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Concert Review: Nelson, Dylan play in the ballpark By Gene Triplett It was the next to the last night of Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson's 22-city tour of minor-league baseball stadiums, an idea that appeals to both artists. They both, after all, like to sing for and about the common people and take up political causes. One reason for the "Willie-Bob'' tour's success may be the Austin-based trio Hot Club of Cowtown, which opened the four-hour show promptly at 6:30 p.m. with a half-hour of stripped-down, jumped-up Western swing. The setting sun was still shining on the faces of vocalist-violinist Elana Fremerman, singer-guitarist Whit Smith and Tulsa's own standup bassist Jake Erwin as they steamed and swayed through such danceable roadhouse standards as "Ida Red,'' "Exactly Like You,'' "Chinatown'' and "I Can't Give You Any[hyphen] thing But Love, Baby.'' The red-headed stranger paid his respects by joining Hot Club for a dandy duet of "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone.'' By the time Willie and his family band took the stage at 7:30 p.m., the roped-in area in front of the stage was teeming with people, all on their feet. Fans in the grandstands and clubhouse seats leaned on the rails and peered through binoculars to get a better look at their white-hat-wearing hero. Despite recent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, Nelson was strumming sweet acoustic notes from his battered guitar as he warbled his way through "Living in the Promiseland.'' It was during this sentimental ballad that a gigantic American flag unfurled behind the band, bringing tumultuous cheers. But when he plunged into his upbeat and feisty signature song "Whiskey River,'' the Texas banner dropped down in its place. All was forgiven through the rest of an hour- plus set that included Townes Van Zandt's powerful "Pancho and Lefty,'' and a medley of Nelson originals including "Funny How Time Slips Away,'' "Crazy'' and "Night Life.'' Other highlights included sister Bobbie Nelson on a punchy piano run-through of "Down Yonder'' and son Lukas Nelson's bluesy guitar solos. Nelson seemed to hurry through too many of the standard crowd-pleasers, such as "Me and Bobby McGee,'' and an oddly disjointed "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain,'' but he left the audience in a happy mood, which was heightened by the appearance of Texas-born film star Owen Wilson [em dash] apparently part of the entourage -- strolling around left field and signing autographs. The white Bricktown banners above the outfield were flapping in moonlight by the time Dylan made his entrance. His gravely, timeworn growl could be heard loudly and clearly on the first few verses of "Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35'' as his band kicked in. He was the wiry little guy dressed all in black -- with matching cowboy hat -- leaning into a set of electronic keyboards 'way over on the left side of the stage. He looked more like a sideman than the star of the show, facing more toward his band than the audience, and remained there throughout his set, playing keyboards and harp and rasping the unintelligible lyrics to tunes old and new, including "Tell Me That It Isn't True,'' "Highway 61 Revisited,'' "Cold Irons Bound'' and "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine.'' His deconstructed arrangements rendered most of the songs unrecognizable, although the reworked versions still rocked. But if Dylan's aloofness and fractured arrangements did any public relations damage, repairs seemed rendered with a splendidly shambling encore performance of "Like a Rolling Stone'' and "All Along the Watchtower.'' In all, it was a musical triple-header to be fondly remembered. |