Bob Dylan

I first really became aware of Bob Dylan in the late 1960's. After all, I was more in tune to the British Invasion. But, my brother gave a Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits LP for Christmas, and I just loved it. It also came with a cool poster. Even a barber shop in Columbia used that poster's artwork for a mural on the side of their building. I know Bob gets the reputation of mumbling through his music, but the thing I like about him in concert is that he never does his songs the same. He either changes the lyrics or the melody. So often when you see somebody in concert, they will sing it just like the record, or in the case of some people, will just lipsynch to the record. Remember Milli Vanilli? But, Bob doesn't do that. So, sometimes it is hard to sing along with him at his shows, and he forces you to listen. I have seen Bob twice. The first was in 1988 at the Carolina Colisseum in Columbia. A reggae band called Steel Pulse opened for him, and I was first exposed to that kind of music and really liked it. Then, Bob came on, and it was magic. I saw him again about 15 years later at Township Auditorium in Columbia. I don't normally dance in concerts, but I did this time--nonstop. After the show, I saw his bus pull away. I ran to my car to follow it out of town. I was running lights and doing 70 in town to catch up to it. I did and was riding alongside it. He was heading to Knoxville, which was his next show. I got about 10 miles outside of town, when I realized I was running out of gas. Had I had a full tank, I would have gone all the way, but I had to pull off. I honked my horn, and Bob looked out of the window of the bus and waved at me. Another magic moment. He tours all the time. If you get a chance to see him, please go. He is a legend.