More on Bob

Other than the opening number, I was very pleased with everything Bob played last night.

The high point for me was Shelter from the Storm. What a nice arrangement. I liked it the same way I liked Girl from the North Country last November, in that it was an unexpected pleasure. Neither of those songs are particularly high on my list of faves, but I think of them both differently now. He wasn’t quite crooning it, but he changed it enough to make me go “Ahh”. Also, he played harmonica on that one, and I love it when he does.

Next highlight was Tangled Up in Blue, which I always love, and did not disappoint. Also, All Along the Watchtower, another traditionally non-favourite of mine, was really strong and good.

I don’t like When the Deal Goes Down. I find it dull. I wish he’d dropped that one, though the audience seemed to like it a lot. Nettie Moore is a much better song, in my humble opinion. And he played that well, too.

I was glad to hear High Water, but it was pretty noisy and not one of the better tunes of the night.

Chimes of Freedom, an obscure choice, was the only thing I didn’t recognize until the chorus. Oddly enough on some songs every word he sang was clear, while on others (It’s Alright Ma, in particular) he was so garbled I couldn’t make out a word.

Wilfrid Pelletier is a fantastic hall. So comfy and grandiose at the same time. Apparently he hadn’t played there since 1966. Which surprised me since I always thought Pelletier opened for Expo 67 but I guess not.

Bob played guitar for the first 4 songs. Which was a thrill. I wasn’t expecting it, hadn’t dare wish for it. But there he was.

Now if only he had gotten rid of that giant hat. We couldn’t see his face. It felt like he was hiding. But he was hopping around all night (as much as a 66-year-old guy can hop) and he looked pretty happy and energetic. But next to his rhythm guitarist, Bob is very, very tiny.