INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Bob Dylan, Jimmie Vaughan
Sunday, July 15, 7 p.m., $35-$75, all-ages
What can be said about Bob Dylan that hasn’t already been said a thousand times over by rock hacks over the past 40 years? Dylan cuts such a long shadow in the music world that only a precious few names can even be held in the same rarified league; names like Woody Guthrie, Elvis and Hank Williams. Songs like “Blowing in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a Changin’” are certified American standards. There is not one person on this planet that hasn’t in one form or another been touched by the hand of Dylan.
In that context, then, it’s an amazing thing that Dylan does what he does. Here is a man in his golden years, who, by all rights, could rest on his laurels and nobody would have any right to complain. Yet, he is still plugging away. His last couple albums have been his best efforts since the ’80s, earning awards and rave reviews from critics and fans alike.
He’s been on a never-ending tour for the past 20 years or so and logs more road miles each year than many bands do in a career. And he plays every “podunk” town that’ll have him. In the past decade, he’s played Terre Haute and Fort Wayne as many times as he’s played Indianapolis. It’s a humbling thing to witness this American icon still clearly enamored with his craft.
Far from a hippie-dippy nostalgia act, with Dylan you never know what you’re gonna get from night to night. You could get a mumbling, muddled set of obscure catalogue songs, or you could get a fiery set of classics. You buy the ticket and you take the ride, and where you’ll go, nobody knows. But hey, it’s Bob freakin’ Dylan for crying out loud. The man can take you wherever he feels like.
Opening the show is Jimmie Vaughan, one-time guitar-slinger for the Fabulous Thunderbirds and older brother of Stevie Ray. Get to The Lawn early, as Jimmie’s Texas roadhouse blues picking is still some of the best in the country.