A Nod to Bob

My close encounter with a legendary enigma

Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson teamed up on a minor league baseball park concert tour in the summer of 2004. It was so successful that they decided to do another. One of their stops, on July 12, 2005, would be at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, the home of the St. Paul Saints baseball team. Willie would play the first set, and then Bob would take the stage.

I was not a huge fan of Dylan’s ’60s music, but I became hooked when my wife, Jeanine, and I attended his Rochester, MN, concert in 1997. It was my first live performance by Dylan. He strolled onto a darkened stage with his band and without a word of introduction played “Jokerman.” Something about the song, the way Dylan sang it, and Dylan’s “aura” captivated me. I became a Dylan junkie and since that performance acquired nearly all his albums, two-dozen books about him, and both books by him. Jeanine and I have travelled around the Midwest to see him in concert more than twenty times.

A sketch of Dylan done by friend Michael Noll

My sister, Sue, is a long-time friend of Willie Nelson’s wife, Annie. They worked together at a restaurant in Long Beach, California, before Annie married Willie, and she invited Sue to many of Willie’s concerts (at the Hollywood Bowl and other venues). Annie not only invited Sue to attend the Midway Stadium concert, but she also said that she could invite her family. We could be offstage for Willie’s show plus meet him on his bus afterward!

Given our offstage presence for Willie’s performance, I thought, Wouldn’t it be something if we could remain there for Dylan’s set? But this was not to be. Annie said Dylan had strict orders that no one would be in the wings when he played; Bob didn’t tolerate distractions. Oh, well.

The weather for the evening concert was perfect—clear skies with a soft, cool summer breeze. The stage in centerfield faced the infield, and fans stood on the outfield grass and sat in the baseball seats. Sue, my dad, Jeanine, Ben (our son), and I sat in the wings on large speakers and boxes. Tags labeled “Bob Dylan” identified each piece of equipment that would be rolled onto center stage for his set. As if I needed a reminder. I peered around the curtain to check out the 12,000 fans waiting for the concert to begin and thought, I surely must be dreaming.

Our view from offstage of Willie Nelson and his band

Willie came on stage wearing his red bandana and sweet smile; the crowd roared, and he began to sing “Whiskey River” with a voice that has been called “an instrument of perfect wonder.” With him were his sons Lucas and Micah (guitar and keyboard), his sister Bobbie (piano), Mickey Raphael (harmonica), Jody Payne (guitar), and Paul English (drums). I could have reached out and touched the piano that Bobbie played.

Willie, Annie, and their boys traveled in two tour buses. One was a “business bus” for Willie; the other was for family. After Willie’s set, we hustled to the family bus, where Annie introduced us to Lukas and Micah. Dylan had invited Lukas to play a few songs with his band, so he was waiting to join him onstage. He seemed nonplused about all that was going on. Annie reminded him of Dylan’s quirkiness: “Be sure you stay in the background and don’t step out in front of Bob. You know he doesn’t take kindly to anyone upstaging him.”

“Yes, Mom,” he assured her. “I know.”

While we visited, Willie signed autographs for fans. Annie told us that we should be patient; he wanted to see us and would stop by. Sure enough, Willie popped into the bus and though understandably tired from his concert, graciously visited with us. Dad, who grew up on an Iowa farm, thanked Willie for all that he had done for farmers, and they talked about Willie’s Farm Aid concerts. We chatted, took a few photos, and soon it was time to hustle out for Dylan’s performance.

My dad and sister with the Red-headed Stranger

We left Willie’s bus and returned to the stadium. Because we had our backstage passes, Ben and I thought that we might get a candid photo of Dylan. We slipped into a roped-off area behind the stage. In a few minutes, Dylan (wearing his trademark black suit and bolero hat) and his bodyguard appeared in an opening in the centerfield fence. Dylan had his game face on, all business, rigid, and unsmiling. His muscular sidekick looked even more serious. And there Ben and I were, alone with those two while 12,000 people eagerly waited on the other side of the stage.

As Ben clicked a few photos, Dylan glared at him. In a heartbeat, the bodyguard rushed to Ben’s side, demanded he delete the photos, and watched to be sure he did. Dylan fidgeted in the background. As we left the behind-stage area, Bob strode onstage to the announcer’s words, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Columbia Recording artist BOB DYLAN!” The crowd roared, Bob began singing “Drifter’s Escape” and continued nonstop through his “Like a Rolling Stone” encore.

Dylan and his band at Midway Stadium, July 2005

I thought Bob, at age sixty-four in 2005, was a bit old for touring, but twenty years later he is still going strong. There may never be another singer/songwriter like him. People have tried time and again to figure him out, but he’s playful and elusive. “I am my words,” he has said, so the lyrics to his 600+ songs may share all about him that he wants us to know.