Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour rolls on as fans treasure every moment

Bob Dylan: Finsbury Park, London                                                   

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Bob Dylan never wanted to be a crowd pleaser. He never wanted to be a leader.
Nor did he want to be, in his own words, the ‘Archbishop of anarchy’ when a generation (wrongly) believed that his songs were politically motivated.
So much did he want to avoid this that he had himself photographed wearing a skull cap at the famous Wailing Wall in Israel in order to put across his more traditional side.

Hits: Bob Dylan sings to the crowd with an incredible performance that took in some of his most well-known songs at Finsbury Park on Saturday

But playing at Finsbury Park in London on Saturday evening, the great man - whose live performances have been said to be unpredictable- delighted the crowd of 20,000 with an awesome show that took in some of his best hits.
Dylan breezed lightly on to stage earlier than scheduled in his now customary white hat and brass-buttoned black suit. The audience knew that this could be one of the last times that Dylan is likely to play in Britain and duly showed their appreciation at seeing him.
A concern for many might have been Dylan's possibly ailing voice, but opening with 'Gonna Change My Way of Thinking' and helped by an incredible sound system his tones were clear, and his voice powerful.

 

A rearranged version of 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' was virtually unrecognisable from the Bringing It All Back Home album in 1965. But the enigma with which Dylan sings the chorus carries the same suspense every time.
'Things Have Changed' followed, and again Dylan was in his element.
The only song that struggled was 'Tangled Up In Blue'. The narrative hit relies on the story and at an outdoors concert with a loud band it became jumbled.
One of the few songs that was played most similar to its original album version - albeit apart from the occasional changed note - was 'Twist of Fate'. Perhaps one of the most overlooked of Dylan's songs which he performed, this was the stand out of all the slower numbers.

Electric: Dylan strums his guitar, although the musician appeared to be most comfortable playing his keyboard

Dylan threw his hands open, gestured to the crowd with a nod of the hand, and bent at the knees as he played the harmonica throughout the show.
But perhaps the place where he looks to be enjoying himself the most is on his keyboard, jamming with the rest of the band on upbeat numbers and linking perfectly with the organist.

No more clear was his ability on the keyboard that on the simply stunning 'Cold Irons Bound' from the Time Out Of Mind album. This was undoubtedly the standout performance of the night.
Perhaps fittingly considering they only make up a fraction of Dylan's work, there were only two of his pre 1965 acoustic songs in the show. However, they were done so well that they satisfied the handful of Luddites who have never ventured into the depths of his electric work.
Had Bob been in rainy London throughout the day? If he had, then that might have contributed to his choice of song. 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' was magnificent, rearranged for Dylan on his keyboard with a more punchy chorus.
The song was not as clear as it would have been had it been played on acoustic guitar. It is for this reason that it is Dylan's newer work is most satisfying to hear live, with 'Thunder on the Mountain' simply brilliant.
The 70-year-old returned to the stage for a sing-along encore of 'Like a Rolling Stone' which was the only time that Dylan connected with the audience like a popular singer would do. His career and personality is built on him being an individual, doing the opposite of what the crowd wants and too many of such songs, not that there are a great deal of 'karaoke hits' in his back catalogue, would cheapen him. Nevertheless, it was a rare moment worth waiting for.
As he has become known for, there were no exchanges with crowd other than to introduce his band and go into 'All Along The Watchtower' and finishing with the timeless 'Blowin' In The Wind'.
And with a quick nod of his head, the music stopped, Dylan milled around a few seconds before posing with the band in the centre of stage, then making a swift exit through the stage door into waiting cars to take him onto the next leg of the never ending tour.
How long it will continue for, nobody knows, but fans will treasure every moment that this rare legend continues.