BOB DYLAN
Arena Muzika 2010В 
03.06.2010, NationalВ Palace of Culture, Sofia - BulgariaВ 
words byВ Nasso Ruskov, scatches:В various

Well, here we are, FIFTY, I repeat, FIFTY years later and we finally have Bob Dylan onstage in former Commie Bulgaria. Let's get one thing straight - no matter what idiot students, waving hammer & sickle slogans try to profess, THIS was UNTHINKABLE until about 10-15 years ago.

We locals are yet to completely comprehend, understand and take in the true meaning of this momentous event. After all, Dylan was one of those absolutely "no-no" symbols of Western influence, a must-be-stopped Medusa of potent lyrics, machinegunned your way via various musical structures.

There are some truths in life and one of those says that if you haven't been to an AC/DC or Bob Dylan show, then you really have not experienced much of life. In both cases, we're talking about legends, who are still active.В 

Prior to this gig I heard multiple doomsday comments of the "not enough tickets sold, will be a disaster" kind. But, lo and behold - I walk into the National Palace of Culture's Hall 1 to find it completely packed, to the rafters! Us press abhorrents have to watch the emtire gig standing up, as all the seats are taken.

Thank God they are - taken by true fans who have paid princely sums of their hard-earned cash, who have waited for years, who will contribute to the marvellous atmosphere of this event. The rest is us - idiot journos, arms crossed, pen-knives poised, waiting to be "entertained...

God knows how many people have spent years in waiting for Bob to come along, symbolizing a sort of freedom and poesy that most of us had only dreamed of. Well, tonight, he is entirely at our disposal - even playing 17 songs instead of the customary 16 he and the band have been doing so far throughout this tour.

This turn of events we owe to the fantastic Sofia crowd who manage to get a quick, barely discernible smile out of the man himself and not bat an eyelid at his complete refusal to address the crowd. Bob, in turn, seems to appreciate this completely friendly environment and proceeds to treat us to a setlist, rather different from the ones performed so far on this tour, including material from no less than 9 albums, spanning the period 1963-2009.

Best represented tonight are the two gorious masterpieces The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan and Highway 61 Revisited. Faces glowing, people cheering, as we witness the once-irritating high-pitched Bob wail transformed into a croaking growling Tom Waits wolf-bark. And, lest we forget, tonight Bob's bass/double bass player Tony Garnier marks a 21st anniversary of playing with Dylan.

Tony is one of the few double bass players who can read music and has played in the Brian Setzer Orchestra's "The Dirty Boogie". Funniest thing is, that Bob's tour will soon take him and the band to Lyon's concert venue Halle Tony Garnier, named after the famous Lyon-born French architect.

My personal highlight of the evening was without a shadow of a doubt the magical 'High Water (for Charley Patton)' - a song that took me on a journey I did not necessarily want to return from. It has to be noted that nopwadays Bob seldom picks up a guitar, instead opting for the mike and synth/organ/piano.

I did get the feeling that some people were expecting more than was realistically possible, hence missed out no the glorious chord progressions of 'Like a Rolling Stone', concentrating too much on the gloating chorus of "how does it feeeel". We all ended up singing 'Blowin' in the Wind' anyway....as I knew we would....!

SETLIST:

1. leopard skin pill box hat
2. girl from the north country
3. till i fell in love with you
4. just like a woman
5. things have changed
6. a hard rain's a-gonna fall
7. high water (for charley patton)
8. what good am i?
9. tweedle dee and tweedle dum
10. when the deal goes down
11. highway 61 revisited
12. love sick
13. thunder on the mountain
14. ballad of a thin man
15. like a rolling stone
16. jolene
17. blowin' in the wind