Fencing In Bob Dylan
At last night’s Bob Dylan concert in Prospect Park, the closing night of Celebrate Brooklyn and a benefit for it, too, the last longhaired baby boomers in the borough gathered to listen to the musical icon of their generation sing—though plenty of GenX and GenY-ers showed up as well. Only problem: those who didn’t wish…
At last night’s Bob Dylan concert in Prospect Park, the closing night of Celebrate Brooklyn and a benefit for it, too, the last longhaired baby boomers in the borough gathered to listen to the musical icon of their generation sing—though plenty of GenX and GenY-ers showed up as well. Only problem: those who didn’t wish to swing the $55 for lawn seats or well above a cool hundred for actual chairs found they couldn’t partake of extra-bandshell listening, as so many are accustomed to doing. One reader wrote in to complain about the high fence erected around the venue to prevent glimpses; sound apparently did not travel well beyond it. “Unbelievable: Dylan comes to Brooklyn & everyone who wasn’t in his fan club, a VIP [there were plenty of seats reserved for music biz types], or willing to pay $200+ wound up barely able to hear and completely unable to see the concert, thanks to a tall black fence completely surrounding the bandshell area,” he writes. “Considering that I’ve never seen this sort of setup at Celebrate Brooklyn, I have to ask: Whose idea was this – Dylan’s or Celebrate Brooklyn? Anybody have an answer?” Well, do ya?
Dylan photo by Alan Fleishman
Yea, cause you NEVER say anything mean spirited, bxgrl.
Coming from the person who criticizes every damn thing on here.
You sound like the most negative person in Brooklyn.
“I think criticizing an event you know nothing about seems mean spirited and small minded to me.”
I think criticizing people you know nothing about seems mean spirited and small minded to me. Since I am hardly the only one commenting, and it seems others agree with my position, maybe you should get a grip and act like a grown up.
Turns out I’m the source of the comments quoted by brownstoner – and thanks for all the accusations of ‘entitlement’ etc. Clearly, those remarks come from people who would have rooted for Goliath instead of David… in other words, that soulless species, Brooklyn Republicans [yes, things HAVE chnged].
Anyway, although I don’t have an MBA, I did try to buy tix – even with the TILDEN code & then thru regular old ticketmaster. No luck.
So considering this was a fully sold-out show & a rather special performer, it seems like it would have been a nice gesture to let the ticketless neighbors have a tiny peek at the show.
As for the ticket price I quote, $200 was yesterday’s stubhub price for lawn [$400+ for seating].
Who that benefits is beyond me… but by all means, go scalpers! go music business weasels! and go screw the neighborhood!
I think criticizing an event you know nothing about seems mean spirited and small minded to me.
Great show. I was inside as well. “Lonesome Day Blues” and “Summer Days” were superb, as were “Highway 61 Revisited,” and several other numbers like “Thunder on the Mountain.”
People complain that he mumbles and rearranges his tunes so they don’t sound the same as they did on the records: Dylan has been doing this for 30+ years. As for those complaining that they couldn’t hear beyond the gates, I feel for you. Tickets were expensive and I was lucky to get a pair. Maybe next time.
And what would have been the big deal of just not having the fence? Have security guards/ticket takers make sure those who paid get their seats and just let the rest enjoy at a distance? I know it can be done- I’ve worked at events where that’s exactly what we did. Just seems to me if a concert is in the open in a public park, benefit or not, the fence is over the top. Must have cost money too- money that didn’t go to Celebrate Brooklyn. Or if erected by the parks dept. meant it was paid for by taxpayers. Just seems mean-spirited and small minded.
Kill yr idols.
Here’s the NYTimes review of the show:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/arts/music/14dylan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The benefit concerts always have fences (Manu Chao, twice, and Feist are recent examples), as well as privately-contracted Nazis-er-security guards. Like the others have said, if you want to see these concerts, buy a ticket. Otherwise, celebrate the dozens of free concerts Celebrate Brooklyn puts on each year.
The set list will be on bobdylan.com soon.
There exists a dichotomy among Dylan concert attendees: some hate the fact that Dylan, at 67, just croaks some words and plunks some keys. They also hate that he changes arrangements regularly, refusing to reproduce studio versions of his “greatest hits.”
Others accept his age and his infirmities (look, Isaac Hayes put on a good show to open this year’s Celebrate Brooklyn and basically sat at his keyboard and mumbled some lyrics. We rejoiced his appearance and now mourn his death) and enjoy a Dylan concert for what its worth. I was there last night and appreciated the musicianship of his band, particularly his drummer and lead guitarist. Although several of his songs were unrecognizable, his interpretations of Blowin’ in the Wind and Like a Rolling Stone were unique. Beyond the Horizon was well-executed and I don’t think a soul in attendance didn’t sing along to Rainy Day Woman (…”everybody must get stoned…”).