must

have/To stand naked,” the crowd stood in reverence.

Thirty-plus years after the song was written, the lyrics still

ring true. Maybe it was because it’s an election year, maybe it was

because the visual behind the lyrics is both disturbing and funny, or

maybe it’s because good stuff just remains relevant.

Throughout the evening, Dylan and his band --

multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell, bassist Tony Garnier, guitarist

Stuart Kimball and drummer David Kemper -- played one scorcher after

the next.

After a raucous set that included a haunting version of “It Ain’t

Me Babe,” a honky-tonk “Highway 61 Revisited” and an album-perfect

“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,” Dylan slowed things down a bit to

start the encore with a sing-along version of “Like A Rolling Stone,”

and then finished with a smoking “All Along the Watchtower.”

As always, the mystery behind the man continued, as he hardly

uttered a word throughout the show save for introducing his band

before the encore and announcing that the “Red Sox won the ballgame.”

At 63, Dylan may look and sound different, but he’s still rocking

with a purpose.