VANCOUVER -- Tuesday night at Bob Dylan's intimate club performance here, after more than a decade of attending live shows, I experienced the most touching event I've ever witnessed at a concert.
It came during "It Ain't Me, Babe." Bob was onstage with four other bandmates (keyboards, guitar, bass and drums) playing to an adoring Vancouver crowd made up of a mere thousand lucky fans at The Rage. Standing three-quarters of the way back, I had the perfect vantage point -- right behind the sound board -- to see Bob and to see Bob's fans react to each song.
A diminutive woman worked her way from the very back of the room, a dozen roses in hand, trying to get past the tightly packed crowd, determined to deliver the flowers to their intended. Halted by a metal barricade only a third of the way up, she stood, looking beaten until two men offered to carry her over her first hurdle. Appreciative but still stumped, the two then picked the woman back up and began crowd surfing her towards the front of the room. As Bob continued with his song, warmly warbling "It ain't me, babe/It ain't me you're lookin' for", the rest of the crowd became aware of the quest and started to cheer. The flowers held high above the forty-something woman's head, her body experiencing the only moshing it likely has ever seen, the crowd positioned her head towards the stage.
Arms outstretched, the flowers were the first to arrive where Bob stood. He finished the song, went to the woman and held her, thanking her warmly. There was not a dry eye in the house.
It was just that kind of night. Indeed, this was not an "industry schmooze." The room was not filled with any stars of stage or screen, it was an event whereby fans lined up at one TicketMaster outlet for tickets only two days after the last-minute event was announced, ensuring an adoring, attitude-free audience.
The Rage show was a warm-up event for Dylan, who kicks off his West Coast mini-tour with fellow legends Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell tonight (Wednesday) at GM Place in Vancouver. I will admit that I was a tad skeptical walking in to the venue, prepared to see a jaded musician performing songs he had grown tired of long ago. But the truth is that Dylan blew all naysayers away with his energy, his enthusiasm and his ability to genuinely entertain.
Straying far away -- and far beyond -- the band's intended set list (see below) the original eight-song plan doubled in size at the man's hands, as he moved effortlessly from old songs to new.
Kicking off the 90-minute set with a cover of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", the rockabilly number pumped an already electric crowd even higher. It was immediately evident that these were FANS inside that club, the real thing. Nearly every person polled before the show had purchased their tickets after waiting in line, 15 hours on average. A father camped out overnight in line so that his son -- flying up from California to follow his dad on four dates of the Mitchell/Van/Dylan tour -- could witness big Bob in a small venue, as he had nearly 30 years ago. Another bounced his rent cheque to attend the event, waiting 21 hours in line for a ticket and then another 13 hours to get a center-stage spot in the standing-room only event.
Dressed in the same Southern country gentleman attire he wore on the Grammy Awards, Dylan uttered few words during the show, save for "thank you" and "you're too kind" but his lyrics spoke volumes. Dylan seemed clear, focused and decidedly present when performing every number. Playfully aiming his guitar like a shotgun during a blistering solo in "Cold Irons Bound", it was apparent by that third number that the man was enjoying himself immensely.
A few songs later, "Silvio" brought forth another incredible solo and when the crowd screamed their delight, a huge smile spread across Bob's face. That explosive reaction seemed to egg Dylan on. "Tangled Up In Blue" came next, complete with an energetic acoustic guitar solo that caused the room to spontaneously burst into cheers. His eyes glowed and he teased the audience with solos that were only outshone by the animated look on his face.
Yes, some may accuse Bob Dylan of sounding apathetic on television, some might say he's been around too long, but if those naysayers had witnessed last night's show in Vancouver, they would have seen a man with incredible energy and charisma put an impressive amount of emotion and care into his music, all for his hardcore fans.
It was a privilege to witness such an event.
The Intended Set List (as it appeared on the soundman's sheet):
Not Fade Away
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Lay Lady Lay
Cold Irons Bound
Doin' It All Night
To Make You Feel My Love
Steel Bars
Blue
The Actual Set List
Not Fade Away
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
Cold Irons Bound
To Make You Feel My Love
Silvio
Stone Walls And Steel Bars
It's All Over Now Baby Blue
Tangled Up In Blue
Million Miles
Highway 61 Revisited
I'm Not Supposed To Care (a Gordon Lightfoot song)
'Till I Fell In Love With You
It Ain't Me, Babe
Love Sick
Rainy Day Woman #12 + #35
Check back at Jam! Music tomorrow morning for a review of tonight's (Thursday, May 14) Dylan - Van Morrison - Joni Mitchell triple bill in Vancouver.
