Only in this town do rock concerts begin promptly at sundown, a groupie's early bird special. Dylan's show was no exception as men in black leather with sleek ponytails flooded into Zepp Tokyo at 7 PM on the far side of the bay in Odaiba, yet another teen mecca. My nihonjin guest and I slipped in through the VIP line, guided up to the balcony, our seats in the center of the row beside a woman in black cashmere and diamond studs. Her date (in suit and tie) appeared to be a captain of industry.The theater went dark almost instantly: When the lights come on, we were transported back to the Age of Aquarius as Bob and company open with "Everybody Must Get Stoned." In front of me a guy in baseball cap with gray ponytail clapped along with the crowd; only the youngsters by the stage jumped to their feet. Incense smoke wafted upwards.
Bob, the legend in gaucho hat and a Royal Mounties uniform (complete with medallions), crooned solo for two hours. Cooler than all the celebs who depicted him in the 2007 film "I'm Not There" (Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger etc), he swayed to the tunes as he leaned into the electric organ and wailed on the harmonica. Raspy voice harsher, a la Louis Armstrong, when it gave out he recited the words to outbursts from the fans. Some old standards were unrecognizable due to a jazzier beat and the ojiisan (grandpa) croak: Desolation Row and Highway 61 were positively perky. His lungs kept the harmonica going through a series of familiar tunes. By the time he got to "Forever Young," the crowd was roaring. Could this be the finale?
Tokyo concert goers expect an encore at 8:30, on the road by nine. Sumimassen (excuse me): The cashmere clad woman and her husband snuck out early. Bob wowed the hardy souls who stayed behind with "Like a Rolling Stone" and an unfamiliar rendition of "Blowin' in the Wind," asking the audience: "How does it feel to be without a home...." The nearly 70 year old rocker took his bow at 9 PM, and his loyal followers who traveled to the outskirts were able to hit the futon by 11 PM latest.
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