London/Wembley (15-Oct-87)

DISC D515.su
SOUND Very good audience tape
IMAGE Tonight's cameraman, in the right-side tiered seats, has an oblique view across the front of the stage that nicely catches Bob (see screenshots) with Tench and often Campbell behind, but with the remaining Heartbreakers (Petty included) and the Queens of Rhythm never seen (though the latter are certainly heard!). His film is pleasantly lit and tinted and consistently well-framed and steady. But he's plagued and sporadically defeated by an occlusion problem - not heads but (I think) bodies, and one in particular. Significant passages of CCK, River Flow and Forever Young are lost to black screen wilderness and halfway through Dead Man, after yet another total eclipse, he gives up and switches off altogether. But, all things considered, a decent night's work just the same.
RUNNING TIME We get to see ten and a half of the show's 15 songs in 45:30. Bonus (access via "This DVD is NOT for sale!" on the menu page) runs a further 4:30.
PERFORMANCE 1987: after a US summer with the Dead which produced for our collective delight his worst ever officially released album, come the fall and Bob was back out with Petty, the Heartbreakers, the Queens and Roger McGuinn (as support) for another tour, this time of Europe: 30 dates in 11 countries over six hectic weeks. After kicking off in Israel in early September with thoughts of retirement uppermost in his mind, somewhere along the way - supposedly Locarno, Switzerland, in fact - he underwent, by his own testimony (see D366.su, review) a re-birth or epiphany. Here, on D515.su, we catch him 10 days and seven gigs on from that extraordinary, life-changing experience. And how's he looking? How's he sounding? Actually, not so good. Of all his songs, wouldn't you think he'd know the lyric of Blowin' In The Wind, at least, frontwards, backwards and inside out? Not tonight. He bungles the first verse, botches the second and we're off to a bad start. Senor comes over better and Forever Young opens with some committed harp. But other songs are dispatched quickly with an arch, mannered delivery but little apparent engagement from the singer. The tune he puts most into is the dreary lead balloon John Brown. Though the richer, fuller and more melodic Heartbreaker sound is a step up from the Dreadful Dead, alright, still this autumn 1987 night, D's out of sorts, well off his game, fingerless gloves, acoustic-free set and all.
HIGHLIGHTS I'll Remember You, Senor
COMMENT The brief bonus offers another Lost Bob, this one from 1992, not singing (beyond a feeble attempt) the rarely-aired 2 x 2. The jiggly, colourful, stage-front film is fun; D's “performance” decidedly not.
THANKS JL ("HW" too)
STARS Three

Sound Upgrade DVD
Wembley Arena London England
15 Oct. 1987

This is a filmed from the audience bootleg, containing 11 from Dylans 15-song set. We get to see a lot of Bob in a total shot between the monitor speakers. From the camera’s point of view we also see a lot of Benmont and sometimes David, but never for instance the Queens. The camera is steady for some 65% of the time and is a real pleasure to watch. For the rest of the time we´re blessed with a more than average sound quality, expected from a sound upgrade version. The performance is good, Bob being really into it, singing and playing convincingly, especially in I'll Remember You and Señor with David Campbell supporting subtle but strongly. The bonus track is a rare ´2x2´, very close on Bob, from Corregio, Italy, July 5, 1992.