Review of 6/14 Dylan Show, in Bowie, MD, plus Jenna Bush
Well, the air was so stuffy, I could hardly breathe, and while it was clearly too hot to sleep, it wasn't quite hot enough to keep The Dylanologist from driving out to Bowie, Maryland, to see Bob again. Temperatures in the mid-90s during the day hadn't subsided very much even by Dylan's appearance a little past 9 p.m., but as the first few chords of "Drifter's Escape" blared out the heat and the sweat were forgotten and all eyes turned to the frail, black-garbed man on stage. The show overall was quite good: the band was on, and Bob's voice was generally solid throughout, particularly on "Senor," "Shooting Star," and "Chimes of Freedom," my three favorites from the evening's setlist. Bob's harp solos were particularly good, far better than when I heard him last. "Summer Days" seems to have lost some of its punch, but it still got people up and dancing and is a perfect tune for the time of year and the type of venue (a minor league ballpark, like most other stops on the current tour).
I should also note that as I left to take a needed breather during the encore with a friend of mine, we noticed none other than Jenna Bush standing right next to us up along the stadium's main concourse, accompanied by an entourage of friends (and a couple secret service agents hanging back, in plainclothes but nonetheless easily identifiable). It made for an odd but somehow appropriate moment for The Dylanologist - himself a former Bush campaign worker - to be there with his friend, a Kerry campaign worker, both standing next to a Bush daughter as Dylan growled out
"Masters of War," an indictment of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld if there ever was one, to a cheering audience. Perhaps Dylan had his Washington audience in mind on this night, as the seething anti-war ballad "John Brown" also made it onto the setlist. Either way, Ms. Bush did not seem at all bothered by the song, though one might doubt that her dad has it on his I-pod playlist.
Finally, as I drove home along route 50, the Washington D.C. skyline came alight with bolts of lighting, a perfect echo of the the earlier song, as they indeed seemed to be the chimes of freedom flashing. Thanks for a great show as always Bob!
