Bob Dylan defies expectations again at a crowd-pleasing concert in Milwaukee
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Bob Dylan, who turned 82 in May, has been defying expectations for so long that, at this point, when he does something conventional, it's actually unconventional.
That was the case in Milwaukee Wednesday for the first show of two sold-out concerts at the Riverside Theater.
The shows are part of Dylan's "Rough and Rowdy Ways" tour, which actually kicked off at the Riverside Theater in 2021. With the tour named after Dylan's acclaimed 2020 album, nine songs in Tuesday's hour-and-45-minute set came from "Rough and Rowdy Ways," far more than from any other album. In fact, most of the evening's songs — 12 out of 17 — were performed at the last Riverside show two years ago. That's standard practice for most artists on a single touring cycle, but not for Dylan.
But any signs of disappointment were hard to spot at the Riverside Wednesday, because Dylan defied expectations in two other key ways: He was clearly having fun, and his concert was a crowd-pleaser.
Granted, this wasn’t a hits-loaded evening, and this was an audience long conditioned to celebrate Dylan on his terms. Nevertheless, that can be a challenge, even for the open-minded and adventurous. That Dylan doesn't revisit his classics as recorded so concertgoers can have an easy nostalgic singalong is commendable — although his scorched vocals and an apathetic stage presence have been known to sink some shows.
But Dylan's Eagles Ballroom show in 2019 was his best Milwaukee concert of the decade, thanks to his engaged delivery and infectious enthusiasm — not hollers, mind you, but lots of grinning, again unusual from Dylan. And that same spark was still burning at the Riverside Wednesday.
It was most evident in his piano work, the lone instrument Dylan played Wednesday; he frequently alternated between sitting and standing at the baby grand. When "Crossing the Rubicon" slipped into a momentum-slowing slog, the low point of the evening, Dylan electrified the audience at the keys, practically punching the ivory and twice cutting out the melodies, the absence of sound creating a tension that had been lacking.
It was his elegant piano Wednesday, perhaps even more than his vivid lyrics, that made "Mother of Muses" — like "Crossing the Rubicon," from the "Rough and Rowdy Ways" album — such a striking portrait of the pursuit of inspiration. And Dylan's ominous piano gave "Black Rider" its sense of dread, as did an unsettling delivery of lines like, "My soul is distressed/My mind is at war."
Dylan had a book of lyrics atop the piano he'd look through, understandable given the extent of his lyrics. But just as his piano work had an edge Wednesday, frequently so did his vocals.
Dylan flashed his first smile of the evening halfway through "My Own Version of You," shortly before name-dropping Milwaukee's own Liberace, his voice taking on greater urgency as the boogie blues rocker shuffled toward sinister depictions of a "burning hell," of witnessing a "raw hide lash rip the skin off their backs." And his vocals for "False Prophet" were full of vigor, swinging from suave proclamations ("I sing songs of love," he practically purred Wednesday), to devilish revelations ("I can't remember when I was born and I forgot when I died").
The crowd got a kick out of all the newer songs, but their most expressive enthusiasm was for the new additions to the setlist compared to the last Riverside show.
A guy behind me unleashed a visceral cry of "(Expletive) yeah" like we were at a Metallica concert when Dylan launched into his cover of the 1942 tune "That Old Black Magic," the jazzy swing of his five-piece band I'm sure living up to his expectations.
The arrangement for "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" from 1967 album "John Wesley Harding" was the night's biggest blast. The song began with Dylan gently crooning the song's title near the start without any backing accompaniment; then the song slipped into a surf-rock bop before slowing and morphing into a Delta blues stomp.
Dylan himself seemed to have the most fun during "To Be Alone With You" from 1969 album "Nashville Skyline"; he smiled and bobbed, and tapped his white loafers, as he flooded the room with cascading piano runs. And Wednesday's rendition of 1971's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" was especially masterful, with Dylan's solo vocal introduction gliding into a soft Appalachian waltz, rendered by Dylan's saloon piano, Donnie Herron's sweet fiddle, Tony Garnier's thick strums on the stand-up bass, and robust acoustic guitar picking from Bob Britt and Doug Lancio.
And after they all closed out the night with 1981's "Every Grain of Sand," Dylan got up from behind the piano, where he'd been all evening, walked closer to the crowd, and offered a few triumphant fist pumps.
An unexpected gesture from Dylan, to be sure — but in context of the night, certainly fitting.
3 takeaways from Bob Dylan's Milwaukee concert
Dylan has long disliked phones and cameras at his shows — he rarely even lets venue photographers take pictures of his sets — but this was my first Dylan show where he required fans to seal phones in Yondr pouches. I actually preferred it. At previous gigs, security could be pretty distracting and oppressive, pacing around to make sure no one was taking pictures or video. And getting in was much, much smoother than the last Yondr show at the Riverside with comedian Hasan Minhaj. Lines moved pretty swiftly in and out, and most of the seats were taken by about 8 p.m., allowing Dylan and the band to start their show on time.
There was one personnel change Wednesday from the tour kickoff at the Riverside in 2021: Jerry Pentecost is now on drums, replacing Charley Drayton. Pentecost is a fine addition, offering swaying, swinging rhythm that drove several songs, and smooth, subtle restraint when required.
Songs that didn’t return from the 2021 Riverside show included “Soon After Midnight” from “Tempest,” which had a signature harmonica part from Dylan. Other songs left off the setlist from the tour opener: “Simple Twist of Fate,” "Early Roman Kings,” "Love Sick,” the Frank Sinatra song “Melancholy Mood” and “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.”
Bob Dylan's Riverside Theater setlist
"Watching the River Flow"
"Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine"
"I Contain Multitudes"
"False Prophet"
"When I Paint My Masterpiece"
"Black Rider"
"My Own Version of You"
"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight"
"Crossing The Rubicon"
"To Be Alone With You"
"Key West (Philosopher Pirate)"
"Gotta Serve Somebody"
"I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You"
"That Old Black Magic"
"Mother of Muses"
"Goodbye Jimmy Reed"
"Every Grain of Sand"
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bob Dylan defies expectations again at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater
