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Bob Dylan came to town this week, and after the concert, I heard several complaints - but mainly two: (1) his voice is terrible, and (2) you couldn't recognize his songs until they were almost over. Well, people, give the poor man a break. See how well your voice sounds when you're 75, or whatever; see who recognizes your songs. This was Bob Dylan, and while everyone is free to say whatever they think, I don't believe one should come expecting to see a curly haired kid with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica draped round his neck. Sit-ins are no more, my peacenik friends, and neither is Bob Dylan of the sixties (or seventies or eighties).

The last time I saw the man (a few years back in Tupelo, Mississippi, of all places), we were subjected to two hours of country & western music - it was his current genre. He will always surround himself with great musicians, however, and the concert ended up being okay, just not great. This week the crowd was treated to a number of Dylan classics, growled through by the Pulitzer Prizewinner. The arrangements were definitely different, though I'm sure his reaction to the critics would be similar to that when he went "electric". But this night, the band was tight, the sound was great, and maybe I'm just easily satisfied. I don't think he's out here for the money, and I don't think he'll be out here many more times at all, so I was glad to get what may be my final chance to see the legend himself.