The Grammys are infamous for meshing different artists together for mega-superstar performances; such is the case with the collaboration of Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers and the great Bob Dylan. In doing so, they brought together the newer “folk-rock” bands, as well as the legendary ground-breaking hero himself. In theory, this is an excellent idea.
The performance started out strong, Mumford & Sons opened the set with a rocking performance of “The Cave”, head-banging and foot-stamping away. Although, their sound and rock-out ability felt confined by the limitations of their tiny 2x4 cubicle of a set.
As they were finishing (as in still playing), The Avett Brothers began. “Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promises” while powerful, made the mood much more somber than the previous light and energetic one set up by Mumford. Sean Avett looked restricted in his ability to perform by the keyboard in front of him, but still the band’s performance was a solid one.
And then, out comes Dylan. Old-school mic in hand, the two bands formed a huge chorus-line behind him in anticipation of the icon. A general, informal survey was taken and the results stated that it took about an average of 30-45 seconds to be able to identify what song Dylan had chosen to sing. His torn-up vocal chords warbled out “Maggie’s Farm”. As he threw his arms about, Dylan had Elvis’ confidence, but barely the harmonica playing skills to back it up. The man may be a legend, but this lack-luster performance was anything but legendary.
The whole performance felt cramped; cramped on the small stage and cramped by the show’s demanding schedule and time constraints. And wasn’t this supposed to be the acoustic trio performance? The set strayed further and further from acoustic as it continued, especially when Dylan didn’t even play guitar. For those expecting a truly ground-breaking performance of a melding of new and old, contemporary and antiquated, they were left disappointed by Dylan’s apparent inability to perform up to the standards which he himself had previously set. It’s been said that it is better to go out on top, as opposed to a steady decline- or worse yet, a huge flop of a performance. Dylan may want to consider going back into his reclusiveness, coming out for the occasional interview or biography, as it appears his performing days are long gone.
I completely agree with your opinion on this performance. Always a little sad to see an idolized musical figure perform badly. As for the review itself I thought it was nicely done and your opinion is clear from the get go. There were a few things that sound a little out of place such as the "informal survey" and when you say "as they were finishing (as in still playing," so maybe re-wording these or getting rid of them all together will give this piece a much stronger center. Overall good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. Sometimes bygone legends need to learn when to retire to keep their mystical talents loved instead of revealing that they've lost it in their old age.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your opinion. When Mumford & Sons started, I thought the whole performance was going to just keep getting better and better, but that was not the case at all!!
ReplyDeleteYou're review without a doubt shows your opinion and your voice! The words you use to describe Dylan's ability and performance were effective and made the piece an exciting read. I agree with the comment above though about getting rid of the informal survey! Other than that, I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading your future reviews!