This concert took place on 11/21/23. Another performance took place the night before.
Crawling through pangs of cold rain and paired red lights flashing intermittently, the drive to NJPAC served to accentuate the great relief felt by all concertgoers as they stepped into the lobby, and eventually found their seats inside Prudential Hall. Among them were Dylan die-hards, speaking of the show he performed the night before in the same venue, or that one show they saw however many years ago where he played that one song in a way that he never had and never will again, and those who were seeing him for the first time, whether it be due to his lack of East-coast concerts since pre-COVID, or a newfound fandom. Speaking of listening to Rough and Rowdy Ways in the car as their own bluesy pregame mix, the crowd was fully aware of the living myth behind the velveteen curtains. Bob Dylan began his studio career in 1962, but very well may have started in late 50s Greenwich Village, and is still performing near-nightly in 2023, something that is only matched by a few of his contemporaries, none of which hold the same bravado that he does on stage.
Sashaying adjacent to his grand piano after “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine),” like he knew that they rocked the crowd, Dylan brought a life to this concert that left the audience’s veterans wondering where that was when they saw him in the 90s or 2000s. Ripping piano solos and hunching closer to the microphone, Dylan commanded respect and attention from his audience, far beyond what “That Old Black Magic” and its speakeasy feel could. Perhaps his own built-in themed cover for these two nights, Sinatra’s “That Old Black Magic” no doubt inspired Dylan’s, and he was a recipient of a shoutout the night before during band introductions, as Dylan spoke of “Ol’ Blue Eyes.” Tonight, amidst the typical introductions of band members guitarist Bob Britt, long-time bassist Tony Garnier, utilityman Donnie Herron, guitarist Doug Lancio, and crowd favorite drummer Jerry Pentecoast (perhaps the second coolest person on stage), Dylan spoke of the splendors of the Garden State, and called out long-time friend The Boss, wishing him well as his latest string of concerts were canceled due to health reasons.
Post-introductions and crowd work, which was met with unanimous enjoyment from the crowd, Dylan began his signature closing couplet of “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” and “Every Grain of Sand,” whose beauty was reminiscent of a Shakespearean sonnet’s end. “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” was totally reimagined from its studio counterpart, much to the enjoyment of the crowd, whose triumphant fists reached the stars as Dylan’s “needle got stuck.” Dylan particularly enjoyed this arrangement himself, chuckling at its greatness when he sang of “thump[ing] on the Bible and proclaim[ing] a creed,” something that separated him from his contemporaries during the mid 1960s. Finally, Dylan’s consistent closer for years, “Every Grain of Sand,” held the same mystical power that it did on Shot of Love, which was complete with a picturesque harmonica solo to wrap it up, which Dylan arguably played better than he had ever before in his career.
Not a single concertgoer was displeased with Bob Dylan’s performance, accompanied by a grandeur rivaling the beauty of Betty Wold Johnson Theater. His emphatic pirouetting between songs and rocking during them was emblematic of the entire Never Ending Tour, possibly the highlight of Dylan’s later career, and surely the highlight of the audience’s concert resume.
