Review: Bob Dylan at The O2

Having spent his whole professional life as someone expected to provide answers, a role Dylan has never aspired to, it should really be no surprise that he very rarely speaks in public, preferring to let his music do the talking.

He did break his silence recently in an online interview in which he claimed he reworked his songs on stage because he had never managed to make a perfect record, which means live performances can be hit-or-miss affairs.

The thing about Bob is, you never quite know what you are going to get. By turns brilliant or abysmal, dedicated fans - known as Bobcats - turn up more in hope than expectation. This time they were rewarded with one of Dylan's better shows.

Spending most of the evening behind the keyboard that has become his instrument of choice in recent years, Dylan - wearing a splendid hat - opened proceedings with a fairly faithful rendering of Maggie's Farm and then proceeded to plunder his incomparable back-catalogue.

The Times They Are A-Changin' was dusted off, while Highway 61 proved Dylan was no slouch on the keyboard, while his trademark harmonica playing was still superb.

Strangely, he ignored anything from his latest album, Together Through Life, preferring instead to wheel out protest-era tracks like Hollis Brown and Chimes of Freedom.

Not that the assembled throng complained. Dylan could burp into his microphone and still be rapturously received. Sometimes he probably does just that, but not this time. In fact he was in as good a voice as any of the shows I've seen him play over the last 20 years or so, and he actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

He even moved out from behind his keyboard for the swampy blues of 'Til I Fell In Love With You, attempting a little dance move every now and then - not bad for a man just shy of his 68th birthday.

His excellent band, featuring Denny Freeman and Stu Kimball on guitar, worked their way through the set with gusto, finishing the main show with a rousing version of Like A Rolling Stone.

Then it was quickly back for the encore - a snorting version of All Along The Watchtower that still owes more to the Jimi Hendrix cover than Dylan's original, Spirit On The Water and then that hoary old classic Blowin' In The Wind.

And that was that. All over by 10.20pm, giving the departing Bobcats plenty of time to tackle the hopeless rail replacement bus service on the Jubilee line.

But at least this time they went home content.

Set list:

1. Maggies Farm
2. The Times They Are A-Changin'
3. Things Have Changed
4. Chimes Of Freedom
5. Rollin's And Tumblin'
6. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
7. 'Til I Fell In Love With You
8. Workingman's Blues, No. 2
9. Highway 61 Revisited
10. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
11. Po' Boy
12. Honest With Me
13. When The Deal Goes Down
14. Thunder On The Mountain
15. Like A Rolling Stone
Encore
16. All Along The Watchtower
17. Spirit On The Water
18. Blowin' In The Wind