Do You See What I See?

by Terrie v.B.

Last Friday evening I had the unforgettable experience of hearing Bob Dylan in concert at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles. My husband and I, along with our three kids, met my parents at the Fair and made our way to the Main Stage. We had an extra ticket and so we invited my mom to enjoy the concert with us.  For those of you who don’t know, the Mid-State Fair is a huge event and tens of thousands of people attend every summer. This is no County Fair. It’s much bigger than say, The Orange County Fair.

Our seats were in the second row and off to the left a bit. As we were waiting for Bob Dylan to appear on stage, I looked around, trying to take it all in. There were lots of different kinds of people of all different age groups. There were hippie types, cowboy types, but mostly just average looking people like us.  In our little group alone, we had three generations. Grandma, Mom and Dad, and three teenagers. As the time grew near for the concert to begin, people began to cheer and clap in anticipation. It was all really very exciting.

Finally, Bob Dylan strode across the stage and the crowd stood and applauded. We could see perfectly. It was a beautiful evening with a full moon rising directly behind the stage. The band looked great. Dylan wore a black suit jacket, black pants with white pin stripes, a white cravat, and a white Panama hat. His band members wore camel colored suits and brown bowler type hats. Pretty sharp!

The music itself was absolutely amazing. For the first several songs, Dylan played the electric guitar, afterwards finishing out the show behind his electric piano. He began the concert with Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.  It was impossible to sit down. In fact, most people remained standing for the entire concert. The set list was eclectic, some old stuff, some new. Dylan and his band treated us with Watching the River Flow, Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright, Workingman’s Blues, It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding),  Just Like a Woman, All Along the Watchtower, and some others.  His band was tight, and without any banter in between songs, let their music do the talking. Excellent musicians, all.

The thing I especially appreciate about Bob Dylan is that he truly is an artist, the Poet Laureate of Rock and Roll, if you will. Good music, the enjoyment of being with my family, a beautiful summer evening’s moon, with perhaps a tinge of nostalgia, all conspired together to ensure a very memorable evening. If I live another hundred years, I will never forget my mother standing next to me, grooving to the music, and clapping her hands. I mean, how many 73 year old women do you know that could sit in front of a six foot stack of sub-woofers, (I had no idea that’s what they were called, my boys had to clue me in after the concert), and have no complaint? Several times, my mom would get my attention and mouth, “These guys are GOOD!” Every once in awhile, my kids would look at me and smile or my husband would grab my hand and give it a squeeze. What could be more perfect?