Berkeley, CA (10-Jun-88)

Very enjoyable show. Bob & his boys are The Great Rock'n'Roll Band Under the Sky here - Neil Young included. Maybe Bob puts pressure on his voice too much here and there. But he really rocks. And this accoustic Lakes Of Pontchartrain is the cherry on the cake. Great setlist, excellent show and sound, average video quality. Four stars and a quarter.

Special thanks to Jim50 for the language correction.

This is a difficult show to review because of how much video has changed between 1988 and 2006. Well, and perhaps because of how much Dylan has changed.

This was show #3 of the Never Ending Tour, and as such, is pretty darn likely to be the first NET video. From a technical standpoint, it doesn't quite measure up to what you are likely used to from more recent videos. The taper never gets in very close, but keeps a wide shot for the entire video. The picture isn't especially sharp, and the camera bounces a bit.

BUT...

From a 1988 standpoint, this is amazing. The video presents a fine depiction of the re-energizing early NET period. Dylan is absolutely taking names and kicking asses here. The band stomps through the rockers, and Dylan sensatively croons the acoustic set. If you haven't seen a 1988 show and haven't listed to a ton of them, you owe it to yourself to do so. Whether you love him or hate him, G.E. Smith brought a tangible personality to Dylan's band. Granted, his electric playing lacks any subtlety or nuance, but this wasn't a band for nuance. Kenny Aaronson smacks out a pounding, thumping, rumbling bass line that would make Tony Garnier's teeth hurt. Chris Parker holds it all together admirably, although he's probably the boring quiet member in this group.

Bob is absolutely engaged. From making ridiculous guitar hero poses with G.E. Smith in the opening numbers to pleasing the crowd with a rollicking "San Fransisco Bay Blues" to rocking out with Neil Young, Bob was on the job on this night.

The sound upgrade is excellent, and while the video isn't super-close or perfect in colors and clarity, it is consistent, it is watchable, and it is smoking at times.

Which I suppose makes it hard to explain why I've only given it 4 stars. Probably because this hobby is dominated by people who are always WAAAAY too interested in the here and now. My advice to the newcomers, to the uninitiated, and to those who are cutting teeth on the 2005/2006 era Dylan is that if you want to appreciate and maybe understand the here and now, you have to work through the numerous and glorious back pages.

For 45 years or so, Bob has been bringing it ALL back home. This night was one of many such occasions. The video isn't new-fangled and slick, but it is certainly worth owning.

Joe

A great upgrade of a great show. This is a prime example of a film that i really like but which, without the audio upgrade, was hard to recommend or revisit.

Video is shot from quite a distance up in the seats at the venerable Greek (site of many magical events). Colors are ok, but focus suffers from the distance. No obstructions and minimal shakes. A very cool slideshow to open the show.

Audio, excellent! There are some sync problems with this sound upgrade, some songs are fine some are clearly out of sync for portions of the song.

Again, this is a wonderful show that is now exceedingly 'viewable' thanks to the time and effort of the Soundupgrader (is that a word?). The acoustic set is choice, and its great fun to watch Neil Young bounce around the stage on rhythm guitar.

This SU project really captures some of the energy and experience of the early NET's better moments. Recommended.