Notes from Bob Dylan in Saginaw
I just got back from my fifth Bob Dylan concert. It was at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan.
He came on stage in a gray, unzipped hoodie and kept his hood pulled up the entire time.
It was the most rickety, least remarkable show I’ve seen from him. Arrangements that sparkled at previous concerts, like the “When I Paint My Masterpiece” that sounds like “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” were flatter this time. It felt like they were going through motions. Even the closing “Every Grain of Sand” was basically devoid of its usual grace. The crowd kind of sucked, too; the hum of their conversation never quite died down, and they started shouting for “HURRICANE!” as soon as he blew into his harmonica.
The only times that Dylan and his band perked up were for two old school rock’n’roll covers: “I Can Tell” by Bo Diddley and “Nervous Breakdown” by Eddie Cochran. Dylan seemed to be enjoying himself with these. He even raised his voice loud enough for us to hear it; with most of his own songs, his voice was almost inaudble for half of every line. I hope he’s working on an album of these covers.
