Bob Dylan: Tangled Up in Woodstock

History was trued up when Bob Dylan set foot on the stage of the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on Saturday for his set on "the former" Yasgur's farm, i.e. the hallowed ground of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts festival. It just happened to be 38 years late as Dylan famously did not play at Woodstock, even though he lived in the town of the show's namesake (which is actually located approx. 50 miles away - we made that trip too as any proper music fan would do on a music pilgrimage such as this). Rumor has it that Bob's disdain for the hippies that would constantly show up on his property and disrupt his privacy were to blame for his famous snub of what many will argue, and rightfully so, was the greatest concert/happening of all time.

But that just furthers the fact that Bob Dylan is a master of slight of hand. He appears to enjoy playing/saying things (or in the case of Woodstock or his lack of strapping on a guitar of late, not playing things) that are truly unexpected and many times leave audiences purplexed, annoyed, or at best, mildly dissapointed.

Perhaps the most famous of his attempts to invoke thought and mind expansion, rather than allowing his audience to enjoy a riskless but well-received set, was Bob's decision to "go electric" when the audience was, lets be honest, a pretty angry bunch of folkies. I thought they were supposed to be peaceful and loving, but oh well. Even since that time, Bob has confounded his fans and has had ordinary, non-believer critics yelling to the masses of his irrelevance. There was Bob's shot at gospel music and actual conversion to Christianity (I happen to love the song 'Gotta Serve Somebody'), there was his foray into full-blown country with Nashville Skyline and a duet with Johhny Cash, there was a reversal of sorts with Dylan penning the not-so-subtle lyrics (which were not his forte) when writing of love sickness, heartache, and downright paranoia on Blood on the Tracks, and Dylan's surprising return to protest songs with the long form, and college singalong favorite, 'Hurricane'.

Then there is the present, and my personal experiences with Bob Dylan. I've seen Bob numerous times and have been one of the dissapointed of late. In fact, after the latest show at The Beacon in NYC, I had written off seeing Dylan in concert anymore. His complete lack of playing guitar or playing his songs that were in any way, shape, or form recognizable was beginning to affect my love of his music overall. Its one thing to challenge your audience, its something entirely different to completely confuse them. BUT, when you hear Bob Dylan is finally going to play in Bethel, NY, the actual site of Woodstock, at a brand new venue which is only 90 miles or so from my apartment, I'm gonna go. So, apparently, did the rest of the Weightstaff. ROADTRIP!!

After stopping in the Town of Woodstock and having lunch, we set our sights on Bethel. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for our GPS as the address was "not in range". The first thing we drove by once finding and arriving at the site was a plaque comemmorating the original festival. Wow, I got chills at that point and knew we were in for a treat. Apparently so did a large portion of folks because there were enough baby boomer's Volvo and BMW SUV's to choke Al Gore. The venue was truly stunning. Wonderfully landscaped, entirely "wanderable" meaning there was little confinement as there is in traditional outdoor venues, enticing food options, and the holy grail of outdoor venues: Really Clean Bathrooms! If this venue isn't on your radar, change that fact immediately.

After Jimmie Vaughan's opening set (yes, the brother of Stevie Ray) was delivered, and apparently only enjoyed by true blues afficianados, which was pretty obvious due to the chatter and lack of participation when Vaughn attempted to get the audience to clap, Mr. Dylan took the stage. Would he deliver a completely typical set? Would he even acknowledge where he was? Did he even actually KNOW where he was? All of these questions were answered over the course of the night. When you are batting approximately .375 when putting together a Dylan setlist at a show these days, you are truly in Ted Williams territory. It takes a master Dylan-ophile to get this right and we were greatly assisted with Dylan playing so many true treats with ultimately recognizable lyrics. The set included something for everyone. The boomers got "Blowin in the Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'", the casual fans got "Highway 61 Revisited" and "All Along the Watchtower" the more adept fans could enjoy "Tangled Up In Blue" and "Its Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) and the hard core devotees got "Blind Willie McTell" and "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll". Bob was in great spirits, the band was typically "studio musician" stellar, and our feet were on the mecca of concert sites. All in all, it was a perfect day. And lo and behold, my wish came true. Bob addressed the audience. Not just to introduce the band (which he did) or chat up the last song of the night (which he did - it was "All Along the Watchtower"), but to deliver a line of historical significance noting where he was and what he was about to play:

"It’s nice to be back here. Last time we played here we had to play at 6 in the morning, and it was a-rainin’, and the field was full of mud.”

A line fueled with mythology, humor, half-truths, ghosts, and music. Kind of like the man on stage.

Bob Dylan
Bethel, New York
Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
June 30, 2007

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat/The Times They Are A-Changin/I'll Be Your Baby Tonight/It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)/Just Like A Woman/The Levee's Gonna Break/The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll/High Water (For Charlie Patton)/Spirit On The Water/Tangled Up In Blue/Blind Willie McTell/I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)/When The Deal Goes Down/Highway 61 Revisited/Blowin' In The Wind/ENCORE:Thunder On The Mountain/All Along The Watchtower