A Mighty Wind

I grew up being force fed the standardized Bob Dylan story, learned of his triumphs and trials at the hands of both the industry and the fans, been forced to nod in mock-appreciation, so as to avert bloodshed, whenever one of his songs came on the radio and tried, oh lord how I tried, to keep a straight face every time a rabid fan quoted his lyrics to me with their eyes rolled back in their heads in an orgasmic reaction to his nearly non-sensical ramblings. Yeah, I know who Bob Dylan is.

And while I will defend the tone of the above comments I would also like to point out that I do like some of his recorded songs. I won't, however, go to see him in concert again. I was there, the last time he was in town and I'd like to tell you that I have never been more angered by a musician's contempt for his fans. I suppose you could make a case for any number of reasons why he sucks so badly in concert but an excuse is still an excuse. The show lasted for close to two hours, I was told later, but after about forty-five minutes of confused and marble-mouthed renditions I'd had enough. It was a wall of confusion and even when I did recognize a song, straining as I was to block out the incoherent noise that seemed to come from everywhere on the stage, it was only because I managed to catch a phrase or two of the lyrics, which were the closest thing to scripture for so many of my friends, at the time.

You didn't ask for my opinion but here it is anyway. Don't bother going to the Scotia Bank Centre on the 5th. In this day and age, when the majors are scrambling to find even a single that merits the millions pumped into them, I'm not surprised that they still allow this guy to make records. His reputation and his near god-like status means a sure thing when it comes to making money.

Should he stop? Hell, no. I need the constant reminder of his sad-sack presence in order to keep fresh the perversions of the music business. The times may have been a changin' when he first picked up a guitar, but since then time seems to have come to a complete and irrevocable standstill when it comes to what passes for quality in arena rock.

If you do go, pay attention to Dave Grohl and company. New? Subversive? Nope, but a damn good rock band and that's really all I"m looking for.