26/4/09

I spent the morning and early afternoon finishing up the blogs. That was a huge relief to get done.

My Dylan Dublin tickets didn't arrive, even though they were guaranteed to on Friday, which is sort of an issue since I'm leaving Monday and not getting back until after the shows. So I called ma and we worked on that. We couldn't really come up with a solution.

But I did get to book my flight back, I'm going to go to Dublin on June 13, and fly from there to Chicago, getting in at 8 PM. Kinda crazy, since I'll be graduating less than 10 hours later, but it should work well, and was only $267, really good price.

I left for Dylan around 2:30, stopping by Boots to get a photo of him to print out to sign. By the time I got there, a huge line was already there waiting to get in. I walked around and looked for the bus, or where the bus would go, and it would go in the back, behind a gate, so any chance of getting him to sign anything were pretty much non-existent.

I walked over to the entrance and held up my sign that simply said 'Need 1' and within about five minutes, a Scotish chap named McKenzie came over and offered me a ticket for face value. Insane. I went and got in line right away, he went off for a while and did whatever, but I was getting such a deal I didn't really care. I honestly thought it would be impossible to get in, there were only 2,000 tickets, and they could only be collected at the box office day of, and you needed to have your guest there to get a wristband, basically scaper (they call them touts here) proof.

I read the Madrid book and since it was a nice and sunny day, time went by fast. Heidi came by to basically be my secratary and print out a ton of stuff (which I felt bad about). I also made her stand in line while I went to the Dominos about 20 feet away and ordred a pizza. I was really craving American pizza, so I was excited. Unfortunately it was £9 for a medium, not really a deal. But it was good anyways.

McKenzie came back and he said I could go wander for a while and he would stand in line, so I went down to Camden Market, which was way closer than I expected. I walked around there for a while and picked up three doughnut for a pound. Not like wimpy doughnuts either, with fillings and frosting on top. I had a chocolate with chocolate cream, a chcoclate filled with apple on top, and another chocolate frotsed with nuts and chocolate filling one. I could only make it through two and a half, I wish I knew the market was so close or I wouldn't have ordered the pizza.

I spent the morning and early afternoon finishing up the blogs. That was a huge relief to get done. My Dylan Dublin tickets didn't arrive, even though they were guaranteed to on Friday, which is sort of an issue since I'm leaving Monday and not getting back until after the shows. So I called ma and we worked on that. We couldn't really come up with a solution. But I did get to book my flight back, I'm going to go to Dublin on June 13, and fly from there to Chicago, getting in at 8 PM. Kinda crazy, since I'll be graduating less than 10 hours later, but it should work well, and was only $267, really good price. I left for Dylan around 2:30, stopping by Boots to get a photo of him to print out to sign. By the time I got there, a huge line was already there waiting to get in. I walked around and looked for the bus, or where the bus would go, and it would go in the back, behind a gate, so any chance of getting him to sign anything were pretty much non-existent. I walked over to the entrance and held up my sign that simply said 'Need 1' and within about five minutes, a Scotish chap named McKenzie came over and offered me a ticket for face value. Insane. I went and got in line right away, he went off for a while and did whatever, but I was getting such a deal I didn't really care. I honestly thought it would be impossible to get in, there were only 2,000 tickets, and they could only be collected at the box office day of, and you needed to have your guest there to get a wristband, basically scaper (they call them touts here) proof. I read the Madrid book and since it was a nice and sunny day, time went by fast. Heidi came by to basically be my secratary and print out a ton of stuff (which I felt bad about). I also made her stand in line while I went to the Dominos about 20 feet away and ordred a pizza. I was really craving American pizza, so I was excited. Unfortunately it was £9 for a medium, not really a deal. But it was good anyways. McKenzie came back and he said I could go wander for a while and he would stand in line, so I went down to Camden Market, which was way closer than I expected. I walked around there for a while and picked up three doughnut for a pound. Not like wimpy doughnuts either, with fillings and frosting on top. I had a chocolate with chocolate cream, a chcoclate filled with apple on top, and another chocolate frotsed with nuts and chocolate filling one. I could only make it through two and a half, I wish I knew the market was so close or I wouldn't have ordered the pizza. I also stopped in Starbucks for a Strawberries and Cream. The line was pretty long, partly because it had an awesome location on the Lock. I then walked back to the line and I didn't miss anything (I asked to make sure Dylan didn't come out or anything. He didn't.) The last two hours in line flew by and soon we were inside. They let people into the venue in groups (smart, so that people who waited in line all day weren't bypassed my smarter, quicker, younger people like me) and I found a stop about for or five people deep right in front of his keyboard. I was really close, I don't know if I've ever been actually that close to him for a show. You could see all his expressions and smirks, all his little gestures. It was fascinating. This was the first time I think that I saw him that I thought at times I was seeing the guy that used to be the real Bob Dylan. He definitely looks/sounds way older, but the features and swagger is still there. The setlist was better than last night, the songs weren't all monotonous, plus he was in a much better mood, messing around with the audience at times. It's funny, whenever he looked at us, the crowd would cheer. He laughed at one point, something I've never heard him do. And after 'Rolling Stone' he did sort of a shuffle across the front of the stage, something I've definitely never seen him do. It was great watching him, definitely a good show, and you could feel how much more intimate it was. I have to say I was a little disaspointed. This was an incredibly special show and he didn't do anything to make it feel special. None of his new songs (I downloaded the album last night, pretty great) no covers, nothing out of the ordinary. In that sense, it was a letdown. There was a rumor going around the show would be acoustic. That would have been awesome. But it was just a standard (good) Dylan show. Still nothing like Stockholm. I walked back from Warren Street and hung out with my hall for a while before printing off my bus ticket and packing up. I can't believe I'm going on another huge trip right away. Time is flying by here, and now that I have a ticket coming home, I realize it's going to end. I don't want i
I also stopped in Starbucks for a Strawberries and Cream. The line was pretty long, partly because it had an awesome location on the Lock. I then walked back to the line and I didn't miss anything (I asked to make sure Dylan didn't come out or anything. He didn't.)

The last two hours in line flew by and soon we were inside. They let people into the venue in groups (smart, so that people who waited in line all day weren't bypassed my smarter, quicker, younger people like me) and I found a stop about for or five people deep right in front of his keyboard.

I was really close, I don't know if I've ever been actually that close to him for a show. You could see all his expressions and smirks, all his little gestures. It was fascinating. This was the first time I think that I saw him that I thought at times I was seeing the guy that used to be the real Bob Dylan. He definitely looks/sounds way older, but the features and swagger is still there.

The setlist was better than last night, the songs weren't all monotonous, plus he was in a much better mood, messing around with the audience at times. It's funny, whenever he looked at us, the crowd would cheer. He laughed at one point, something I've never heard him do. And after 'Rolling Stone' he did sort of a shuffle across the front of the stage, something I've definitely never seen him do. It was great watching him, definitely a good show, and you could feel how much more intimate it was.

I have to say I was a little disaspointed. This was an incredibly special show and he didn't do anything to make it feel special. None of his new songs (I downloaded the album last night, pretty great) no covers, nothing out of the ordinary. In that sense, it was a letdown. There was a rumor going around the show would be acoustic. That would have been awesome. But it was just a standard (good) Dylan show. Still nothing like Stockholm. That said, his voice has gotten so much better since I started seeing him (this was my 11th show). He doesn't do 'upsinging' anymore.

The set list was:

1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
2. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
3. Tangled Up in Blue
4. Million Miles
5. Rollin' And Tumblin'
6. Tryin' To Get To Heaven
7. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum - Best song of the night, used to hate it, great though
8. Sugar Baby
9. High Water (for Charlie Patton)
10. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) - my favorite now, not that great
11. Po' Boy
12. Highway 61 Revisited - Good solo on keyboard from Bob
13. Ain't Talking
14. Summer Days
15. Like A Rolling Stone
16. All Along the Watchtower
17. Spirit on the Water
18. Blowin' In The Wind

I walked back from Warren Street and hung out with my hall for a while before printing off my bus ticket and packing up. I can't believe I'm going on another huge trip right away. Time is flying by here, and now that I have a ticket coming home, I realize it's going to end. I don't want it to.