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Thursday Amherst bound Nov 18, 1999
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Came down to the gazebo to catch my breath and see the lake before the long drive to Amherst to hear Dylan again.
The concert in New Haven last Wednesday so baffled me I was unable to write my review yet. The water is making a lot of noise, leaping against the stone wall, the trucks and cars rolling on the road across the lake sound like whales songs long breathy and moody. It’s hard to leave my house when the sun is setting over the lake. The water moves a lot though there is no wind, The Indian name means Lake of Many Currents. An underwater river must be flowing tonight.
I have to drop off two big bags of boxes to the post office first and then pick up my friend Jesse the goldsmith in West Hartford where I’ve never been and I’m nervous.
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I’ve been feelin discombobulated. Tonight I want to get Bobulated.
I hope for a great night as I start the drive. 100 miles to Amherst. I drive north on Highway 91. I notice Hwy 91 is Hwy 61 upside down. 1999 is 1966 upside down. It’s a time flip
Live 66 at Albert Hall in England Live 99 in New England.
In last night’s set , Bob did "Every Grain of Sand" – I’ve never heard that song done live, I hope he will do it tonight. I print out the set lists from Bob-Links and think about what songs Bob will do.
Maybe he’ll do "I Want You." He did "Highlands" recently, I think it would be sweet to hear that again tonight.
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A squirrel is screaming from the tree behind me, screeching as though he is trying to get my attention.
So I’m listening: What, Squirrel ?
The squirrel is doing his version of the mink ad "What Becomes a Legend Most," holding his squirrel fur wrapped around him like Lauren Bacall imitating me, wearing jewelry made with acorns and pine needles and the jewels that fell in the garden.
I laugh; the squirrel is making fun of me. He does a stunning runway walk on the branch little furry tail swishing.
Time to go.
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Jesse and I get to the Mullins Center, in Amherst; it’s a familiar and nice looking building. When we get in Phil Lesh is on already doing the "Low Spark of High Heel Boys." Very well.
I have discovered that general admission means no seats at all, which was great with me. Just masses of people Mullin’ around . As we entered the stadium for the Phil Lesh set we were pulled to the sound board like a giant magnet, and I was holding on to the iron handrail in the first set. We had a couple of Martini’s before we got there. There is a funny mess of spaghetti black and red wires on the sound board, which look comically low tech. They are burning incense or is it the kids that are so sweet you could kind inhale it like roses.
After Phil’s set we wended our way through the crowd from the sound booth as the crowd was changing to get a closer spot near the stage. This time I vow I am going to be able to see Bob and the band. I had bad seats in the last two concerts.
Jessie found a spot where some kids had staked a claim and were sitting on the floor about 30 feet from the stage. We throw down our coats and sit down too. The kids are really friendly. I love kids that age who have no idea how beautiful they are. They are passing my jewelry around and asking me about the stuffed animal camel purse I wear.
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I take out the sets play list from the previous week and we talk about the songs. Cute guy asks me which song it would make me happy to hear. That’s a good question – maybe ‘Oh Sister,’" I say, as I’ve been listening to CD 2 of Live at Budokan in Japan ---- To me in W’english ( my playful version of English ) I hear ‘Oh Sister Wen.’ I have a Japanese doll named Sister Wen.
He said "Vision of Johanna" was first on his wish list. I said "Shelter." We exchange names of beloved songs. It was a long intermission. There was a boy dancing up on one of the balconies in front of the exits so engaging and uninhibited.
I liked this crowd. There was a license plate in the parking lot which read "B DYLAN."
The blonde pony tail girl with a tattoo up her spine, and her boyfriend and friends are taking turns getting back massages with a little wooden knob.
I think if we sit here long enough we may get one too. Her boyfriend tells me that in New Haven when Bob started singing "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" that someone from the audience threw a leopard hat over the mike in front of Bob like a ring toss, and someone had to run on stage and take it off.
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At last it’s started…
Bob opens with a gospel song I had never heard before. "Somebody touched me," I think the lyrics were. The singing is very strong already.
Everybody’s feeling good. His second song "Mr. Tambourine Man" seems to thrill the crowd which looks so young they may have never heard it live before. Wolf calls.
Bob looks at the audience and does a harp solo. We hear familiar chords.
"Darkness at the break of noon shadows even the silver spoon," gives me chills – He not busy being born is busy dyin’. "It’s All Right Ma, I’m only Bleedin’." The melancholy guitar solo goes to some ringing place like a tuning fork to my skull. "It’s easy to see with out lookin’ too far not much is really sacred."
Boots of Spanish Leather is tender and always seems to mean more then the words say. "The same thing I want today I’d want again tomorrow".
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I couldn’t read my notes after that until "Tangled up in Blue."
Everyone likes this one. They scream between the verses. "You’re a Big Girl Now" is one of my favorites "and you are on dry land," (DrY LANd) "we’ll make it thru somehow
your’re a big girl now…."
"All Along the Watch Tower" got a big roar. The guitar
solo so extremely enjoyable people were dancing all over.
"all the people came and WEENNTTTT -- Barefoot servants too"
Bob is smiling. The blonde girl next to me says to her boyfriend "I have never been so happy in my life, I’m smiling so much my face hurts."
Her hair is down now and her body’s like Annette Benning, she’s beaming.
The band breaks into a huddle and people start yelling out requests. I yell out "Highlands" in a momentary lull in the sound of the crowd, and Bob and the band started Highlands at that exact moment. It was perfect, like some mystical ancient Yogi- Master of Time. "I know you’re an artist draw a picture of me, I would if I could but I don’t draw from memory.
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But I’m right here in front of you, or haven’t you looked. I know but I don’t have my drawing book." I love this song. Bob sings every word so clearly the lyrics just slay me. He’s having fun "She throws the napkin back and says that doesn’t look a thing like me." His voice is hypnotic.
He’s changing the words.
"Soft-boiled eggs are scrambled eggs. I got NEEWWWW eyes, everything looks far away "
Bob sings in his gravely voice. "Trying to right what went wrong the day before. Sometimes it gets too late to learn." Lots of new lyrics.
"Highway 61" created an entirely new time in the concert. Bob made funny faces, being totally silly sometimes. Seemed like the band was having so much fun.
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They turn the bright lights on us in the audience. I waved my wristy in the air.
Everyone around us is dancing, young people with belly button rings and blonde dreadlocks.
Love Sick.
The band came back for encore after encore, just when you thought they were done they did another song it was so satisfying. Bob and Phil Lesh seemed to be having a lot of fun and were talking to each other and Bucky too. I think I heard Bob say it was the end of their tour together.
Bob brought out everyone from the earlier set. There were 8 people, I think, so rocking we were jumping up and down.
"Sometimes I feel like I’m being plowed under" was an altered lyric, and You’re on the right track- in Rainy Day Women. I couldn’t write them down. Seemed like he was making it up as he went.
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"Once upon a time you dressed so fine," people screamed. "Just like a Rolling Stone." "A Friend of the Devil" with Phil Lesh.
I’ve come to love that song after hearing it many times the past few years. Bob did a harp solo, (there weren’t many) . Then "Alabama Getaway." It was just what we all wanted to hear. By this time I was too busy dancing to take notes. I’m sure someone got the set list, and lyric changes and I saw that tape player recording at the sound booth so there maybe some bootlegs comin’ I could be happy to relive this a thousand times in my car. Don’t Fade Away was great is always great.
After we thought it was over, they did "Rainy Day Women," and "Just Like a Rollin Stone." "Blowin’ in the Wind" was the last number with some beautiful harmonies the audience was singing along. They kept the house lights off a long time so we thought maybe there would be one more. Then they came up and it was over.
I went looking for the vendors to get a poster but they were closed.
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The parking lot was like a Dead show, Morocc’an roll. Kids selling stuff on blankets. I didn’t get a poster, drat, and I did a great art piece with the last one with Natalie Merchant "LIVE AND IN PERSON_DON’T YOU DARE MISS IT!!!,"
for the Dylan gallery on my website so I’ll have to find one, they even took the tickets stubs completely -- come on, I use these things.
I love these kids so much, I ought to take some time off jewelry designing and teach art or creativity up here as a guest teacher or something.
Jesse and I talk driving on the way back remembering the concert. What kind of pin could we make inspired by Bob’s music? I thought a guitar pin, maybe blue with strings that wrap around with wings, it’s a thought, a "Tangled up in Blue guitar." Jesse plans to be flying in a jet plane on New Years Eve, 2000. Y2K. I ask him why. He said "It’s a matter of faith."
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The drive home was easy and fast, after I dropped off my friend I was listening to some live concert bootleg one of my on line Dylan buddies traded with me. I don’t even know what I’m listening to but it hardly matters. My car is a moving live Dylan concert, with a "Star Fleet Academy" sticker in the rear window. (Till the wheels fall off and burn I think..) I got home about 3 am the dogs were glad to see me. I started writing my review. This was much easier than writing for the Coliseum show. I checked in at Bob Links to see if the set list was up yet, not yet. It’s 4:00 am, Bill’s off the job .
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It all goes so fast in cyber space. The concert was totally satisfying, I got SO Bob, so Bobified, he was so GOOD, so much Bob. It was Wendelicious and I’m really inspired -- I needed this.
Now I can probably go back and write my last week’s review. I like doing this writing and having people visit Wendyland at my website, my Dylan inspired art gallery "wenDYLANd ." WenDylan d…..Dylan is always in the middle of wenDyland.
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" Certainly Wendy had been dreaming…While she slept she had a dream. She dreamed that the Neverland had come too near and that a strange boy had broken thru from it. The dream itself would have been a trifle, but while she was dreaming the window of the nursery blew open, and a boy did drop on the floor."(J.M. Barrie -Peter Pan and Wendy 1940)
e mail wendella@wendygell.com
website www.wendygell.com
Bob and His Band have 2 more nights and this tour is over. Have a great holiday, get some rest , Happy New Millenium and Peace to all. Bob come back soon and thrill us some more. Thanks, Wendy.
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