Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson: Bowie, Maryland - June 14, 2005

Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson performed in concert last night at Bowie, Maryland on their summer tour of minor league baseball stadiums.

Talk about a hot night. A heat advisory was posted and the temperatures were still in the nineties as the sun began to set. And the hot and sweaty night was off to a sweltering start with the openers Green Card. Greed Card was sort of a cross between traditional folk, Irish celtic rock, and twang. A nice way to start the evening.

Next up came Willie Nelson performing before a Texas state flag and playing with a seven-piece band along with two of his sons. Willie played his classics like "Crazy" and "Georgia on My Mind". The rowdy crowd cheered for "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and "Beer for My Horses."

Bob Dylan played about a 2 hour setlist. Opening with "Drifter's Escape" from the 1967 John Wesley Harding, Bob meandered through his back pages touching on the 70's, 80's, 90's & 00's.

"Highway 61 Revisited", "This Wheel's on Fire", and "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" made a great 3 song package and highlighted his outstanding band.

From a Washington Post review by Joe Heim on Dylan's outfit: "Wearing a rakish black cowboy hat and a black suit with red piping that made him look like a 19th-century Mexican cavalry officer."

Dylan did not play guitar last night and only performed on keyboards and harmonica. After the show, our buddy Randy mentioned that Bob is suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome which might explain the lack of guitar.

"Masters of War" was particularly bitter and just as relevant today as it was on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. Nearly 40 years later, the lyrics still sadly ring true:

"Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks"

The concert closed with "Like a Rolling Stone" as a wonderful summer night cooled off.

More on Bob Dylan and his musical influence on other artists.

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