Bob Dylan – Lille 2011 Review

Nothing to promote, just playing for the thrill of it. A rarity for those taking to the stage now, but it was often the case for Bob Dylan. Lille 2011 is a fascinating watch and listen, not least for the Grand Lille television coverage cut in moments before the show starts. Dylan is one of the few artists who can spark real, national features on his appearance in a city. Such is the case for this preamble, and though a flunked French GCSE can only get you so far, it is worth seeing in their eyes the anticipation, the excitement, which comes from preparing for a gig. Not just a Dylan show, but any concert. That excitement is a major, early moment which builds into the start of this show. With the lights coming up, Dylan is spotted wearing a hat better suited for nacho dip centre pieces on a Super Bowl party spread. A dapper man at the best of times, and having the band launch into Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat is a statement of intent from the veteran performer.  

This is a set of hits and little more. Only a handful of songs drift from the notable classics which fans are no doubt expecting. He follows this well-performed Blonde on Blonde opener with Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, Things Have Changed, and Tangled Up in Blue. You would be hard-pressed to find a better four-track run than this on paper. In practice, an excellent and varied sound from Dylan. His transition from soft rock and roll to the piano-led structure of his latest works is at play here. For those who like the keyboards and eventual baby grand piano revisions, Lille 2011 is of interest. You get a solid view of Dylan hammering away on a keyboard, rocking out with renditions of his very best works. A couple of songs missing, but there’s enough within to patch over the loss of A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall and Highway 61 Revisited.  

The band’s performance of Things Have Changed is a brilliant moment. That little smile from Dylan, Tony Garnier swaying in the background, they’re having fun with the performance, a thrilling moment. It’s one of many great spots within Lille 2011, a show which never truly picks up the energy from there. Steadiness is key to the performances from around this time. While it never blows up into some rock and roll walk, it was never made to do so. Not Dark Yet has Dylan stagger the title, a break between each word before blasting a harmonica into the microphone. It’s an excellent watch, one of those moments where a song is pushed to its very limit and has since returned to a suitable form. The same goes for Ballad of a Thin Man and All Along the Watchtower, two excellent songs which are on-stage staples for Dylan at this point.  

Some may expect All Along the Watchtower to be a rocked-out piece. It remains so, though in recent years Dylan has brought the song somewhere between the John Wesley Harding original and the Jimi Hendrix cover. It fits rather nicely when Dylan can form an overlap. Here, he manages that and uses it as a bridge into band introductions and a fantastic Like a Rolling Stone. Lille 2011 is about as complete a performance from Dylan as you could want. A successful example of those wanting the hits receiving them. Reimagined to a point of new interest to those who want more from a run-through of the classics, but not so far as to make them unrecognisable. A worthy show and thankfully captured, almost in full. It’s a day with Dylan enjoying the hits of his past, playing them up well with a strong backing band. Lille 2011 is a very solid standard.