In the spring, Itwoshowsin a row at places called the Orpheum Theatre. This weekend, I saw two shows in a row in places called the Xfinity Center. Which tells you a lot about the venue differences between Rough and Rowdy and Outlaw.
Last night’s Xfinity Center was in Mansfield, MA, the same place I attended Outlaw with my family last year. I flew solo this year, meaning I could sit much closer than the lawn and get a better view of Bob. Lol! If you read my piece yesterday, you know how that went. I won’t belabor it again except to say I stand by everything I wrote then. It’s a bummer, and I hope he knocks it off. (Tip: If you’re going to an upcoming show and haven’t bought your ticket yet, aim for the right side and you might get a slim viewing window, like the person who took the photo above did.)
But there was one big difference from Hartford: In Mansfield, the crowd around me didn’t mind. No loud complaints, no one swearing and storming out. People were standing, dancing, singing, cheering and clapping and hooting and hollering. Even though we still couldn’t see much, that energy changed a lot. As I wrote yesterday, the dour crowd vibe was half the problem. I don’t know why Mansfield reacted so differently. Has word just gotten out more by now, so a critical mass knew what to expect? Are Bostonians just somehow used to watching invisible singers? (Did J. Geils Band used to perform behind a curtain or something?) No idea. But the improved crowd energy helped immensely.
What also helped: Dylan’s own behavior. While he remained hidden during the songs, he stood between almost every one. Walked out from behind the piano to talk to Tony a few times. Even once threw a center-stage pose, hand on hip soaking in the applause, right in the middle of the show. So people could see him at least between songs. Different than Hartford where he was essentially invisible from beginning to end (I think he briefly stood once). I didn’t hear any more audience debates about “Is that really him up there?” last night.
Having seen four shows now, with close-to-the-same setlists, I thought I’d break format for my final Outlaw report and do a quick power ranking. How well I think the current setlist songs work, worst to best. Using the rigorous scientific criteria of: What I like.
17. Early Roman Kings
I swear this ranking isn’t just an excuse to dump on “Early Roman Kings” again. Someone the other day asked me if I really dislike this song or if I’m joking. The answer: Both! The one thing I like about “Early Roman Kings” is making jokes about it online. It’s not my least-favorite Dylan song, but it’s certainly my least-favorite Dylan song he plays so damn often.
16. Axe and the Wind
The one dud of the summer covers, which mostly have been show highlights. The song’s written by a dude nicknamed “Wild Child,” and I wish Dylan would bring a bit of wild-child energy to it. It feels much longer than its three-minute-and-change runtime.
15. Under the Red Sky
The fact that Dylan is performing “Under the Red Sky” live in 2025 rules. So I wish I could rank it higher. I’ve just never seen a version that really transcends. They’re fine. I hope he keeps doing it. But I wish it stood out more.
14. To Ramona
I love the beginning and ending of this song right now. The beginning is Bob lurching in, beginning to sing while the band appears unready to start, then they have to catch up with him. He does this every night, so it’s clearly part of the arrangement. And the ending is often a great harmonica solo. The middle, though, is too busy. I wish the band sat back to give more space to his vocals.
13. Soon After Midnight
I was chatting with Michael of the excellent social media account/newsletter Daily Dylan. This is his “Early Roman Kings.” Swapping out “Positively 4th Street” for this a few hows back bummed him out. I get it. I like “Soon After Midnight” though. I’m fine with it.
12. Blind Willie McTell
I mean, it’s “Blind Willie McTell”! I’m sure many of us would be happy if he sang it every night for the rest of his life. The versions I’ve seen were all fine. That’s always the challenge writing these lists, incidentally. It’s easy to have strong opinions on the best and worst, but all the middle ones you want to just write, “It’s fine!” And it is. No complaints. I just thought he generally performed other songs better.
11. Desolation Row
Had I done a power ranking last fall, “Desolation Row” might have been number one. It’s slipped a little because the distinctive surf-rock arrangement I loved last year has grown more muddled and muddied. He still sings the hell out of it though.
10. I’ll Make It All Up to You
An easy high point Saturday in Hartford, with one of the best vocals of the night. The other three I’ve seen, and others I’ve heard on tape, don’t quite reach though heights. The lesser of the two sentimental-ballad covers. Still good though!
9. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
We’re only in the middle of the list, but at this point they’re all great. It’s just a matter of degrees. “Don’t Think Twice” is the most Rough and Rowdy-sounding song in the set, a minimalist ambient backing from the band underpinning Dylan’s delicate crooning. Beautiful every night. I wish “To Ramona” got a similar treatment.
8. Love Sick
There’s nothing particularly unusual about the current “Love Sick” arrangement, but it sounds absolutely massive in these giant outdoor amphitheaters.
7. Share Your Love with Me
The better, by a hair, of the aforementioned sentimental-ballad covers. He sings it so tenderly. It reminds me of the Sinatra era.
6. Highway 61 Revisited
This is the one song that has dramatically changed arrangement between the shows I saw in August and the ones this weekend, and in doing so improved a lot. As I noted yesterday, he’s basically done a “Watchtower” on it, taking a song that often sounds more-or-less the same and giving it a whole new riff. It changes the way he’s singing it from the usual blues-rock autopilot, and makes it a show highlight.
5. Masters of War
A killer show-opener, appropriately dark and menacing. He growls it beautifully as his voice warms up. Dylan is using a subtle vocal echo effect on this song, and also on…
4. Forgetful Heart
The third in an unbelievable opening three-pack, all of which rank in my top five. It’s the first time after two loud rockers that things quiet down. Well, sort of. Bob sings quietly, but the band jabs through with sharp staccato bursts of noise. Listen to the one in Mansfield last night:
3. I Can Tell
Fantastic performance of a fantastic '50s-style rocker (it actually came out in 1962). Dylan clearly has a lot of fun singing it, bringing heaps of sass to his vocals, sometimes even seeming to laugh during the lines. Bonus points for the first backing vocals, by Bob Britt, since the Larry-Charlie years.
2. All Along the Watchtower
What needs to be said? Maybe the most-discussed song of the summer. He borrowed the music from Van Morrison’s “I Forgot That Love Existed,” a connection Van himself made on a live album where he sang a few “Watchtower” lines at the end of his own song. I could see this show 100 times and it would never get old.
1. ’Til I Fell in Love with You
I mean, I like every song on Time Out of Mind, but I can’t say this one particularly stood out above the others. Until now. This summer’s performances have been nothing short of stunning. It’s like free-jazz meets ambient music meets thunder. There’s a part in my favorite Wilco song, “Via Chicago,” where the band careens off a cliff. They stop playing the chords, they stop playing the rhythm, they just make an insane amount of random noise. Jeff Tweedy, though, keeps gently strumming his guitar and singing the song as if nothing has changed, while chaos explodes all around him. This reminds me a bit of that.
That’s a wrap on my Outlaw summer! If you missed my previous three reports, find them here: Saratoga Springs, Gilford,Hartford. I’ll have another guest dispatch or two before the tour ends in a few weeks. Then it’s back to Rough and Rowdy Ways in Europe.
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