dylan and lightfoot

[Ol Man River]

Last night I say Bob Dylan at Ottawa's Bluesfest and a few months earlier I saw Lightfoot at the National Arts Centre. I cannot really understand how Dylan attracts at huge crowd of yound people while at the Lightfoot concet which in my biased opinion was 10 times better hardly had anyone under forty. It is not like Dylan has had a lot of recent hits and his voice was not great. I just do not really understand this.
________
VOLCANO VAPORIZER

[culverd]

Last night I say Bob Dylan at Ottawa's Bluesfest and a few months earlier I saw Lightfoot at the National Arts Centre. I cannot really understand how Dylan attracts at huge crowd of yound people while at the Lightfoot concet which in my biased opinion was 10 times better hardly had anyone under forty. It is not like Dylan has had a lot of recent hits and his voice was not great. I just do not really understand this.

[SilverHeels]

Me too!

[charlene]

I posted a review at SMALL TALK of his concert in Quebec City the other night..

I don't get it either..

I think people attend Dylan for the "i was there - i saw him LIVE' nostalgia factor' nowadays..

[charlene]

I posted a review at SMALL TALK of his concert in Quebec City the other night..

I don't get it either..

I think people attend Dylan for the "i was there - i saw him LIVE' nostalgia factor' nowadays..

[Bill]

Dylan's music resonates through the ages, especially in war time. And although his voice is an acquired taste, it has held up better than Gord's over the years.

Dylan is probably better now than he was twenty years ago. And I like others went to see him live so I could say I had.

I personally much prefer Gord...but being objective for a moment rather than a total fan, I'd like to see Gord retweak his show to accommodate the physical changes. Some of the tunes are tough emotionally since you can tell he's trying too hard. I think Harmony worked so well because he was forced to get out of his perfectionist routine -- it served him well, very well.

[RJ]

All I can offer is, back in 1999 when I relocated (again) from Florida to Minny, I had temporary lodging during July in Duluth (where Bob Dylan was born).. We (of course) grabbed 2 tickets to the BoDeans-Paul Simon-Bob Dylan show outside on Lake Superior in Canal Park July 3rd (I believe they played down here in the Twin Cities the following day 4th of July).. Anyway, after receiving our tickets and getting excited for the show, I then discovered Gord and the guys had booked not one but two! tent shows at Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield, WI a few miles away on the same day!.. bummer.. I found myself drawn to Gord (obviously the much more intimate venue and music etc.).. My running mate at the time however said no way, and I had to hunker down for Bob and Paul Simon in the mud outside the DECC. The two "legends" did sing Sounds of Silence together right away during Bob's set, which from the 2nd row, was pretty cool I must admit (strange harmonies notwithstanding as I recall), and Dylan did allude to the fact that he was born in Duluth ("somewhere up there on the hill") which brought a little goosebumps all things considered etc.,.. but alas, my thoughts were longingly on Bayfield, where I wasn't. Bob or Gord?.. Bob had a bigger influence on my life I must say being the age I was when I stumbled on all that great stuff. But live? I choose Gord live.. no doubt about it, and always have. But please life, don't ever make me have to choose again!..
;-O

etc..
http://www.lightfoot.ca/990703.htm

[ July 06, 2007, 09:02: Message edited by: RJ ]

[SilverHeels]

I wonder how Simon Cowell et al would react if a voice like Dylan's was part of their show. Think they would vote him as having the X Factor?

[RJ]

eheheheh..
ya..
good one..

[Jennifer]

I'm going to be so bold as to speak for the younger crowd. Even though I'm not a 20-something anymore, I do fall in the "under 40" category.

I'm not a big Dylan fan and I'm only familiar with some of his music, but Dylan is much more "raw" than Lightfoot. He really lets it go. Lightfoot on the other hand is more reserved, reflective and perhaps a bit mysterious. Most younger people are not into reserved, reflective and mysterious. They can't appreciate it. Image-wise, to a younger person Lightfoot is going to come across as "old school".

Subject matter: Lightfoot often makes reference or writes about things that are considered "old fashioned" i.e shipwrecks. He also refers to times way past... "It was back in '39 when I was one year old"

Lightfoot is a romantic: The poignant love songs he writes and poetic metaphors he uses are going to be lost on many young people because he might as well be speaking in a foreign tongue. Not a lot of interest in romance amongst the younger crowd. What with all the sex and crap shoved down their throats everyday, it is no wonder.

Lastly, Gordon Lightfoot is a performer with CLASS. Just turn on the radio or watch MTV for a few minutes to find out that todays younger generation is not into CLASS, they are into TRASH. I'm *NOT* saying Bob Dylan is trash, but he's nowhere near as classy as Lightfoot.

All above - just my humble observations. I hope I was able to offer some insight.

Ironically all the reasons I stated above as to why most younger people are not "into" his music are the reasons why I love him so much.

[Jennifer]

As an afterthought....

At last years concert in Milwaukee I was aware that I was a minority (under 40) but there were people in their 30's and even a few 20-somethings in the crowd. I think the problem is due to exposure, or should I say LACK of it? Most younger folks know Lightfoot for only a few songs. If they heard more of his hidden gems I really think he would have a more diverse fan base.

Ha ha! I remember there was a couple of blonde girls in the front row, they had to be about 25 years old or so. When the show ended and he approached the front stage to shake hands with people everyone in the first 2 rows got up and started leaning towards him, eager to shake his hand or say something to him, and you know he made a beeline right to those girls! :D (behave yourself Gordon!)

[Paul Farnham]

I'd say you've got it pretty much figured, Jen!

[talbot10]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jennifer:
I'm going to be so bold as to speak for the younger crowd. Even though I'm not a 20-something anymore, I do fall in the "under 40" category.

I'm not a big Dylan fan and I'm only familiar with some of his music, but Dylan is much more "raw" than Lightfoot. He really lets it go. Lightfoot on the other hand is more reserved, reflective and perhaps a bit mysterious. Most younger people are not into reserved, reflective and mysterious. They can't appreciate it. Image-wise, to a younger person Lightfoot is going to come across as "old school".

Great Post Jennifer! Those are excellent points. Gord does write and sing about tradition and romance a lot more than Bob. I think the kids do veiw Bob (from all they have read about him and heard about him over the years)as a kind of rebel. He is fun to follow for them.
Bill

[Jennifer]

Thanks Paul, talbot...

The points I made are also based on my own interpretation of the man and his music, from the perspective of one who was still in my nappies in the early/mid 70's

Unlike many of my peers, I do appreciate what is romantic and reflective. I love Gordons songs about shipwrecks, sea-faring, wanderlust, heartbreak and wild misty mountains. :D :D

As I was recently telling a friend; those of you who grew up in the 60's and 70's are blessed to have experienced a great generation of songwriters who actually wrote songs! Once the video age came about in the 80's there is far less emphasis on songwriting and more on creating an outrageous image.

When I listen to an artist like Gordon Lightfoot (or Billy Joel or Cat Stevens, Croce, etc) the "image" presented to me are the ones portrayed in the songs.

[Jennifer]

Oh ya, and ANYONE who makes mention of Pirates in their songs is instantly awesome in my book :D

(Pirates rock! )

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by Jennifer:
Oh ya, and ANYONE who makes mention of Pirates in their songs is instantly awesome in my book :D

(Pirates rock! )

Oh yus Jennifer then I hope you like
Gilbert And Sullivan's Pirates Of Penzance
??
""I am the very model of a modern Major General,
I've information vegetable, animal and mineral."
wonderful lyricists them boys were

caption "Fred Love as Frederic and Jane Archibald as Mabel"
Toronto Operetta's 2002 production of the opera
"For I am a Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
For I am a Pirate King!"

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by Jennifer:
Oh ya, and ANYONE who makes mention of Pirates in their songs is instantly awesome in my book :D

(Pirates rock! )

Oh yus Jennifer then I hope you like
Gilbert And Sullivan's Pirates Of Penzance
??
""I am the very model of a modern Major General,
I've information vegetable, animal and mineral."
wonderful lyricists them boys were

caption "Fred Love as Frederic and Jane Archibald as Mabel"
Toronto Operetta's 2002 production of the opera
"For I am a Pirate King!
And it is, it is a glorious thing
To be a Pirate King!
For I am a Pirate King!"

[Ol Man River]

My almost 19 year daughter told me some friends went to see Dylan in Ottawa for his quitar playing maybe but there are better quitar players. As someone said he is the music is a more raw than lightfoot concets
________
Ford C-Max Specifications

[culverd]

My almost 19 year daughter told me some friends went to see Dylan in Ottawa for his quitar playing maybe but there are better quitar players. As someone said he is the music is a more raw than lightfoot concets

[Yuri]

Toronto Star - July 9th, 2007

"Rain Dashes Dylan-Lightfoot Reunion

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment...article/233744

[DiggerBoy]

I get to see Dylan for the first time tomorrow night. Personally, I am not a fan and really wish I was seeing Gordon instead. My sister has seen him (Dylan) 3 times...one time was great, the other 2 times she thought he was drunk.
I would really like to not be disappointed.

[Kathy in Michigan]

I get to see Dylan for the first time tomorrow night. Personally, I am not a fan and really wish I was seeing Gordon instead. My sister has seen him (Dylan) 3 times...one time was great, the other 2 times she thought he was drunk.
I would really like to not be disappointed.

[charlene]

Casino Rama, Rama - July 7, 2007

Enigmantic Bob Dylan still climbing the hill

By JANE STEVENSON -- Sun Media
RAMA, Ont. -- "You think I'm over the hill, think I'm past my prime?" sang Bob Dylan on Saturday night during the first of two sold-out shows at Casino Rama.

At least the enigmatic 66-year-old folk hero proved the first statement to be untrue.

Clearly, Dylan's voice -- never his strong suit and now more nasal and pinched than ever as he delivered almost indecipherable lyrics -- isn't what it once was during his '60s and '70s heyday. But Dylan over the hill? Hardly.

His never-ending tour -- he was only just in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre last November -- seems to have kept him young at heart as he delivered a lively hour-and-45-minute concert on Saturday night that would have put someone half his age through their paces.

There was a lot of jamming going on between the grinning Dylan and his current five-piece band -- all nattily attired in grey suits, black shirts and black hats -- including multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron on slide guitar and violin.

And Dylan, who suddenly picked up the electric guitar again this spring in Europe after switching to electric piano in 2003, was up for any and all curveballs.


Such well-known songs from his catalogue as Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Lay Lady Lay, Just Like A Woman, Highway 61 Revisited, Tangled Up In Blue, All Along The Watchtower, and Blowin' In The Wind, and the lesser known Watching The River Flow, were given new twists in terms of arrangement and vocal delivery. Still, none were the weaker for it.

Dylan's cryptic sense of humour is still intact, too, as witnessed by the appearance of his Oscar (for Things Have Changed from the Wonder Boys soundtrack) atop a speaker for the entire show.

Still, just six songs into the concert, he traded in his electric guitar for his electric piano and you almost wished he went back and forth between the two instruments for the duration of the night.

Thankfully, he occasionally played harmonica.

The only time Dylan, decked out in a black suit and grey hat, spoke was to introduce his band members and, as usual, no photos were allowed, which also meant the large video screens on either side of the stage were black.

And when he stood alongside his band at the end of the night taking in the standing ovation with the house lights up -- by this time fans had rushed the stage and filled the aisles -- Dylan simply stood there and raised his hands.

The gesture was simple but powerful and the audience seemed to understood what it meant: He was grateful for a grateful audience.

Just this past week, the Montreal Jazz Festival gave Dylan the Spirit Award "for musical innovation and influence," while Bryan Ferry's just released tribute album, Dylanesque, would seem to drive home that point.

[charlene]

Casino Rama, Rama - July 7, 2007

Enigmantic Bob Dylan still climbing the hill

By JANE STEVENSON -- Sun Media
RAMA, Ont. -- "You think I'm over the hill, think I'm past my prime?" sang Bob Dylan on Saturday night during the first of two sold-out shows at Casino Rama.

At least the enigmatic 66-year-old folk hero proved the first statement to be untrue.

Clearly, Dylan's voice -- never his strong suit and now more nasal and pinched than ever as he delivered almost indecipherable lyrics -- isn't what it once was during his '60s and '70s heyday. But Dylan over the hill? Hardly.

His never-ending tour -- he was only just in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre last November -- seems to have kept him young at heart as he delivered a lively hour-and-45-minute concert on Saturday night that would have put someone half his age through their paces.

There was a lot of jamming going on between the grinning Dylan and his current five-piece band -- all nattily attired in grey suits, black shirts and black hats -- including multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron on slide guitar and violin.

And Dylan, who suddenly picked up the electric guitar again this spring in Europe after switching to electric piano in 2003, was up for any and all curveballs.


Such well-known songs from his catalogue as Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, Lay Lady Lay, Just Like A Woman, Highway 61 Revisited, Tangled Up In Blue, All Along The Watchtower, and Blowin' In The Wind, and the lesser known Watching The River Flow, were given new twists in terms of arrangement and vocal delivery. Still, none were the weaker for it.

Dylan's cryptic sense of humour is still intact, too, as witnessed by the appearance of his Oscar (for Things Have Changed from the Wonder Boys soundtrack) atop a speaker for the entire show.

Still, just six songs into the concert, he traded in his electric guitar for his electric piano and you almost wished he went back and forth between the two instruments for the duration of the night.

Thankfully, he occasionally played harmonica.

The only time Dylan, decked out in a black suit and grey hat, spoke was to introduce his band members and, as usual, no photos were allowed, which also meant the large video screens on either side of the stage were black.

And when he stood alongside his band at the end of the night taking in the standing ovation with the house lights up -- by this time fans had rushed the stage and filled the aisles -- Dylan simply stood there and raised his hands.

The gesture was simple but powerful and the audience seemed to understood what it meant: He was grateful for a grateful audience.

Just this past week, the Montreal Jazz Festival gave Dylan the Spirit Award "for musical innovation and influence," while Bryan Ferry's just released tribute album, Dylanesque, would seem to drive home that point.

[Kathy in Michigan]

Well, Char, that review you posted pretty much hit the nail on the head. I'm glad I checked in here before I went to the concert or I would have been disappointed.
Dylan's vocals, were, well let's just say 'WHAT?' And just as the article said, there were new twists to old songs...so much so that I didn't know what he was singing half of the time. I was thrilled to hear 'All Along the Watchtower' but I hardly recognized it. The new arrangements almost seemed lazy to me. But I suppose after playing alot of the same songs for 40 years, you have to do something to it as a musician or you would be bored to death.
He did not speak to the crowd or the band. We did see a couple of smiles (or were they grimaces?) The band seemed to be bored with the whole thing, but really were in great form. They made the show for me.
So now I'm one of those that can say yeah, I've seen him in concert. Was he great, well...okay, I guess so. Sorta. He is who he is and there is something to be said for that.
When we were walking out, 2 60ish hippies in front of us said, 'Well, I couldn't understand him tonight any more than I could 40 years ago. I guess we weren't as high as we thought back then." My sister and I got a big kick out of that!
It was definately an experience. I had to see him at least once.
Check that off my list of concerts to see.
Hmmmmmm, who should it be next?