Ladies & Gentlemen, Dylan Has Blessed the Building: Bob Dylan Reopens the Capitol Theatre

That's Bob on grand piano, way over on the right.

One of the privileges of being an internationally beloved rock blogger is you sometimes find yourself at the shows everyone is talking about. That was certainly the case Tuesday evening when I attended Bob Dylan & His Band's concert at the freshly reopened Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.

The Capitol was once a must-play for early-70s rock royalty, hosting the likes of The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and Derek and the Dominoes before both the venue and the artists fell into disrepair. In recent years it was used occasionally for business conventions and bah mitzvahs, and as a pre-tour rehearsal space for artists including Mr. Dylan. So it was appropos that when the building was taken over and beautifully restored by the people that brought you downtown NYC's 90s jam-band mecca Wetlands, Dylan would get things rolling in style.

Impressionistic Instagram photos by Stephen J. Walsh

Dylan came out right on schedule, dressed like an unholy alliance between Hank Williams and Thurston Howell III, and launched into his 1971 fave rave "Watching the River Flow" playing a farfisa organ. The sound was a little muddy at first, and it was hard to make out the instruments, but this is understandable after a 40-year hiatus from live entertainment. It was corrected a few songs in and Bob and his crack band kept barreling ahead.

Though I have always been a huge fan and defender of Dylan's singing, it is undeniably rough going these days. At times last night, Bob sounded like the Cookie Monster with a four-pack-a-day habit. Vocal cord stress aside, his phrasing remains sublime as always, as do his arrangements, and he played one classic after another in radically new forms, as he has done for many years.

"Tangled Up in Blue" became an electric rocker, particularly hard to make out first, but quickly became  a crowd favorite as Bob and his two guitarists Charlie Sexton and Stu Kimball interweaved guitar lines. As with every time I've seen this song played live, a good third or so of the audience had no idea what song it was until he sang the words "tangled up in bluuuue." And another ten percent or so weren't even sure after that.

"Visions of Johanna," Dylan's epic genius song of love and despair, became a soft but intense ballad with Bob on grand piano. "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Thunder on the Mountain" became big band blues numbers with cascading Glen Miller-style riffs.



"Ballad of a Thin Man," meanwhile, was reborn as a terrifying Vegas torch song that was a high point of the evening,  though this slightly distorted YouTube clip doesn't do it full justice.

The show featured a decent amount of newish material (a spooky piano version of "Can't Wait" from Time Out of Mind and a rollicking "High Water" from "Love & Theft" really stood out), but nothing from Tempest, the new Dylan long-player that comes out next week.

How nice it would have been to hear the world concert premiere of "Duquesne Whistle," but when you have an audience with the greatest songwriter of modern times, who's complaining.

The Capitol is a fabulous place to see a show by the way, with a cozy capacity in the neighborhood of 2,000 or so, a generous general admission space to stand on the floor, reserved seating in the balcony, and a big beautiful thing in the ceiling. My friends and I were on the floor and there was plenty of room to maneuver about. There are beer stations throughout and the upstairs bar is decorated like a West Memphis bordello with an impressive selection of IPAs on tap.

The Capitol has an amazing series of shows lined up for the fall, including Bob Weir with the Roots, My Morning Jacket and Fiona Apple. And it's right across from the Port Chester train station, so you don't even have to drive.

As per usual, Dylan wrapped things up with an encore of "All Along the Watchtower" and "Blowin' in the Wind." And my friends and I walked outside, Bob's tour bus was already pulling away. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dylan has blessed the building. And what a building it is.

Learn about upcoming shows at the Capitol Theatre here.