New York, NY (01-Nov-98)

After watching this show-I ran to the computer to see if it had been reviewed. Yes it had,and with the wonderful insight of Jim50. So,all I will say is I loved this show. This is a truly great dvd. Thanks to everyone involved in making it.BRAVO!!

D048.su IN THE MOOD

DVDylan lists discs in one of two categories - audience-shot and pro-shot - but with D048.su, Vygi might have a problem. For here we have a two-cam fan-made film that's so good, so professionally turned out (and all the more so for having been given a final buff up by Cineman) that it blurs the distinction between the two. Carrying a top-notch audio track and catching Bob in the mood, on top of his game and brim-full of that familiar NYC zeal that seems to seep into his soul as soon as he gets a sniff of the East River, D048.su is a rip-roaring, grin-inducing treat from start to finish.

The Serve Somebody that kicks things off (listen out for yet more new lines) is taken brisker than usual and that's a recurring theme, for, later, D and the band scorch through Tangled then Joey back to back. After the latter, Bob actually says "I played that too fast" as though fully conscious of the wilful, anarchic nature of the demon sprite within him, but powerless to do much about it. This is confirmed two songs on when H61 comes in for further faster feistier funner flagellation. And yet, in between those two he draws back to drop in the delightful Times We've Known, a lovely career one-off most fans will be familiar with, in audio at least.

In choosing to offer what some might think of as a saccharine ballad, D merely confirms the catholic scope of his musical taste (about which, since the advent of Theme Time Radio Hour, there can surely no longer be any doubt). In its introduction (and he's very chatty all night) he name-checks* author Charles Aznavoice, the French Sinatra, a writer of songs more prolific even than D and winner of a 1998 CNN/Time Online global Entertainer of the Century poll. (He took 18% of the vote and edged out Elvis, D, Chaplin and Lennon in the process.) Bob and the band put the song over powerfully - obviously well-rehearsed - so you have to ask in a very perplexed voice why then never sing it again? Yes, there are a couple of minor lyric fluffs (a few mistakes...) but try again and get it right second time through, or third. But no, it’s here to enchant once, very briefly, then gone for good. Or would be, except for the handiwork of our trusty tapers. Catching Bon Moments such as this (and so beautifully in this instance) justifies all the pains all of them go to, even when the night's haul is far less rewarding or toothsome than here. It's a lottery, of course, but with, just now and then, a Big Door Prize to scoop to make it all so very worthwhile.

Bob feeds the New Yorkers their usual quota of "local" songs. The fourteen of his own that he sings are drawn from eight albums, five of which - Freewheelin', Times, H61R, BOTT and Desire - were recorded or part-recorded (BOTT) in NYC, with the first even taking a West 4th Street cityscape for its front cover backdrop. Tom Thumb mentions the city by name (big cheer), Joey is a Brooklyn tale, while Tangled cites that borough's Montague Street in passing. Even this fine OTMM recalls the '93 Supper Club performances in which it sparkled then as now. As for Love Sick, I'm not sure what it has to do with New York. But I do know that, like Sugar Baby, it's a song that, live, has come totally to eclipse the memory of its cold and somewhat sterile former album self, to blossom - flower from seed; studio duck, stage swan - into something else again.

Like D715.su before it, this disc is worth seeking out just for its special one-off cover. But also like D715.su, you'll find it more than repays any trouble you might go to to get it, cover or not.

THANKS Authors, viners, all.
STARS One (and another one, and another one ... :-)

*And not for the first time - see 11 Outlined Epitaphs (i.e. The Times They Are A-Changin' liner notes) epitaph #11.

People with few shows should probably refrain from writing reviews, but I'll at least keep it brief.

I didn’t hear the first version, but the sound on this upgrade is excellent - clear with full bass. I can see how the performance and cool video capture could be overlooked without this excellent sound.

There are two cams and still are used until things get rolling. One cam is tight, straight on, and has decent levels, but the other is the real standout. There is very little color on stage to begin with and this high contrast capture, up a little to Bob's right, is bordering on artistic. The two really work well as they accent the other’s strength.

The performance is energetic and fun. I really enjoyed the shows during this period and this is a good reminder of how great they were. During the show’s first half it's clear that Bob is having fun and ready to step out a little, and the second half delivers.

The editing, strange effect between songs, and menus are all very well done.

Hopefully some of you who can better compare it to other circulating shows from that period will give it its proper place in history, but it looks and sounds great to me.