Bob Dylan @ The Roundhouse - The Verdict

Last night became the second time I have seen Bob Dylan live and what an awesome gig it was! I'm sitting here in my unofficial tour T-shirt (yes I couldn't resist the £5 offer from a tout as I left the show - it's a nice souvenir!) ready to write a long post about my experience.....

After arriving (what I thought was) early, we collected our wristbands and tickets and hung out around the front of the Roundhouse munching our Subways thinking that there weren't many people there yet. After a while, an usher urged all people who had tickets to queue round the corner. So we packed up and followed the queue round the corner.......and round another corner.......and all the way up a hill! So much for being early! I was so surprised at how long it was - apparently people had been queuing for up to 10hours in order to get to the front - I mean, I'm a big fan but that's completely nuts! So we got in line, feeling quite gutted that there were so many people in front of us, but the sun was out and in general the crowd seemed in high spirits. I got talking to a woman in front of me who had some incredible stories from working at the Roundhouse in the 70s and her numerous times seeing Dylan (and other awesome bands) live. She even met him back in 1987, after chatting up a bouncer who took her backstage and introduced her to his tour manager. She was invited into Bob's dressing room and George Harrison and Tom Petty were there just hanging out with Dylan prior to the show! Talk about jealous! I would have been totally starstruck but apparently they were all really friendly. Anyway, having a fellow fan to chat with and some nutter on a guitar dancing up and down the hill to entertain us - the next hour and a half until the doors opened went by reasonably quick.

Well, before I go on to talk about the show itself - it must be said that I've never seen so many tall people in one room before! Who knew that most of Bob Dylan's fans are gigantic! Now, I'm not short - around 5ft 9 or 10.....and my boyfriend at 6ft 4 was about average height last night. So....knowing my luck I found myself surrounded by enormous men - and this is no exaggeration - I counted 9 huge men, all Nathan's height or above, in close proximity, towering around me in all directions! Needless to say I was intimidated into not pushing past them (as I would usually have done), but also frustrated at the unlikeliness of me seeing Dylan at all despite being pretty close to the stage. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was getting very irritated. The worst part was, I was directly behind two of the tallest (one of them literally must have been about 6ft 7 or 8 and built like a wall!) and my nose happened to line up nicely with his armpit. Which, for the record was unbearably sweaty and smelt awful!! Eurgh! To my delight though, with people pushing around, eventually I found a gap where if I stood on my tip-toes (which I did for the entire gig) I could see pretty well, and a little while in these two men went to get drinks or something allowing me to squeeze forward and improving my view.

I had been hoping to get more photographs, but unfortunately cameras were strictly prohibited and I had to sneak mine in under my coat (norty!). I risked a few sneaky shots on the sly, but this photo was the best I could get without being caught by the security guard! Oh well, at least you can kinda see it's him, and see how close I got! It was so nice being able to actually see him on stage - it absolutely kicked the arse of the Birmingham arena gig we saw back in 2007.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the set, he played some favourites and his blues-rock band were incredible. It absolutely rocked! I was so excited at times, including when he got up and ended on a harmonica solo for Blowin' in the Wind, that my heart almost burst out of my chest - I had an awesome time. Also, I don't usually bite my nails - but I noticed on the way home that I had nibbled my nails right down! Shows how excited and anxious I was!

The Set List:

Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat
Don't Think Twice (It's Alright)
Tangled Up In Blue
Million Miles
Rollin' & Tumblin'
Trying To Get To Heaven
Tweedledee & Tweedledum
Sugar Baby
High Water (For Charlie Patton)
I Don't Believe You
Po' Boy
Highway 61 Revisited
Ain't Talkin'
Summer Days
Like A Rolling Stone

Encore:
All Along The Watchtower
Spirit On The Water
Blowin' In The Wind

I've read some reviews this morning and quite a few people have criticised the show and there have been a lot of negative comments to do with his performance and the way he alters and rearranges his songs for live performances, but that's what I love about Bob Dylan - he always stirs up such debates amongst people! And I personally enjoy the anticipation of each song and the seeing how quickly I can recognise them. A lot of people don't appreciate his improvisation and unpredictability, he never plays a song the same way twice. Or they are old grumps who can't appreciate that he's aged and changed personally and musically since "the good old days". But I believe you don't go to a Dylan show to have a sing-a-long, you go to see a poet, a legend, an improviser, a chameleon.....and for me he didn't disappoint. Bob is who he is, like it or not, but I think he fuffin' rocks and last night blew me away.

Was anyone else there last night?