Monday, November 20, 2006

The Modern Times of Bob Dylan & The Raconteurs

Bob Dylan; The Raconteurs
@ Wachovia Spectrum
Philadelphia, PA - November 18, 2006


I saw Bob Dylan three times, three years a row (1999, 2000, 2001), each in the third week of November. Fast forward 4 years later and I am again seeing Zim in the third week of November and for the second time at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. My one complaint for all three of those Dylan shows was Dylan himself - his insistence on wailing and whining his lyrics instead of singing the way he had sang on Time Out of Mind and Love & Theft: that of an aged, gruff, learned bluesman. I don't know when he changed, but 4 years later, with his excellent Modern Times completing his latest trifecta, Bob is finally singing the way he should. This now translates to a complete, perfect, performance package.
And what's up with the logo? After all these decades, Bob Dylan has a logo?
http://www.edlis.org/shelf/boblogo.jpg

And while Dylan is currently sporting the look of a Spanish lover, a gentleman known for dressing close to that look last year, took the stage with his bandmates before the headlining act. Jack White and co., known very well on this blog as the Raconteurs, continue to sound better with every gig. Taking more elaborate chances, though a little stifled by the mellowed and large confines of the Spectrum, the Racs are more full of soul, rock n roll, and good times than they were at the very beginning of their run. Jack and Brendan Benson in particular seem to never have been happier (and opening for Bob Dylan surely plays a role in that), and it really affects the band's performance. The Raconteurs have broken the record for most gigs reviewed in a single year (the record was five, set last year by the Dirtbombs) and this will (most likely) be the last review of the year for the band. So take heart, readers, you won't be reading the Raconteurs name again for awhile. Haha.

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