Bob Dylan @ The Hollywood Bowl (10.26.12)



Bob Dylan

For the longest time Bob Dylan has been at the top my list of bands to see before they die.  This might seem an odd list to keep, but it all started when I just missed my chance to see the Greatful Dead for the first time. I had tickets to see them close the Boston Garden in the September of 1995 and Jerry sadly died that August.  I got nervous when I saw Obama give Dylan the medal of freedom and decided the next time he came around I had to see him.

There's always a crew of people that like to knock Dylan for half heatedly putting on shows and generally sounding terrible.  It's true that he didn't have the same energy he did when he was 30, he didn't touch a guitar all night, his piano playing was a bit sloppy and his voice sounded more like Tom Waits than Bob Dylan.  While all that's indisputable, it was still amazing to see him perform some of the best songs and lyrics ever written.  I've always maintained that Dylan sang poorly back in the day because it's not about how pretty his voice is, rather its about what the songs were about.  Nashville Skyline is evidence of the fact that he could sing clean if he wanted to back then. 

Dylan's setlist included a wide range of songs including some of my favorites like Desolation Row, All Along the Watchtower and Tangled Up in Blue.



As a singer-songwriter I did find myself compelled to shout the obligatory "JUDAS" during "Like a Rolling Stone."  Not because I hate rock and roll though. In fact Dylan plugging in was one of the best things to ever happen to rock.  It was more because that one action set the folk music movement back so far that it is only in the last 15 years or so that it has started to recover.  Don't worry... I wasn't loud about it.

Bob Dylan's songs have meant so much to me over the years. I often felt that what Woody Guthrie is to Dylan, Dylan is to me.  I've heard stories of him visiting Guthrie on his death bed and seeing him in various states for better or worse.  He didn't go because he expected Guthrie to be "on," he went because of the man's importance to both the music world and himself.  To all those thinking of going to see Dylan themselves, I suggest keeping an open mind and appreciate it for what it is, a chance to see a living legend.

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* Author's Note: The Hollywood Bowl is a good sounding venue, but has a terrible sound reinforcement system.  I was sitting in the middle of the bowl and even there, people were "shushing" each other for talking during the show.  I can't remember the last time I went to a rock show so quiet that was even an issue.

The Lumineers @ The Observatory OC (10.7.12)



The Lumineers

I still remember the day my friend sent me a link for the Lumineers. I was blown away by genuine heartfelt music clearly written by people who love what they do. I found myself wondering if they were capable of bringing that to the stage or if it would fizzle in the spotlights. Clearly my doubts were unwarranted. So glad I went!

Wesley Schultz

These guys get it. Folk music is not about playing ridiculously fast or crazy arpeggiation. It's about keeping it simple and approachable. Something everyone can sing. The reason most popular folk melodies move in such small intervals is because everyone can sing them together (unlike our national anthem). There is nothing quite like an entire _building_ of people singing along. Much like Pete Seeger before them The Lumineers seem to recognize, the more involved people are with the music the more they will enjoy it.

Jeremiah Fraites

Now being old school in my music consumption, I have been spinning their CD for a while and recognize how solid an album it is. What surprised me is that in the middle of this iTunes era so much of the audience knew ALL of their songs not just their single. To me it leaves hope that the album might be not quite dead yet.

Wesley Schultz

One of the great discoveries during the show is how amazing Neyla Pekarek's voice is. When they did their new song Falling, it blew my mind what they had been hiding.



Admittedly, it might be a bit outside of the sound they were going for on the first record, but hopefully the next time they sit down and track an album, they find a way to use it more! It's much like Laura Marling backing up Noah and the Whale or subsequently Marcus Mumford backing her up.


Neyla Pekarek

There were plenty of other nice surprises during the show including a Dylan cover and the band jumping into the crowd to play a fully acoustic version of Darlene. I've seen plenty of bands do variations of this, but I've never seen one get so in the dead heart of the crowd and take a full setup with them.



I do have to say that the Lumineers did manage to make me feel a bit old. To be fair, I was born in the 80's (just), but was amazed at the number of fans that didn't know "The Weight" by the Band. Only about 4 people in the entire audience knew the song AND THEY HAD JUST PLAYED IT ON THE PA BEFORE THEIR SET (whoops)! They ended up having one of the four come up. The woman they chose was awkward, funny and slightly out of tune. Probably the best person for the job. I was one of the other four who knew that song because it's the sort of thing my friends and I sing when we're hanging out having a few drinks. It made me happy that that was the sort of thing they did as well. I guess what I dug most about these guys that they share their genuine enjoyment of the music with the people.

The Lumineers

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* Side Note

Sound at the observatory was amazing. It was even good in the corner. Not sure if that's the Lumineers or the local guy, but keep it up!

Conor Oberst @ The Fox Theater Pomona (10.3.12)



Conor Oberst

There's been a thought rattling around my head for a while that Conor Oberst is our generation's equivalent of a Bob Dylan that grew up without the war, segregation, and massive cultural upheaval. Granted some of those things have happened in recent times, but not on the same scale. 

One of the interesting early elements of Bob Dylan is his relationship to Joan Baez.  I would never dare claim that Oberst and Jenny Lewis are as close, but there does seem to be a symbiotic relationship between them.  Having now seen Lewis and Oberst on stage together, I found that there was something reminiscent of the iconic pair.

As this was the night of the first debates Oberst was particularly talkative about how he felt that there was no hope and change this time around, just two guys with one slightly less bad to vote for.  He leaned over into the crowd, looked at people and interacted with them. Oberst spat quite a bit, mostly not on people (just on the stage) but when he was shouting it would occasionally fly. There was a feeling he spoke from a place of raw, bitter unchecked emotion, slightly falling apart at the seams.  He managed to keep it together and it was nice to see how strongly he felt about the well crafted words in his songs.

Going into the show I was wondering what kind of material we would hear given it was a show billed as Conor Oberst, not Bright Eyes.  Sometimes when artists plays under his own name it can mean he intends not to play songs from the other moniker. It ended up being a variety of songs, including his Bright Eyes material (even the electronic album), songs from the Mystic Valley Band, and a song from the Monsters of Folk.  In other words Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes, The Mystic Valley Band, and bits of the Monsters of Folk were all at the Fox Theater in Pomona tonight and we were all the better for it.

The night was full of guests. Opener Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins returned to the stage to back Oberst up for "Make a Plan to Love Me" and "Lua." 

Conor Oberst and Friends

A little later in the performance Oberst, introduced a "Mystic Valley Band Reunion" giving the impression no one liked what they were doing. As he put it, "No one hated the MVB more than the MVB itself."   While I would say its true that more people prefer the Bright Eyes records, I quite enjoyed the MVB.  In fact, I thought they put on the most enthusiastic performance of the night.  At the end of the night, everyone returned to the stage to sing "Make War."  Followed by an acoustic number by Oberst.

Tonight's show was a hodgepodge of performers, material and songs.  Honestly I think I preferred seeing that to a just Bright Eyes show.


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* Authors note: Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins


Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Jenny Lewis. Wow. Was surprised by her. I liked her country oriented stuff more, but overall it was good material. Some of the people there were clearly there to see her. The Watson Twins performed with her all night as backup. Not knowing who they were at the time, when they came on stage, I fought back a "boo" because I loath backup singers.  The twins won me over with their beautiful voices and corny 1950's style dancing with Lewis. That and because one of them played something for a bit. It looked a bit like a lapslide but I think it may have been some keys... Not sure at this point.

To close Lewis did a guitar and choir song called Acid Tongue reminiscent of Dylan singing blowing in the wind with Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger and other backing him up at the end of the Montgomery folk festival.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Nice touch to close a set.