27/9/1997 - Concert for the Pope27/9/1997 - Concert for the Pope
Read more on: ABC and CNN (they quoted my site!)
Not for Bob set itself (he was tight and passionate) but because of
the general atmosphere of the event itself. We got the fear it could
have been bad. Our fears, unfortunately, on our opinion, came
through.
Part of it, to tell the truth, comes from having attented a wonderful
show Bob play in a huge emptiness the night before (soundcheck) and
then waiting standing in the crowd for hours just to see three songs.
But the sense of disappointment comes mainly from the way Bob was
used to convey the message they wanted to convey, besides the too
much preconceivedes "tributes" to him from youngs standing close to
the Pope podium lecturing his songs (Forever Young and Blowin in the
wind) in italian before his set.
They did not wanted anybody to call it a show or a concert. It was a
"Veglia" (wakefulness (?))
Call it a "veglia", call it a show, call it anything you like: many
times it resembled to a convention of the kind that only big
corporate companies can organize to fidelize their employees and to
attract more customers.
The wind as the breath of the Spirit, as the Pope called it, in that
moments was blowin far away in distant shores. At least, listening to
my heart not only to my brain.
The site was few kilometers outside Bologna in a huge agriculture
market area in the country. Two stages: on the left the music stage,
on the right the Pope stage for the sunday Service, with a huge white
lighted iron cross behind it. Pope podium was between the two
stages: three wood chairs. Dylan set was supposed to last half an
hour with five songs, scheduled at 10.07 pm. The Pope had to arrive
at 9 and at 9.30 he had to give a speech, commenting some Bob lyric,
after a set of five people playing two songs each.
It ended that this people went on a little too much. Then at 10.10 pm
they wanted to introduce Bob set with Blowing the wind and Forever
Young lecturing, asking to the Pope where the answer is. And the Pope did
answer it: there is only one answer and this is Jesus Christ. In the
meantime Bob was standing at the side of the stage in the shadow
since 10.07 pm ready to begin his set. Cowboy hat on, dark brown suit
with silver stripes, he was dancing on his foot, shaking his head,
never standing still, apparently getting nervous as the minutes went by.
The Pope answer to the youngs who has asked him rethorically which
and were the answer is, goes like this:
"On the road of music this evening Jesus meet you.
Music help us to pray.Just before, a representative of yours said on
your behalf that the answer is blowing in the wind. Yes . IT IS TRUE.
But not
on the wind that everything scatter in a whirlwind of nothing,but on
the
wind , yes, on the wind that is voice and breath of the Spirit,
voice that calls and says : come. You asked me: how many roads must a
man walk down before you can call him a man. I answer you. Just ONE.
One only.It is the road of a man. And
this is Jesus Christ, who said "I am the road". He is the road of
life the way for life. So I tell you. At the crossroads of your days,
enquires yourself to the values of truth of every choice you make,
that the decision be difficult
and hard, and that temptation of giving up be persistent. It already
happened to Jesus disceples, because world is full of easy and
attractive roads that are in the shadow of the valley where the
horizon narrows and chokes. Jesus is the answer!..." and much more
then
" To you the choice : be let you slip down the valley of a flat
conformism or
to take the hard road to climb the cliffs where you can breath pure
air of truth and goodness of love. Master where do you live? Come and
see. And so I say to you come and see where the Master lives. He
lives in eucharisty. My hope is that you too with Simon Pietro and
the other dispceples, to meet Christ to say: Master, you have words
of eternal life. Yes Jesus has words of eternal life. With Him is
possible to sing a new singing in this Veglia. In few minutes when
night will be deep, music will leave space to the silent adoration of
eucharisty, to the music will follow the prayer. Let Jesus talks to
your hearts. Is Him the real answer to life, the one you are
searching for. Him stay here with us. Find Him without to be tired.
Wellcome Him without reservations love Him with no pauses, today
tomorrow and forever. I thought about all these richness that are on
the man, the voices , the
answers, and other
many talents. It requires a big gratitude for all these talents. And
this gratitude means eucharisty. Thanking for all these talents and
richness, we are more disposable to live all these talents, and
moltiplicate all these talents, how has been able to do that good
servant, "Il Vangelo". Praise the Lord"
Finally at 10.41 pm Bob came in with Heaven's door which
had a very warm welcome. Hard rain was done electric and slow, closer
to
the "Hard rain" (the tv show I mean , in 76) version of Rolling
thunder days than to the mystical Nara version. Only then I found out
that on tv they put subtitles in italian just for the first song and
not for Hard rain. When the song was over, Garnier whispered
something to Bob ears. Bob took off the guitar and went walking
towards the Pope podium on his left. On his way he had a ladder of
10/15 steps : he stumbled on his foot in the middle of his climbing,
managed not to fall on the floor, fastened then his walk, and
remembered to take off his hat just before reaching the Pope and
shaking hands with him. Actually the Pope took Bob hand between
his, and it seemed that Bob spoke to him more than the Pope did. But
the
Pope did
hug him on the shoulder.
Bob went back to his place (he did not kiss his hand and did not
bend
on his knees, just kindly bowed and had his head down) just to be
there waiting standing that the Pope finished his second and final
speech that
lasted another 5 minutes .
Bob was kindly listening standing and watching in Pope direction,
guitar
on.
Pope said again which was the meaning of eucharisty and greeted the
crowd. "I told you it takes eucharisty because it takes gratitude and
thanksgiving for all these talents, but this thanksgiving has to be
done with the sacrifice of the cross through the violent death of
Christ. But if not for death it would be not even resurrection, not
Easter mistery. Mors et vita duello conflixere mirando, dux vitae
mortuus regnat vivus. (Looking at death and life dwelling, the
conductor of life after death ,
reign alive)
You all know well latin. But somebody of more well known priests will
translste you. This is what I wanted to tell you. This is what
eucharisty means. Thank you for this meeting."
Then Bob, Pope gone, took off his hat and was allowed to sing Forever
Young, not forgetting, before, to applaude the Pope way out along
with Tony Garnier and the crowd. Just before the final song, Kramer
went to talk with Bob, and my guess is he said to him that he had to
do only one more song. There were a story on the press of today that
on the set list there was God on our side, and that this was cut
because of a request from the responsible of the event, after having
read the lyrics. My guess is that this is not true. Possibly the song
was cut because was
too
late for the Pope and for the tv broadcasting.
Is beyond my understanding how they could thought of inviting Bob as
the
main act, and then let that the show went so far that the Pope ( who
is old and not healthy) was so tired that he had to leave in middle
of Bob show. Attending there live, this was like a cold shower.
I have to admit that seeing then on tv I got a slight different
impression.
But the doubt that this is was not very polite to Bob, it remains.
After all he just crossed the ocean to be a this show ( i don't want
to enter the area of money involved that nobody knows). It was like
cutting his wings when he was ready to fly. And he was very into it.
Committed. He just addressed the song to the Pope, it seem from the
tv broadcast, looking on his direction, to follow his departure. Very
beautiful. And Bob was lovely on this song.
When it was over, he just went out with no thanks from the plastic
"Barbie" lady who conducted the tv programme, that soon drove the
attention of the crowd to another song sang by a group of young
people on the stage, mellow and awful. As this song was goin on, we
made our fast escape from the front rows as faster as we could. I
don't want to be blasphemous, but I tell you positively that I deeply
feel that the soft breath of the wind of the Spirit of God was
blowing more in any small theatre that Bob has played in recent
years, than at this big rally.
The song which could sum up everything about this evening is "It's
all rigth ma"
No, i ain't gonna go back to this farm no more and unfortunately or
luckily neither Bob, I guess.
Ciao
Many thanks to Vittorio Colombo for soundcheck info
SOUNDCHECK 26/9 Bologna Bob+Band
First of all the soundcheck songs:
Maggie's farm
The soundcheck started at 9 pm with a long strumming and drumming of
the band. Then Bob came on stage. He has arrived one hour earlier by
car. Black dress. All the song where played electric. Hard rain was
stopped and then started much faster, the second time. Same happened
with God. Maggie's farm at the beginning was difficult to recognise,
and Bob's voice was very low. But then the soundcheck started to be a
real show; probably much more real then tomorrow's one. The highlight
of the night was: Desolation row (for mr.andrea orlandi) and Rank
strangers to me (for myself). At this soundcheck,as incredibile as it
can appear, were only four persons + one italian newspaper man (La
Repubblica): we two and Claudio and his wife. The place looks like
Pittsburgh in winter, with two stages one near the other and this huge
white cross in between them. In the distance every once in a while
you can hear and see a slow train coming (not joking!). Seems like
the group of Queen Esther Marrow is also scheduled to sing tomorrow
and it's probably her and part of her group that sang with Bob in
Hard Rain and Released. Quite a huge time jump back! At the end of
Desolation Bob just pushed forward to Queen Esther(?) and kissed her.
He just kissed a black woman; not sure about who she was. The Guy is
now staying at the Hotel Baglioni in downtown Bologna and so are the
band members. He seems to be in very good health and the soundcheck a
very very good concert! Hope you find this interesting. Bye, vittorio
colombo/andrea orlandi.
Rank Strangers to me
Stone walls and iron bars
Hard rain
Hard Rain (again)
Released
God on our side
God on our side (again)
Desolation row
Forever young
The Show 27/9
another review from Andrea Orlandi
just got back from Bologna. First impressions there, were of
bitterness and disappointment.
Our feeling is that they wanted him just to draw all the media
attentions to this meeting which featured a big turn on Vatican
attitude towards the so called rock music young culture (if this means
anything to anybody) Not at all to draw people (everywhere the Pope
goes, millions show up) that actually was almost unaware of who Bob
Dylan really is, and that for the most part of them was not relevant
and by any means a reason to be there, but only to get the BIG MEDIA
attention.
Andrea