A hard rain's gonna fall.....and we lost George

Suzie had a headache, Trish had to work, Carol melts when wet, Cindy said "no way, Jose" and Vickie thoughtfully dropped off chicken wings and scooted, but on this LONG, chilly, rainy Tuesday night the hearty boyz (JohnnyK & The Reet, Johnny Gumbo, Keith & Sharie, Stevie P and George) got the job done. We tailgated on beer, hot dogs, burgers, Sharie's cheesecake (the foodstuff, not the pinups) and witty reparte right through Elana James & Continental Two and Junior Brown (we could hear the music), after which we broke down Gumbo's Nascar pop-up tent and grill to catch Jimmie Vaughn and Lou Ann Barton. Jimmie's playing was solid and gritty, backed by a second guitar, drums and Ed Bradley (I think) on the Hammond B-3 organ. Lou Ann, whom I've been waiting to see for about ten years (she NEVER tours), came out for about five songs including a nice, if safe, Sugar Coated Love. Could have used more Lou Ann, both in songs and in attitude, since I didn't feel the bluesy energy/intensity that she's noted for. And no "It's Raining"???? Dylan scared the hell out of me with his first two numbers, Cat's in the Well and Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You; he can't hit the notes he once could and at certain times in his lower register the sound is nasty. I was almost resigned to watching a legend in complete decline. But Bobby fooled me; the rest of his concert was great! "A Simple Twist of Fate" and "Tangled Up in Blue" from Blood on the Tracks were wonderful; his very tight band (with whom he seemed to have an on-going inside joke) cranked it up a few notches for "Highway 61 Revisited"; and once I figured out just what song it was (not always easy 'cause Bobby, by design and/or necessity, rearranges EVERYTHING!), I loved "Forever Young." Dylan plays keyboards these days, no guitar, and he positions himself at an angle toward the center of the stage thereby never interacting with the audience. He encored with two Blonde on Blonde hits, "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" after which the lights darkened and he acknowledged the cheering, rain-soaked crowd for the first time with an animated band bow. I feeeeel very tired, but satisfied. Photos - Htfd Courant's Eric Danton concert review

Set listing stolen from Eric Danton's blog: 1. "Cat's In the Well" 2. "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" 3. "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum" 4. "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" 5. "Positively 4th Street" 6. "Watching the River Flow" 7. "Forever Young" 8. "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" 9. "Simple Twist of Fate" 10. "Highway 61 Revisited" 11. "Tangled Up in Blue" 12. "Summer Days" Encore 13. "Like a Rolling Stone" 14. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" Although he did not play anything from his just-released CD, Modern Times, it seems to be getting great reviews: Dylan's new album "Modern Times" wins rave reviews (Reuters) - here