It’s not easy travelling abroad to find a living rocker perform but, when the opportunity arises, you don’t think twice, it’s alright. With Bob Dylan headlining the Timbre Rock & Roots 2011 festival on April 15, an overnight journey had me land in Singapore on the day of Dylan’s performance.
With the landmark Ferris Wheel known as ‘Singapore Flyer’ as the backdrop, the Marina Promenade was converted into a festive atmosphere with various shamianas placed around the venue marketing products from the sponsors to the sale of liquor and foodstuffs with the stage strategically located between the stalls and the giant wheel. While artistes from the blues influenced Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue to the reggae tinged Toots & The Maytals performing, the audience of 5,000+ built up as the show progressed, as it became more than obvious that the audience had arrived to see Bob Dylan’s performance.
Right at the targeted time of 9.30pm, Dylan arrived on stage wearing an off white coloured hat, a black suit with a white strip running down on the outer side of his pants. His nasal voice had given way to a hoarse one as he opened with the rocking ‘Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking’ from “Slow Train Coming”. As Dylan switched to playing keyboards – which was surprisingly his staple instrument throughout most of the evening – he established his proficiency as a multi-instrumentalist, utilizing the harmonica on select songs. As Dylan ran through ‘Tangled Up In Blue’ and ‘Tweedle Dee And Tweedle Dum’ from his set list, the best moments were reserved for the classic ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ and ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’, although each track performed was comprehensively rearranged [often beyond recognition] to support a tight band consisting of three guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer.
After an hour, 15 minutes and 12 songs later, Dylan vanished from the stage with his band, only to return for an encore five minutes later for the sing along of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ and the mid-tempo ‘Forever Young’, an apt ending for an artiste whose songs can be best described as such. With that, the legend was gone and, inspite of other artistes scheduled to perform thereafter, half the audience dispersed too, having witnessed a legendary rocker who was certainly past his prime as a live performer, though his talent as a composer largely remains intact.
With so many classic songs missing from his set list no doubt being a disappointment but, at the age of almost 70, Bob Dylan can certainly take chances, even though seeing him perform live was never a gamble.
- Parag Kamani
Parag Kamani is an entertainment industry professional who has had over 21 years of work experience – initially in the record industry and, thereafter, in the home video business – having executed various senior management roles at Magnasound, BMG Crescendo, Virgin Records, Saregama India, Viva Entertainment (UAE), Zee Group. Parag is currently the Vice President - Shreya Entertainment.
April 2011
Set list:
1. Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking
2. It Ain't Me, Babe
3. Beyond Here Lies Nothin'
4. Tangled Up In Blue
5. Honest With Me
6. Simple Twist Of Fate
7. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
8. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
9. Highway 61 Revisited
10. Love Sick
11. Thunder On The Mountain
12. Ballad Of A Thin Man
Encore:
13. Like A Rolling Stone
14. Forever Young
Dylan’s Band
Bob Dylan - guitar, keyboard, harmonica
Tony Garnier - bass
George Recile - drums
Stu Kimball - rhythm guitar
Charlie Sexton - lead guitar
Donnie Herron - trumpet, electric mandolin, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar