The tour ended - Conclusions

[twm]

I'll limit my comments on the tour but will add a bit about what this tour and the last might "do" for Mark:

1. Attending a show is a different experience from listening to a recording.

2. I can't comment on the earlier shows on the tour but the two later shows I attended showed a Bob in better voice than other shows in recent years - still raspy but getting behind the lyrics in an engaged way.

3. Mark, at the two shows I attended, did not vary much in either set list or performance and I enjoyed both. It was very welcome to hear some new songs live.

4. Some comments I read and/or heard about Mark said he lacked stage presence but, for me, this was an ensemble performance by all the guys on stage and Mark gave them as much space as the shorter set list allowed and I found this admirable. Had he cut the band members' contributions in favour of his own solos, perhaps the comments would not have been made but it would have been less palatable for me - maybe not for you.

5. Mark was both brave and absolutely right to concentrate on his recent work and not to trade on his DS reputation. Clearly, some members of the audience (not just Bob fans at that) had expected a "rock'n'roll" performance from him. Maybe this did mean he was more cautious in his own playing but I would suggest "more controlled and focussed" as appropriate adjectives. In contrast, Dylan did play a lot of his older "stuff" but these were in completely new arrangements and, may I suggest, this is perhaps what Mark may do in years to come - that is, play a few more DS songs but in radically new arrangements.

6. Also, despite playing a 15-song set most nights, Dylan played 57 different songs on the tour (excluding the nebulous opening instrumental). Since Mark's set was 10-songs long or thereabouts, he would have had to play 38 different songs to match that. Perhaps, again, that is something that he might attempt on future tours. I feel it would bring an additional edge to his performance, a step outside of his comfort zone. Of course, you lot (the "get-a-lifers" out there) would have to accept that the standard of performance might vary a bit from night to night but it would be a fair trade-off for a bit more variety, IMO.

There, I have kept it briefer than I might.

[superval99]

Many thanks, twm!   I hope you have had/are having a good time in the US!   

[pete_w]

Hi all. First post here.

I've been following the tour via this forum, Dylan's forum, Guy Fletcher's page and by listening to various bootlegs.

I think Mark did an amazing job out of the 70+ minutes he had to his disposal. The band was very tight, and you could sense Mark was working harder because he had to win the Dylan fans over. But I still think he could add more energy and take more risks.

The highlight for me, of what I've listened to, was the first 15 seconds of Used To Could from the last show. Those seconds of guitar tinkering made me smile from ear to ear.

[vgonis]

twm, your posts make me smile, cunningly!

[Pottel]

It is easy to critisize the quality of a performance if your are only listening to a bootleg recording with terrible quality. (no distrespect to the tapers, but lets face it the quality of these recordings suck).

that sentence is BS.
the tapers are getting better and use better equipment with every new tour. people like hide, soomlos, Bach, they record a darn fine show. better then any soundboard, as it has the audience on it..

[sweetsurrender]

Being able to attend 4 shows this tour for me was such a memorable experience that I will forever cherish.  Two of those nights standing right in front of Mark and heard him play were undeniably the best moments in my life.  I have little else to say except a feeling of gratitude to Mark and his band for bringing so much happiness to me.  Most of the time I was so enthralled, any flaws in Mark's playing or singing simply evaded my mesmerised ears.  ( not that it matters anyway). 

Mark serves us fans best when it' s a complete full set.  That's my only complaint.  I didn't like the feeling of leaving the shows each night and felt like something was missing. ( not quite fulfilled).  The feeling of being at Mark's shows but was outnumbered by Dylan's fans was sort of eerie to me. I was happy with song selection from Privateering in this tour.  Although there are so many gems I wish Mark would dig up and play, I think Mark did his best in song choices to accomodate band members' showmanship in the short 70 minutes that they had.

All in all, it was a good tour albeit too short for the loyal fans.  So, please no more half a set show, because everybody loses!

Seeing Dylan was quite a bonus for me.

[binone]

Just one thing. Ian Thomas evolution. Last year was so lost that I missed Danny a lot.

This year, more into the band, looks brilliant.

See you soon, Mark

[daveyray70]

I saw MK once on this tour and have seen him numerous times over the years. I thought he was fantastic; best I've heard him sound since the DS days. I agree he doesn't play guitar like he did in his heyday (really noticed a difference since his injury) but is still a wonderful player. The setlists are a disappointment, though. He's got a wonderful back catalog that has been largely ignored for years. That being said, playing the same set nightly does allow for perfection provided the players don't get bored. I'd love to see him again in '13 but a trip to Europe isn't in the cards.

[rosco]

According to Billboard Boxscore (to w/e 1/12/2012) , only 2 Dylan/Knopf shows made the top 200 grossing gigs of the year so far.
Top grossing gig(no62) being ST Paul Minn, grossing  $602,645  with a crowd of 7'565 with a capacity of 9'850,  second at no67 was the Chicago gig with an attendance of 6'335 and with a capacity of 8'021. It grossed $532,301.
There may be some figures still to be released yet for the late November shows
 

[twm]

If you get any more attendance v. capacity figures, please pass them on.

[Banjo99uk]

My conclusion is, if you add the songs from 2011 tour that werent played in 2012, you get your full setlist for 2013.

[Al]

Agree with Rolleyway Man, my feelings exactly! I had seats next to the stage for the first time, and the level of concentration on stage is unbelivable, i strongly suspect MK & the boys have a gift of telepathy & are reading each other's minds!

[xxFordiexx]

I have to say Mark's voice is for the most part excellent more so now than 10 - 15 years ago. A comment regarding Mark's guitaring as " struggling to keep up with the fast songs " honestly must be barmy. He is playing a lot of songs with a much more complex style of playing these days imo. Speed is definitely not a problem and his songs these days allow so much freedom to play solos in many different ways. He is a genius and really is one of a kind. Long live the Legend.

[Pottel]

Hail hail indeed...

[sweetsurrender]

According to Billboard Boxscore (to w/e 1/12/2012) , only 2 Dylan/Knopf shows made the top 200 grossing gigs of the year so far.
Top grossing gig(no62) being ST Paul Minn, grossing  $602,645  with a crowd of 7'565 with a capacity of 9'850,  second at no67 was the Chicago gig with an attendance of 6'335 and with a capacity of 8'021. It grossed $532,301.
There may be some figures still to be released yet for the late November shows

I thought the show in Berekley should be one of the grossing gigs. As far as I know, it was completely sold out.  The capacity was 8,000 and ticket price was quite expensive.