Comrades From The North

Comrades From The North

Dylan's Rough And Rowdy Ways tour has ended but is it all over now? Could this be the last time we see him perform in the UK? Speculation is rife and the rumour mill is grinding out opinions, fake news and half-truths in volume. If this is to be his swan song on this side of the pond then he certainly finished on a high. The final song of the final show, as in every preceding show, was Every Grain Of Sand and what a magnificent performance it was. Stately and hymnal, every word was delivered with care and meaning, the phrasing immaculate and the band behind him caressed the music releasing it lightly into the electric atmosphere of a packed Royal Albert Hall. The show might have been a little uneven but this was a commanding ending. If he doesn't come back, remember this and weep. The reviews for this triple bill of shows were very positive and reviewers offered their own views on the finality of it all. Rachel Johnson, writing in the Evening Standard had this to say:

It was a minimal, distilled evening for the true believers, for connoisseurs... This was what mattered, the singer not the song – as it was a competition even among the superfans to guess what he was singing. We had no iPhone lights and nobody singing along, only Dylan's voice, and that was enough. More than enough. And that was clearly what he felt too, for after 90 minutes precisely and 17 songs he gave us a harmonica solo then walked off stage as if he’d finally found what he’d been looking for – and his worshipful audience rose to its feet for perhaps his last standing ovation in London. Rick Sky, MD of BANG provided some barbed criticism but brought it all back home in his overall summary:

Some classics like All Along The Watchtower, which opens this set, and It Ain't Me, Babe, which follows soon after, seem to have been reinvigorated by Dylan's tinkering. But Desolation Row - one of his greatest songs - is virtually wrecked by giving it a fast rock tempo treatment. The beauty of that song – as in all of Dylan's classic '60s songs - is in the way that the music matches the intensity and picturesque imagery of the lyrics. Sadly, when Dylan sings it now, there is none of that. Nevertheless, when this version of the song comes to an end, there is thunderous, non-stop applause for minutes. But you can't help feeling that the applause is for a song that Dylan sang way back in the past, and which connected with so many people, not the song he is singing now....Personally, I admire his courage and his creativity and think that they are his songs, and he can do what he likes with them... It is certain that a number of people went to these concerts because they feel they could be Dylan's last in the UK. I am not so sure. After all, his great friend Willie Nelson is still playing live at the age of 91. I don't want to be macabre, but I can't help feeling Dylan will die on stage.

Stephen Khan in The Conversation summed it up aptly:

If this was to be Dylan’s last ever live performance, then what does it say about him and his place in music history? Well, that he remains as vital an artist as he was in the 1960s, one who continues to reinvent himself, who continues to chase that restless, hungry feeling and who doesn’t look back, but constantly forward. We hope that you got to see him this tme around and we wish you the very best for the year ahead.

May you climb on every rung ..........

Mike & John

Return to Contents Page