Duluth, MN (03-Jul-99)

A brilliant, solid, close up show!
Similar to the Bologna show (D632.su) but less shakey.
Bob really enjoys himself here, on Not Fade Away, hes jumping all over the place!
This show is one of the best iv'e seen and hope dvdylan gets some more up-close dvds.

BTW. I think Paul Simon sees the camera on Knockin'On Heavens Door

It's all over now...a perennial favorite of mine (the screen name as a hint?...)is sonically beautiful. A gracious arrangment laden with pedal steel guitar and a slow lolling pace that allows the listener to ease into the DVD. Tangled up in Blue, another major heavyweight: Dylan's acoustic is turned up nicely in the mix. He sings this one with a regal bearing that befits both the singer and the song. There is some tasty country blues lead work by our hero here - we get a nice shot of him and the bassman doing the two step with his upright - both clearly moved by the joy of the music and the moment.

The visuals for the show make me feel a touch claustrophobic. Somebody appears to be shooting this through a veritable keyhole. That being said, the taper does a great job given the constraints he has to work within. At times he/she gets a rare bit of daylight and breaks for the hole, getting a sizzling slide lead and and guitar interplay with Bob and the band in Not Fade Away and again on Highway 61. Maybe it was the proximatey of that now legendary highway which gave that particular tune its kick on this night.

One has to wonder if this show held special signifigance for Bob given the locale. The playlist is pretty top heavy with D's mega hits. We also get a liberal sprinkling of the then fairly recent Time out of Mind. The set list is nicely paced to take us on a spin out on that highway of regret...and straight through to 61.

The sound is excellent. Nice separation of the instruments in the mix. The band is tight and the arrangements are crisp. For most of the show we don't see the rest of the band, mostly just a bust shot of Bob, but that don't bother me much; the man is quite expressive tonight, giving to the audience, and clearly unable to conceal how much fun he is having.

Stuck inside features a band arrangement that is as tight as Bob's electric jamming is loose. He seems to be in a blues pattern that clashes somewhat with the band's decidedly country presentation. However much he may noodle around with his ax, though, you can be sure he is spot on and tight with his vocals and lyrics.

LARS is a lot of fun to watch. Bob's face is super expressive. Maybe the chance to ask how it feels to have no direction home so close to his place of birth was an irony he just couldn't ignore.

Blowin' in the wind sees Dylan go back to his acoustic. Again we are regaled with a tight yet open arrangement wherein Bob demonstrates that he can play melodic leads on the guitar, when he puts his mind to it.

Sounds of Silence, with Paul Simon, is great. Sure, it is about as tight as True Love of Mine with Johnny Cash on Nashville Skyline, but that is part of the allure. It feels like a down home good time jam - but make no mistake, Bob and Paul may be relaxed and enjoying themselves but the song is treated with care and reverence.

Knocking on Heaven's door, no less comically than inadvertantly, begins with the taper trying to avoid a sea of denim asses as the vocals waft over. Very soon, though, we find Messrs Dylan and Simon again and are treated to a free form reggae romp that at one point sees Simon break into Mother and Child Reunion in the middle of the tune. The good natured ping ponging of lead vocals back and forth between the two is clearly a labor of love and mutual respect sprinkled with a liberal dose of levity.

This tape comes perilously close to a full five star rating. The only thing that keeps it in the strong four ranking are the visual constraints and the occasional song cut. Still these minor annoyances don't get in the way of a good time. Get this one.