The Raconteurs and Bob Dylan, November 17, 2006

Saw the Raconteurs and Bob Dylan at the Patriot Center the other night. Went with GB (who gets a hat tip for organizing this little outing), DC and Will. I hadn’t been to the Patriot Center since seeing an “HFS Nutcracker” c. 1992. It’s a serviceable if unremarkable venue. This was my first exposure to the Raconteurs, and they were definitely worth seeing. I’d describe their music as hard rock of the pre-big hair Heavy Metal era (i.e., back when heavy metal was defined by powerful drums, driving bass, and assertive lead guitar, rather than by satanic symbolism and overdone stage make up). They are what we grew up calling a Rock Band: A lead vocalist, a bass player, a drummer, and a rhythm guitarist. We caught about an hour of their show, and I look forward to catching them again, hopefully outdoors.

As for Dylan, in a sense this was the first time I’d seen him too. Everything about his music and stage presence – except perhaps the lyrics themselves – is completely different from when I saw him in 1994. Which in turn was completely different from when I saw him in 1987.

Someone once said “All my favorite singers couldn’t sing”, in an oblique reference to Dylan. I had always felt that Dylan’s supposed reputation for being a poor singer was an urban myth, unless I just didn’t understand the definition of singer. He has written and performed some of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. Nowadays, I have to admit that I can’t find a whole lot in his music, particularly onstage, that I find appealing. In his current incarnation, he sings in a deep raspy voice that is akin to Tom Waits, in the same sense that Dylan’s first recordings back in 1962 sounded an awful lot like Woody Guthrie. Not that Dylan is emulating the former, in the way that he clearly was paying homage to the latter, but I can’t think of another way to describe his singing style. He is much more low key than ever, never even bothering to face the audience.

I couldn't help but sensing that many people in the audience were expecting him to stand up with his guitar and play his songs the way they know them. But they should have known not to expect that. My expectations were pretty much in line with what was delivered, so I wasn’t overly disappointed. The only thing that I found dissatisfying was that he didn’t play guitar at all. He stood at a little keyboard the whole time. Apparently there are rumors that he doesn’t play the guitar anymore due to back problems, but nobody has confirmed that.

Finally, a draw for me when it comes to a Bob Dylan show these days is the opportunity to see living history. Being in the presence of one of the central cultural figures of the 20th century is reason enough to go see him - once. He has always been an enigma, and one should know going in that he is not going to perform his old songs in the familiar way, like Neil Diamond for instance. But I think this is the last time for me. I’ll stick to the music of his that I love, and thankfully there is more than enough of that to last a lifetime.