I know, I know .... I have been slacking horribly on keeping up with this blog. But I have some time now to document a very blog-worthy activity! So on August 31 we (as in Jeff, Tommy, Dharma, Shawni, and Jeff's family & their friends) attended the Bob Dylan concert at Deer Valley! I was excited that he was coming to Park City and that we had tickets to the sold out show because it was after all Bob Dylan. Even if after 8 songs his voice gets slightly annoying, he is a legend and a huge icon in rock and roll history. Not to mention his lyrics are amazing. So for the past couple weekends before the concert we prepared by having a few shindigs at Jeff's house where we played old Bob Dylan vinyls on the record player, dancing the night away. Pretty sweet to say the least.
Alas came the concert. Of course of all the beautiful, sunny days we had had the whole month of August, this one had to be the day of the cold front. We came prepared with blankets, umbrellas and sweaters - all of which did not suffice the downpour we lived through. Right after we secured our spot - in the very front - it started raining, pouring, creating a muddy river at our feet. We had some wine to warm us up, but it was still cold, we were drenched from head to toe the worst part was the realization of it all when we could see our breath in the air. Miraculously, just minutes before Dylan came on stage it stopped raining. By then people started crowding in and the show began.
Dylan is an old man now. He walked very slowly, and his hand movements looked like my grandpa's. I think that's why he opted to play the keyboard the whole time (even though his guitar and amp were right there waiting to be played.) As far as the performance went, the band was amazing. They rocked it. Bob Dylan's voice is more of a bark and he seemed to growl and slur his words more than sing them. There were times when I was like, "Yup, that's Bob Dylan!" and his voice sounded like the signature Dylan. But most of it was almost unrecognizable. He also changed the songs around so the syllables, tune and timing were quite different than his original versions. So honestly, I didn't recognize any of the songs until the encore when he played "Like A Rolling Stone." I've heard from other people that this was a great Bob Dylan show, and that most of his shows now-a-days are a lot worse. Although Bob Dylan never said a single word to the audience, or ever even looked at the audience at the very end he came to center stage and gave a wave, and a raised his arms and demanded a louder cheer as he had his index fingers up, signifying "Number 1." I thought that it was funny, probably because he looks pretty old. But everyone loved it at the same time.
As the band played the last song, the skies opened up once more for another giant downpour that did not cease. As everyone was walking down the hill, people were slipping in the torrent of mud and water streaming downwards and it surely didn't help that 90% of the people were completely drunk and stumbling already! I was soaked to the bone, shivering as we made our way to the car. My feet were completely numb and my converse shoes were soaked and mud-caked as I had stepped in an ankle deep puddle.
As soon as we got in the car we cranked the heater and waited 1/2 hour to get out of the parking lot.
But it was all worth it and a super fun experience, I mean it's not everyday you stand in the rain,get completely soaked and see Bob Dylan - all in the same night.
