It hurts to say this, but Bob Dylan sucked tonight

Oh wow. That really sucks. How awful! He has such a great name, is such an con of music. I'm not a Dylan fan at all, have never listened to him, but know he is one of the classics of course so what a shame he didn't stop playing live when people 1st started leaving the shows back pre-98 by the sounds of it. Listen to his recorded music you like/love, think of that & try & forget the bad experience.

I went and seen him in probably 2001, ironically enough at a state fair. He was awful. I got in for free and thought I paid too much. It did get little better when we quit fighting the crowd and found a place in the grandstands where we could sit and chat a little while watching.

It was at a time that I was really starting to get into him and the show just stopped that dead in his tracks. I still like plenty of Dylan, but a great show could've cemented my hardcore status.

The only show that was comparably bad was the Les Claypool w/Gabby Lala.

I saw Dylan at the Newport Folk Fest in 2002 and it was arguably the worst live experience I had from an artist I longed to see. My bro-n-law is Bob's biggest fanatic and couldn't wait to see him - we were living in CT at the time and made the trip.
Holy cow was it awful. Bob's voice was shot, inaudible and he changed the tempo/format of songs - to almost an unrecognizable degree. Band was very solid, Bob however was not...
Very sad. My poor bro-n-law was damn near distraught, since Newport in the the 60's was some sort of Dylan epic show and this was supposed to be insane.
YouTube some of the videos that were captured that day - people were leaving in bunches...sad...this was over 10 yrs ago...cannot imagine how gruesome it is today.
I'd also comment that Dylan's an acquired taste for sure. Historic songwriter, part of Americana, etc...but definitely a guy whose best days are behind him.
Note that everyone here so far in this thread commented he sounded awful, with few exceptions...on a music board...tells ya something, right?
Be glad you got to see a living legend, sorry he stunk. Cross it off the ol'bucket list my friend.

PJFAN13 wrote:

I saw Dylan at the Newport Folk Fest in 2002 and it was arguably the worst live experience I had from an artist I longed to see. My bro-n-law is Bob's biggest fanatic and couldn't wait to see him - we were living in CT at the time and made the trip.
Holy cow was it awful. Bob's voice was shot, inaudible and he changed the tempo/format of songs - to almost an unrecognizable degree. Band was very solid, Bob however was not...
Very sad. My poor bro-n-law was damn near distraught, since Newport in the the 60's was some sort of Dylan epic show and this was supposed to be insane.
YouTube some of the videos that were captured that day - people were leaving in bunches...sad...this was over 10 yrs ago...cannot imagine how gruesome it is today.
I'd also comment that Dylan's an acquired taste for sure. Historic songwriter, part of Americana, etc...but definitely a guy whose best days are behind him.
Note that everyone here so far in this thread commented he sounded awful, with few exceptions...on a music board...tells ya something, right?
Be glad you got to see a living legend, sorry he stunk. Cross it off the ol'bucket list my friend.

I couldnt disagree more if I tried. " definitely a guy whose best days are behind him",

Really? This isnt some guy who needs to be put out to pasture and is just going through the motions. Again, you clearly havent been following him in the last 15 years. Dylans been on a winning streak dating all the way back to 97. Time out of Mind, Love and Theft, Modern Times, Together Through Life are all widely praised. Time out of Mind, Love and Theft and Modern Times are universally viewed among his greatest albums. This isnt some guy phoning it in. Thats silly. To have preferences in terms of his sound is natural. Some like his 60's period. Others the 70's stuff. Some the 90's stuff. But, the idea that he's a relic 60's act is so far out there, as to be completely obscene.
I visit other boards, something few people on here do. Expecting Rain, Times Have Changed and other dylan sites, and people are as fanatical and love Bob as much as they did back in the 60's. Setlists get posted for every show, bootlegs of current shows are basic 101, and people break down the second by second play by play of any new show. This is a PJ board. Not surprising its not too well versed in Dylan fanaticism. When I saw him in 2002, I saw multiple people, regular Joes, pulling out notebooks every single song, and documenting what the song was. The fanbase of Dylan is more fanatical than just about any other. Those forums arent a collection of people saying "his voice is awful and his best work is behind him".

On the contrary, Dylan's current catalogue and tours inspire as much passion and excitement as they ever did.

"Bob's voice was shot, inaudible and he changed the tempo/format of songs - to almost an unrecognizable degree". Thats your opinion. But as I said, smoking 81 cigs a day is gonna do something to your voice. Ed's voice has changed, why wouldnt Dylans over the course of FIFTY years. I dont know about you, but if I had to play a famous song like Times they are a changing for 50 years, Id want to change it up a little. They are his songs. Reworking them is just another part of the genius. Who wants to play a song exactly like 50 years ago? Never changing and never varying. Have you EVER seen dylan do a single thing in 50 years that didnt matter to him and him alone? Him playing the song and dance man and going up there and playing the songs like he did at age 24 and catering to an audience not willing to music thats been changed and altered, thats his worst nightmare. And its not him.

Calling him a historic songwriter and a part of Americana is selling the guy short. He's way more than that. He is now, and will always be.

Dylan doesnt give a damn. He doesnt care if fans like his show, his music, or if the critics care. He doesnt care if you think his country period was bad or the 80's period was awful. He doesnt give a damn. And thats why he's the greatest songwriter of all time. A true artist.

As I said, its like being alive during the time of Shakespeare. Im going to see him and follow him, and stand in awe no matter what he does. The fact we are all alive for this is only icing on the cake.

dylan felt so strongly about these things, doing things his own way, and his way alone, he probably nearly killed himself in 66 in that motorcycle accident, in order to fade away for a few years and get away from labels and fans and everyone else. He's the only artist I can think of who put out an album (Self portrait), that was material that he viewed as subpar and the audience agreed. The album was created to lose fans.

People had expectations at Newport 65 too.

I think having any expectation or projecting anything onto Dylan is the biggest mistake anyone could ever make. Dylan doesnt care about it. He just doesnt. His relentless searching, trying new sounds and styles out, then leaving them in the dust to search for other things is the definition of a true artist.

Singing and creating songs and albums is obviously something he enjoys. Why does it matter to him whether you cant discern what he's saying, or whether you think the songs are changed?

I think if he was going for audience and critical approval he would have followed a radically different path musicially and in life.

audiences, or selected audiences cant take change. They dont want songs changed. they want dylan to sound like he did in 64. they want him to play these songs and not to play those songs. They want him to smile. they want him to stay a certain way. They want to hear songs from the 60's not songs from the 80's. They want him playing guitar not keyboards. They want him to be intelligible. In the 60's they wanted him to play protest songs and play them acoustic.

Dylans career is a middle finger to all that. They guy has done the protest, the acoustic, the electric, the swing, country, gospel and religious, blues, and every thing in between. In fact, he's known for being ahead of the curve. He was into the political stuff way before it became popular, then when everyone became hippies he moved on. He was into the quiet introspective country stuff, then when it became popular he moved on.

That to me is a major problem. Not of Dylan. But of the audience.

PJFAN13 wrote:

Hey musicismylife78:
ENOUGH, please...
You are a Dylan die-hard - borderline fanatic - NOTHING he does you can be fairly critical of. I was not insulting Dylan, making fun of his fans etc. I agreed with the OP - who stated "he sounded awful". Other posters subsequently said the same thing. As did I. You, respectfully, CANNOT DISAGREE (as you have now done in 2 posts) how someone sounds to the ears of someone else. Simply cannot do it. How can you? Chances are you weren't at the Chicago show last night, or the Newport show in '02. He sounded bad to people...thats fine. Let it go musicismylife78. Why is everything here an argument with you? People are allowed to have opinions that differ from you.
Dylan is a legend. Top 5 all time songwriters go. At this time, most people would rather hear his songs being covered then by him.
No matter how many billions of words you type, you will never get someone who thought Dylan sounded bad to say he sounded good. "Oh, musicismylife78 just typed a soliloquy why Dylan has to be great and sound awesome, so now my opinion of what sounded like a record on the wrong speed garbled through a bad speaker now sounds beautiful???"
Glad you love him, are in awe of him and think he sounds wonderful. There are some of us on the planet that think he sounds like he's in pain and unpleasant to the ear. Thats ok.
Keep enjoying Bob, musicismylife78...I'm glad you are such a fan.

I guess you have reading comprehension problems. Ive never said I love everything he;s ever done. I have favorite eras and albums im not keen on. Instead of asking me, you assumed. And it clearly didnt work for you. There are periods and eras of dylan i dislike. Albums i dislike. Songs I dislike. I even posted above about the Beatles and Paul. And said the same thing about them. In fact I think this board is filled with people who are the exact copy of what you said, except they arent dylan fans, they are PJ fans. Im rare on here I think, as I love PJ obviously, but Im also not going to pretend I love every single song and album theyve ever done. Fans by definition are fanatics. Judging by your username you maybe feel the same way about PJ.

Im allowed to post my opinion PJFan. Not everyone agrees with you either. You posted on here, got a few people in agreement and took that as biblical truth that somehow Dylan's a relic and doddering grandfather who should hang it up and that his entire audience hates him. Thats outrageously pompous and naive and childish. You do know that righ? You can go elsewhere to Dylan fan forums and its clear you are off your rocker and that I am correct in this.

You are either high or are making facts up. What evidence could possibly exist to prove "most people want to hear a dylan cover rather than a dylan song sung by him". You do know how you sound right? That is literally a psychotic statement.

You are right, I wasnt at the shows you attended. He sounded bad to you. He sounded fine to me at all 3 shows I saw. You havent a bad experience doesnt effect me. Im not going to lie and say he was awful just because you saw him and he didnt fit your ideal sound. Thats silly.

I agree PJ Fan. Let it go. Not everyone agrees with you that Dylan came off as horrible and a has been. You seem completely unable to accept the fact that not everyone agrees with you. Dylan plays for stadiums of people. Arenas. Thousands of people, I assume, were at the show with you. You really suggesting right now that you speak for those thousands? So everyone in the stadium felt he was awful? You personally talked to everyone? Or did you just talk your brother in law, and then try to pass that fact off as you and your brother in law, were representative of an entire arena of people? Come on, my friend, you cant really be serious!

Your statement also applies to us fans as well. No matter how many people on a PJ message board post about how they dislike Dylan in 2013, thats not going to magically make me change my mind and say "I loved those 3 shows, but now I think they were awful". And lets face it, what, 12 people posted on here? Thats a clear and resounding "I dislike dylan and his voice is awful" cohort aint it?! Come on!

He sounded bad to some people at the 2 shows you saw? He sounded bad to you and your brother in law. Thats about all you can say. Unless of course you took exit polls on your way out and did some better research than just two people!

id encourage PJfan to listen to his last 4 albums. Certainly, Im not suggesting everyone on earth loves, or will love those albums, but you made a statement about how his new stuff isnt good, or he's an old time act, a relic, and thats just not the case. And can be proven. You may not have seen the press and love for his last 4, but to say what you said is false, and can be proved.

His last 4 have been as well receieved and beloved as any of his 60's albums. And as I said are considered classics among his catalogue. Universally.

DewieCox wrote:

I think most people here are just saying he's boring live. No need for one of your long winded diatribes full of bullshit.

To say that his recent work is as acclaimed as his early stuff is one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever heard.

to each their own. I find it the height of ridiculousness to say he;s a 60s relic act. Ignorance may be bliss, doesnt excuse people for making statements that are not backed up in stuff that can be verified. PJFans statement about "dylan cover songs being what people in 2013 want to hear not Dylan singing them", is the definition of this. Its proposed with I presume a straight face. Although I dont know how thats possible. Plus I studied stats and surveys in college, I majored in a degree associated with it. I damned well know you dont make a statement and claim it as fact, based on 12 people agreeing with you on a message board of ANOTHER BAND.

Anyone who doesnt think his last 4 are now viewed, BY HIS FANBASE as among his greatest, especially TOOM and T&T, just doesnt follow Dylan. Period.

The Dylan of the late 70's, the 80's and much of the 90's was ignored by most people. TOOM especially is considered one of his masterpieces and among the best albums of the 90s.

Fact.