Bob Dylan's Shadow Kingdom: Swoons for Many, a Letdown for a Few

Sunday evening fans from around the world saw Bob Dylan's first "concert" since the end of 2019. The event was called Shadow Kingdom, which turned out to not be a concert in any conventional way but more like a series of dreamlike David Lynch produced MTV videos of Dylan performing many of his early classics in a gritty village cafe.

The show was slated to begin at the top of the hour, but the show's producers did something wise. The had a clock ticking for ten minutes to allow viewers to fix they audio and video setups, lest they be annoyed at their inability to catch the first song. It also allowed those who may be fashionably late (haha, who is late to a Dylan concert?) to get set up for the opening number.

Along the right hand side of the screen there was a scrolling "chat" window in which people from all over the world could send greetings or make comments. There were some early on making critical comments, much like drunks in row three at a Philadelphia concert during his "Saved" tour. 

These spicy remarks were the minority, subsumed in the commentary that went like this:

no signal

sounds impeccable

This is historic

Viva Cuba Libre

in black and white not great

Now he's on it

Unique

Anyone need a smoke?

I'm enjoying it

Loving the shirt

His Face

I can feel the emotion

VIBES

 >>>What was it you wanted?  

  I am crying               

Beautiful

Best song so far

WOW

I will Bobby

love love love this arrangement

OMG I'm crying now

I'm crying too

Like how the set looks like a party

It's weed for sure

Down in front

The Best Dylan show ever

>>>>Wicked Messenger   

His most underrated album

Bob 2024

This is my Pandemic Cure

Mobius Bob

I must have that jacket

The LEGEND Lives

Bob Dylan my heart belongs to you

More

Bronx Here

His shoes WOW

Too Short

Perfect

Ehhh

Brilliant

I want more

Thanks Bob

* * *

In response to the person who said they didn't like it being in black and white: Do you think Citizen Kane should have been in color? Would Casablanca have been a better film in color? This Shadow Kingdom was indeed a shadowy realm with real ambience. This ambience was masterful, and actually conveyed a little of Casablanca's mystery and suspense.

The idea of a ticking clock to pass the time during those first ten minutes was actually pretty clever. It served as a nice audio check and gave those first tuning in a few minutes to get everything set up.

Another complaint that I saw scroll up the screen went like this. I think some people wanted to have the "big venue Bob" with an energized tight band rockin' it out. This complaint, too, seemed silly. Consider the venue, dude. An intimate venue like that requires a different kind of performance from what you might expect at the Beacon in New York. 

The concert began with When I Paint My Masterpiece, and the tenderness of vocals was immediately apparent. Following this we heard You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine. Between songs there was a fade out overlaid with a fade in to new visuals and each time Bob had a different outfit on, which got lots of comments in the chat feed.

Each song had been delivered in an altogether new form, which is once again a Dylan trademark it seems. 

Queen Jane was superbly rendered and was probably the point at which I began to feel something special was happening. The first songs were well done, but my critical observational self was trying to process what was happening rather than just getting into it. Other songs I especially enjoyed included an exceptional What Was It You Wanted from Oh Mercy, Pledging My Time, Watching the River Flow, and Tombstone Blues.

I'm sure there will be plenty written about it. The ending felt abrupt and unexpected for me. For some reason I thought it was going to be a two hour show. The best part is that people can watch it again for two more days.  Five times, or ten, if you wish. 

It must have been fun to be part of the band, even if you were masked and anonymous.

* * * 

One last thought. In a public speaking class our instructor once made a statement that struck a chord with me. "It is better to go ten minutes too short than two minutes too long." The point being, leave them wanting more. 

There was a lot of gratitude expressed at the end. "Thank you, Bob" messages were arriviing from around the world. And yes, we're always wanting more.