I’ve been so taken by Bob Dylan’s last three albums, I purchased them on vinyl and repeatedly play them.
And I knew going into Pinewood Bowl Wednesday evening that Dylan’s set would largely be drawn from “Tempest,†“Shadows in the Night†and “Fallen Angels,†performed by his superb touring band that did much of the recording of those discs.
So, for me, Dylan’s two-hour, with intermission, show was near perfect and a striking contrast with his most recent area appearances.
Drawing on the Great American Songbook with compositions from the 1920s through the 1950s, Dylan proved to be as impressive an interpreter of popular song live as he is on “Shadows†and “Fallen Angels.â€
Three of Wednesday’s songs are most associated with Frank Sinatra. And Dylan certainly is no Sinatra. But Sinatra wasn’t Dylan, whose raspy croon can effectively wring the emotion out of a song -- as he did on a classy swinging blues take on “Melancholy Mood†-- and be haunting and melodic on “I’m a Fool to Want You†and “Autumn Leaves,†which closed the second set.
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A jumping version of “Duquesne Whistle,†a Dylan original from “Tempest†fit perfectly with the old songs, tying the classics to his rock 'n' roll. And an ominous “Pay in Blood,†the blues stomp of “Early Roman Kings†and the taut desert sound of “Scarlet Town†brought the 2012 album to vivid life on stage.
The six songs from “Shadows†and “Fallen Angels†and four “Tempest†tracks made up half of the show’s 20 songs. Seven of the rest came from 1997 onward, including the rolling opener, “Things Have Changed.â€
Just three songs came from Dylan’s own classic period, “She Belongs to Me,†an elongated version of “Tangled Up in Blue†that closed the first set and a fiddle-drenched “Blowin’ in the Wind†that began the encore.
The fiddle came from Donnie Herron of BR-549 fame, whose pedal steel was used to great effect in the country-rockish arrangements of the classic songs and Austin guitar slinger Charlie Sexton impressed, particularly on the bluesy numbers.
Visually, the show was just as good. Wearing a flat brimmed hat, matching shirt, and black suit with stripes up the legs of the pants, Dylan, as always, looked cool and to quote opener Mavis Staples, “Oh that Bobby. I love to hear him sing. But I love to see him move. He’s got those cool moves.â€
Singing the middle of the stage sans spotlight, Dylan was bathed in the glow from the dozen or so pole-mounted lights scattered around the stage with the band arrayed behind him.
He said almost nothing to the crowd of 3,000. That’s usual for a Dylan show.
The popular songs done Dylan style and the “Tempest†material, however, were fresh and invigorating for Dylan, the band and me.