DBAP concert finds Dylan wailin', Willie and the boys rockin'
July 29, 2009
BCR didn't go to last night's Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson/John Mellencamp musicfest at the DBAP, though this American Tobacco tenant certainly got his fair share of crowd-management in trying to get out of the office and to the car. But, hey, that's what downtown's all about, right?
Durham Magazine's DM Blog and Barry Ragin both have their impressions up. One thing in common, it seems: Dylan didn't have it going on last night, though the other artists were pretty sharp, it appears.
I've commented this part of Barry's review because it's an intriguing point -- the things that make Durham a great place to be for its size for culture really do happen in the interstitial spaces where the big crowds sometimes aren't, whether it's tonight's Stamey/Holsapple reunion or the game of croquet being played at lunch on the downtown Woolworth's site.
Tonight, i'll be at Duke Gardens, listening to Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey perform together in Durham for the first time in ages. I don't know if the dB's ever played a show for more than 2000 people, and there will probably be a tenth that number tonight. Anyone who wants to will get a chance to talk to Peter and Chris after the show. I'll bring a cooler full of dinner and my favorite adult beverages, and enjoy a civilized evening on the lawn with 2 of the artists who made late 20th century rock and roll what it was, and listen to the new music they're making together for the early part of the new century.
Friday night, i'll do the same with Drink Small at the West Village lawn. Don't tell the powers that be in Durham, but that's why Durham is one of the best places to live in this country. It's got nothing to do with who's stopping by on their tours, pulling a million dollars or so out of our pockets.