From CMT.com
Two Music Icons Kick Off Five Nights at Historic Pantages Theater in Hollywood
By: Lisa Lee
HOLLYWOOD -- Merle Haggard graduated from being an opening act decades ago, but he gladly stepped into the role once again Monday night (March 21) for a sold-out, five-night stand with Bob Dylan.
"It's been so long since I've opened a show, I don't know if I remember how," Haggard joked to the crowd before proving himself wrong. Kicking off his 50-minute set with the apropos "Big City" (which he co-wrote outside a Los Angeles recording studio), the country legend made himself right at home in Hollywood Boulevard's historic Pantages Theater.
Instead of leaning on material from his new standards album, Unforgettable, he played only the title track. He filled the rest of his abbreviated show with classic Haggard hits "Mama Tried," "Workin' Man Blues," "The Fightin' Side of Me" and "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink."
True to his usual onstage style, Haggard joked frequently with the audience and poked fun at his longtime band, the Strangers, and himself for a missed note or lyric. After flubbing the first verse of "Okie From Muskogee," Haggard stopped mid-song and told the crowd he had just had a "senior moment." He also blamed his memory lapse on a favorite pastime he once shared with friend Willie Nelson.
"Me and Willie can't remember anything," Haggard said with a wink. "But we love everybody."
Haggard also strayed into political territory, changing a lyric of "That's the Way Love Goes" to "don't worry about what George Bush says, just keep your mind on Bob Dylan." He closed the show with "That's the News," a song about the war in Iraq that stirred up a bit of controversy when it was released on his 2003 album Haggard Like Never Before.
Unlike Haggard, headliner Dylan kept the stage banter to a bare minimum, muttering only a "thanks, friends" toward the end of his nearly two-hour show. He also paid homage to his country roots, taking the stage in a black cowboy hat, boots and studded pants that would make Marty Stuart jealous. Dylan stayed behind an upright piano during the whole concert but also picked up the harmonica for several tunes. His tight six-piece band at various times featured two fiddles, a banjo and steel guitar.
Dylan still attracts a diverse and loyal following. Aging hipsters reliving the glory years were grooving right along with young hipsters trying to catch a bit of a legend before he's gone. Dylan didn't disappoint, offering up classic tunes like "Times They Are A-Changin'," "Just Like a Woman" and "All Along the Watchtower" in all his raspy-voiced, indecipherable glory.
Although the Dylan-Haggard pairing may seem strange to some, it was actually a very natural combo. Both men, now in their 60s, are icons, and both seem to still truly enjoy being onstage.
Haggard and Dylan Bring Twang to Tinseltown
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Dylan, The Hag show their bonds
West Hollywood, Cal., March 22, 2005
By Dan MacIntosh
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - There was a time not all that long ago when you wouldn't have found Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard fans coexisting happily in the same room together. But the times they have most certainly changed, and somehow these two artists don't seem so unalike one another any longer.
Folk music is just one of many genre labels associated with Dylan, as his sound incorporates almost every imaginable American style - including country. Similarly, Haggard starts with country, but he by no means ends there. His songs rank right up there with the best of the singer/songwriter wing, and his band, The Strangers, can play blues and jazz just as well as country.
And besides, politically speaking, Dylan was never quite as liberal as some of his staunchest supporters might lead you to believe, nor is Haggard anyplace close to being as conservative as his much-misunderstood hit, "Okie From Muskogee," might suggest. Their artistic common bond is far stronger than any superficial cultural differences, and this double bill offered living proof of that.
Dylan's serious demeanor distinctly contrasted with Haggard's more easygoing stage manner tonight. Supported by a stellar band, which sported two guitarists and sometimes two fiddles, Dylan played a set that was comprised of both old and new tunes.
And, as usual, even some of his familiar oldies came off sounding brand new, due to his constant need to continually reinterpret his own work. His croak of a voice came off harsh during the country-rock of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" early on, but he was right on target when enunciating the biting words of both "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "Masters Of War."
Whenever he needed to squeeze many words into measures at a fast clip, he wasn't required to hold notes and truly sing, and thus sounded a whole lot better. Instrumentally, he stood at a piano and colored his performances with plenty of harmonica. He never once touched his guitar.
The song pacing varied greatly. He geared down "This Wheel's On Fire" to an easygoing, coasting neutral, yet he closed his show with the rollicking rockabilly swing of "Summer Days." He played just two encore selections: "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and "All Along The Watchtower." However, he did not do The Hag's "Sing Me Back Home," which he has been including occasionally during this tour. Also, sadly, he and The Had never sang together.
Haggard jokingly referred to his band as nothing more than a "beer joint" group and noted that he felt out of place appearing before what he termed a "refined" audience. In truth, Haggard and The Strangers, which is celebrating 40 years together, is the champagne of country music.
With only a mere 45 minutes of stage time to work with, Haggard mainly stuck with popular hits.
But oh what hits they were!
He opened with "Big City," then proceeded to include "Silver Wings," "Mama Tried" and "That's The Way Love Goes," among others. And while Dylan is the master of concert surprises, Haggard's inclusion of Willie Nelson's "It Will Always Be," which he then turned into a crowd sing-along, certainly seemed to come out of nowhere.
Haggard also proved that he's no slouch as a guitarist, by taking many opportunities to solo during his set. As with Dylan, just one show - and especially an open slot, at that - is never enough time to get to every favorite.
Amos Lee opened this show with a strong, albeit brief, set of soul-infused songs. He came off as a little more ruff 'n ready version of Jeff Buckley, with heartfelt love songs like "Bottom Of The Barrel."
Although they've each traveled strikingly contrasting roads to get here, both Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan have somehow finally met at the same American music intersection. Ultimately, tonight wasn't about politics or culture, but songs. And the makeup of this audience represented cultural integration of the best kind.
West Hollywood, Cal., March 22, 2005
By Dan MacIntosh
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - There was a time not all that long ago when you wouldn't have found Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard fans coexisting happily in the same room together. But the times they have most certainly changed, and somehow these two artists don't seem so unalike one another any longer.
Folk music is just one of many genre labels associated with Dylan, as his sound incorporates almost every imaginable American style - including country. Similarly, Haggard starts with country, but he by no means ends there. His songs rank right up there with the best of the singer/songwriter wing, and his band, The Strangers, can play blues and jazz just as well as country.
And besides, politically speaking, Dylan was never quite as liberal as some of his staunchest supporters might lead you to believe, nor is Haggard anyplace close to being as conservative as his much-misunderstood hit, "Okie From Muskogee," might suggest. Their artistic common bond is far stronger than any superficial cultural differences, and this double bill offered living proof of that.
Dylan's serious demeanor distinctly contrasted with Haggard's more easygoing stage manner tonight. Supported by a stellar band, which sported two guitarists and sometimes two fiddles, Dylan played a set that was comprised of both old and new tunes.
And, as usual, even some of his familiar oldies came off sounding brand new, due to his constant need to continually reinterpret his own work. His croak of a voice came off harsh during the country-rock of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" early on, but he was right on target when enunciating the biting words of both "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" and "Masters Of War."
Whenever he needed to squeeze many words into measures at a fast clip, he wasn't required to hold notes and truly sing, and thus sounded a whole lot better. Instrumentally, he stood at a piano and colored his performances with plenty of harmonica. He never once touched his guitar.
The song pacing varied greatly. He geared down "This Wheel's On Fire" to an easygoing, coasting neutral, yet he closed his show with the rollicking rockabilly swing of "Summer Days." He played just two encore selections: "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" and "All Along The Watchtower." However, he did not do The Hag's "Sing Me Back Home," which he has been including occasionally during this tour. Also, sadly, he and The Had never sang together.
Haggard jokingly referred to his band as nothing more than a "beer joint" group and noted that he felt out of place appearing before what he termed a "refined" audience. In truth, Haggard and The Strangers, which is celebrating 40 years together, is the champagne of country music.
With only a mere 45 minutes of stage time to work with, Haggard mainly stuck with popular hits.
But oh what hits they were!
He opened with "Big City," then proceeded to include "Silver Wings," "Mama Tried" and "That's The Way Love Goes," among others. And while Dylan is the master of concert surprises, Haggard's inclusion of Willie Nelson's "It Will Always Be," which he then turned into a crowd sing-along, certainly seemed to come out of nowhere.
Haggard also proved that he's no slouch as a guitarist, by taking many opportunities to solo during his set. As with Dylan, just one show - and especially an open slot, at that - is never enough time to get to every favorite.
Amos Lee opened this show with a strong, albeit brief, set of soul-infused songs. He came off as a little more ruff 'n ready version of Jeff Buckley, with heartfelt love songs like "Bottom Of The Barrel."
Although they've each traveled strikingly contrasting roads to get here, both Merle Haggard and Bob Dylan have somehow finally met at the same American music intersection. Ultimately, tonight wasn't about politics or culture, but songs. And the makeup of this audience represented cultural integration of the best kind.
From the New York Times:
Dylan's in a Dark Mood, and Haggard Offers No Relief
By JON PARELES
NEWARK, April 20 - It's some kind of career milestone when musicians
start acting older than they are, rather than younger. Both Bob
Dylan, 63, and Merle Haggard, the 68-year-old country patriarch
sharing his tour, reached that point long ago, seizing the chance to
be avuncular, cranky and committed to traditions they see
disappearing.
Wearing matching suits, Mr. Dylan's band looks like a 1940's country
act; Mr. Haggard's band, the Strangers, sometimes plays like one.
But the wrinkles and antique trappings shouldn't fool anyone: these
two songwriters are as sharp and rigorous as ever. They performed
Tuesday night at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center here as part
of their national tour.
Mr. Dylan's set had war, mortality, lost love and fierce electric
blues on its mind. He started with "Tombstone Blues," snapping out
its lyrics in gruff staccato bursts, and continued with some of his
most baleful songs, from the apocalyptic nursery rhyme "Under the
Red Sky" to "This Wheel's on Fire." Kindly moments were outnumbered,
perhaps 10 to 1, by bitter ones.
Mr. Dylan played electric piano, using quick chord jabs to spur the
music, or stepped to center stage for pointed, melodic harmonica
solos. His voice was in a thick, raspy phase, but when he wanted to
sound most menacing, he would ease back into a sardonic croon, as he
did when God threatened Abraham in "Highway 61 Revisited."
His latest band, anchored as it has been since the early 1990's by
Tony Garnier on bass, could turn "John Brown," his early-60's song
about a shattered soldier, into banjo-picking Appalachian rock, and
it could sashay through Mr. Dylan's Tin Pan Alley-flavored "Bye and
Bye." It had a violinist, Elana Fremerman, who was joined for
keening, soaring twin-fiddle passages by Donnie Herron
in "Absolutely Sweet Marie." But its core was in the blues, with
Denny Freeman playing jagged guitar solos, George Recile on drums
making shuffle beats leap ahead, and the whole band, completed by
Stu Kimball on guitar, finding new riffs behind old songs
like "Masters of War" - almost a minor-key blues in its latest
incarnation - or "All Along the Watchtower." With this band, Mr.
Dylan's indictments became both pitiless and exhilarating.
Mr. Haggard has slyly backdated his music: from the swinging,
twanging Bakersfield style of his 1960's and 70's hits to an
invented old-time country that embraces fiddle tunes, western swing,
yakety saxophone and pop standards along with drinking songs. His
band is almost dainty in its well-oiled swing, as it dips into blues
or New Orleans jazz, country waltzes or the Nat King Cole
hit "Unforgettable."
Mr. Haggard's honey-cured voice has been a model for country singers
from George Strait to Alan Jackson, with nonchalant timing and
sudden dips into his baritone register. He also played country
fiddle and succinct guitar solos. And behind the relaxed phrasing
was a steely tension, especially in songs bemoaning modern life.
When he looked back at better times, he allowed himself a surly
growl.
Dylan's in a Dark Mood, and Haggard Offers No Relief
By JON PARELES
NEWARK, April 20 - It's some kind of career milestone when musicians
start acting older than they are, rather than younger. Both Bob
Dylan, 63, and Merle Haggard, the 68-year-old country patriarch
sharing his tour, reached that point long ago, seizing the chance to
be avuncular, cranky and committed to traditions they see
disappearing.
Wearing matching suits, Mr. Dylan's band looks like a 1940's country
act; Mr. Haggard's band, the Strangers, sometimes plays like one.
But the wrinkles and antique trappings shouldn't fool anyone: these
two songwriters are as sharp and rigorous as ever. They performed
Tuesday night at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center here as part
of their national tour.
Mr. Dylan's set had war, mortality, lost love and fierce electric
blues on its mind. He started with "Tombstone Blues," snapping out
its lyrics in gruff staccato bursts, and continued with some of his
most baleful songs, from the apocalyptic nursery rhyme "Under the
Red Sky" to "This Wheel's on Fire." Kindly moments were outnumbered,
perhaps 10 to 1, by bitter ones.
Mr. Dylan played electric piano, using quick chord jabs to spur the
music, or stepped to center stage for pointed, melodic harmonica
solos. His voice was in a thick, raspy phase, but when he wanted to
sound most menacing, he would ease back into a sardonic croon, as he
did when God threatened Abraham in "Highway 61 Revisited."
His latest band, anchored as it has been since the early 1990's by
Tony Garnier on bass, could turn "John Brown," his early-60's song
about a shattered soldier, into banjo-picking Appalachian rock, and
it could sashay through Mr. Dylan's Tin Pan Alley-flavored "Bye and
Bye." It had a violinist, Elana Fremerman, who was joined for
keening, soaring twin-fiddle passages by Donnie Herron
in "Absolutely Sweet Marie." But its core was in the blues, with
Denny Freeman playing jagged guitar solos, George Recile on drums
making shuffle beats leap ahead, and the whole band, completed by
Stu Kimball on guitar, finding new riffs behind old songs
like "Masters of War" - almost a minor-key blues in its latest
incarnation - or "All Along the Watchtower." With this band, Mr.
Dylan's indictments became both pitiless and exhilarating.
Mr. Haggard has slyly backdated his music: from the swinging,
twanging Bakersfield style of his 1960's and 70's hits to an
invented old-time country that embraces fiddle tunes, western swing,
yakety saxophone and pop standards along with drinking songs. His
band is almost dainty in its well-oiled swing, as it dips into blues
or New Orleans jazz, country waltzes or the Nat King Cole
hit "Unforgettable."
Mr. Haggard's honey-cured voice has been a model for country singers
from George Strait to Alan Jackson, with nonchalant timing and
sudden dips into his baritone register. He also played country
fiddle and succinct guitar solos. And behind the relaxed phrasing
was a steely tension, especially in songs bemoaning modern life.
When he looked back at better times, he allowed himself a surly
growl.
-
eaglesphan5
- Nibblin' on sponge cake
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Dylan
Dylan = Worst concert I've ever seen, and I'm a huge Dylan fan.
He absolutely sucks live!
He absolutely sucks live!
Have you paid your dues Jack?
Yes Sir, the check is in the mail.
Yes Sir, the check is in the mail.
Re: Dylan
I think he's like the Grateful Dead and other artists that are sometimes better known for their live performances. Every once in a while they have an off night, sometimes they can be the best live band on the planet. I guess I've been fortunate, of the 5 or so Bob shows I've seen he was good and at a couple, nothing short of magical. I haven't seen him since he switched over to piano so I'm not sure what I'll think of that, looking forward to finding out in June.eaglesphan5 wrote:Dylan = Worst concert I've ever seen, and I'm a huge Dylan fan.
He absolutely sucks live!
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eaglesphan5
- Nibblin' on sponge cake
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I hear what you're saying, however, we know that Bob doesn't have a good voice to begin with, and I can't ever imagine him being able to sound half decent in a live show. He's got a unique sound, unfortunately unique doesn't always mean good. I had no problem with the set list and have seen many shows in the same venue. It was Bob without a studio to make him sound half decent.
I saw him back around 1997 I think. It was so disapointing.
I saw him back around 1997 I think. It was so disapointing.
Have you paid your dues Jack?
Yes Sir, the check is in the mail.
Yes Sir, the check is in the mail.
The first show I saw he was with Santana and he was so-so. The music was great but he was his usual hard to understand self. The next two times I saw him (with Paul Simon, and after Love and Theft came out), he was "on". I could actually make out the lyrics and he was far more animated than I'd ever seen him. He danced, he cut up between songs, placed a cell phone call to Elvis Costello and let go with some ferious leads I didn't know he had in him. With the piano thing I understand it takes even longer to figure out what song he's playing because he rearranges everything. Like I said, I'm not sure how I'll take to that but I can't pass up a chance to go see him (with Willie Nelson no less) while he's still out performing.