Cooperstown, NY - September 2, 2006
On September 2, 2006 the stars aligned and my interests collided: Bob Dylan
played Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY--Dylan and the Baseball Hall of
Fame, two great tastes that taste great together, together at last. A six
hour drive from Portland Maine was made easier by the chance to spend a long
weekend in the historic little town. But back to Dylan. It had been raining all day but by the time the doors
opened the rain had stopped. Before the show, as were in line, Rose and I
made a plan--I'd sprint through the doors and get a spot as close to the
stage as possible...stage left (I think because of all the Larry Cambell
shows of old, I've always liked standing just left of the center...although
I have to say, the best place these days is center or center stage right). This was Rose's first Dylan concert and the set list was perfect for a
first-timer. It was a greatest hits package, with all the decades covered: 1. Cat's In The Well 2. Lay, Lady, Lay 3. Lonesome Day Blues 4. Don't
Think Twice, It's All Right 5. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) 6. I
Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) 7. Blind Willie McTell
8. Highway 61 Revisited 9. Simple Twist Of Fate 10. Cold Irons Bound 11. My
Back Pages 12. Summer Days (encore) 13. Like A Rolling Stone 14. Rainy
Day Women #12 & 35 Dylan kicked it into high gear right off the bat (this is Cooperstown
afterall). Cat's in the Well was as surfer-rock-twist-and-shout as ever.
Dylan's voice definitely was road weary--a few nights on the bench would do
it well. The band sounded phenominal. They made the switch from surf-rock
to country to blues to folk sound natural as a summer day. The highlight of
the concert was Blind Willie McTell. As Rose said, I never thought a banjo
could sound so beautiful. The only disappointment was there were no songs
off the new album, Modern Times. I've got a new city, got a new wife, I
could live on rice and beans. I was really looking forward to at least one
new song--Working Man's Blues #2, Nettie Moore, or Ain't Talking. After the
concert, the hard rain began to fall once again. Summer days, summer nights
are gone but I know a place where there's still something going on.
played Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, NY--Dylan and the Baseball Hall of
Fame, two great tastes that taste great together, together at last. A six
hour drive from Portland Maine was made easier by the chance to spend a long
weekend in the historic little town. But back to Dylan. It had been raining all day but by the time the doors
opened the rain had stopped. Before the show, as were in line, Rose and I
made a plan--I'd sprint through the doors and get a spot as close to the
stage as possible...stage left (I think because of all the Larry Cambell
shows of old, I've always liked standing just left of the center...although
I have to say, the best place these days is center or center stage right). This was Rose's first Dylan concert and the set list was perfect for a
first-timer. It was a greatest hits package, with all the decades covered: 1. Cat's In The Well 2. Lay, Lady, Lay 3. Lonesome Day Blues 4. Don't
Think Twice, It's All Right 5. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) 6. I
Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) 7. Blind Willie McTell
8. Highway 61 Revisited 9. Simple Twist Of Fate 10. Cold Irons Bound 11. My
Back Pages 12. Summer Days (encore) 13. Like A Rolling Stone 14. Rainy
Day Women #12 & 35 Dylan kicked it into high gear right off the bat (this is Cooperstown
afterall). Cat's in the Well was as surfer-rock-twist-and-shout as ever.
Dylan's voice definitely was road weary--a few nights on the bench would do
it well. The band sounded phenominal. They made the switch from surf-rock
to country to blues to folk sound natural as a summer day. The highlight of
the concert was Blind Willie McTell. As Rose said, I never thought a banjo
could sound so beautiful. The only disappointment was there were no songs
off the new album, Modern Times. I've got a new city, got a new wife, I
could live on rice and beans. I was really looking forward to at least one
new song--Working Man's Blues #2, Nettie Moore, or Ain't Talking. After the
concert, the hard rain began to fall once again. Summer days, summer nights
are gone but I know a place where there's still something going on.
Review Location:
Doubleday Field, Cooperstown, NY
Review Date:
Saturday, September 2, 2006