My Very First Dylan Concert

Berkeley. May 7, 1992.

The Setlist.

1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

2. If Not For You

3. Union Sundown

4. Just Like a Woman

5. Drifter's Escape

6. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Have Never Met)

7. Tangled Up In Blue

8. Love Minus Zero/ No Limit (acoustic alone)

9. Little Moses (acoustic alone)

10. Visions of Johanna (acoustic with band)

11. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright (acoustic with band)

12. Cat's in the Well

13. Idiot Wind

14. The Times They are a-Changin'

15. Like a Rolling Stone

1st Encore

16. Absolutely Sweet Marie

17. All Along the Watchtower

2nd Encore

18. Blowin' in the Wind

     This was my (Wade's) first Bob Dylan show.  It was very exciting for that reason, of course, but my expectations about the show itself were not incredibly high.  This came at a time when Dylan was at a reputation nadir for perfomance.  He was said, by some, to be indifferent at concerts, mangling some of his songs and mumbling through others.  My seats were not good.  Not used to fighting for good tickets yet, I was in the very last row in the Berkeley auditorium.  There was an opening act, but I can't remember anything about them.  When Dylan began the show the first song seemed to confirm the horror stories about the worst of the early 90s concerts.  Dylan seemed to fade in on each line of "Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35" - I could hear the second half of each line but not the first.  It wasn't just that the performance wasn't great - it was plain bad.  I let out a mental sigh and just decided to enjoy the fact that I was in the same auditorium as a legend and watch the action through the binoculars I had brought.  "If Not For You" was little better and then he tore into "Union Sundown" - it is one of my least favorite Dylan songs and this rendition didn't make me feel much different about it.

     The show began to pick up with "Just Like a Woman".  It was not a brilliant version, but it was servicable and not embarrassing.  I even liked the arrangement.  This was about the time of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles and so "Drifter's Escape" (with it's line - "The trial was bad enough/ but this is ten times worse!") seemed very appropriate thought the performance itself was a bit of a shambles.  "I Don't Believe You" was better and then "Tangle Up in Blue" came on.  It is one of my favorite Dylan songs and I loved the arrangement.  The version was solid, but again, nothing to write home about.

     Then the band went away and it was Dylan alone on stage with his guitar.  The difference was amazing.  You could suddenly understand most of what he was saying and he seemed sensitive to the song and interested in getting it across.  "Little Moses", the next song, was more of the same.  I hadn't heard a Dylan version of this one before and I loved it.  But it was the next song that made the whole night worth it.  I don't know if it was a change in attitude or if Dylan just needed to warm up for a while those nights, but "Visions of Johanna" (with the band returning as an acoustic ensemble) was excellent and you could suddenly get excited about being there again.  "Johanna" is one of Dylan's best songs and this arrangement did it justice.  "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" was not quite as strong but with the same band arrangement was quite good.

     The band returned to the electric set up and performed "Cat's in the Well" - not a particular favorite, but now that I had been satisfied with "Visions" I was fine with it.  "Idiot Wind" was a surprising bonus for me, having never heard this haunting slowed down arrangement before.  It lacked the fire of the studio version, but felt a bit nastier despite that (or maybe because of it).  Next to "Visions" it was the evening's highlight.  The rest of the night was fairly routine.  "The Time's They are a-Changin'" was fine, but "Like a Rolling Stone" was a bit chaotic.  The encores began with "Absolutely Sweet Marie" in which Dylan seemed to strain a bit too much and then "All Along the Watchtower" which I don't hardly even remember.  Dylan went off again and came back for a second encore, a gentle version of "Blowin' in the Wind" which left us feeling satisfied.  I didn't know at the time that I would have many other opportunities to see him and I felt glad to have had the chance, despite a slightly spotty performance.  That "Visions of Johanna" was enough to justify the time and money spent.  I heard a woman saying to a friend as she left "I was worried after those first three songs but then.... That was cool!"  Amen.