The Last Word

Near Christmas time a couple of years ago, one of my buddies brought over "Bob Dylan Unplugged" on DVD. At the time, I wasn't big on Dylan. I was a skeptic, and I didn't care for folk music. As we watched Dylan perform "All Along the Watch Tower," I remember thinking to myself, "What the hell is this? He can't even perform his songs as well as the people who cover them. What is he mumbling about? Why can't he sing? How can anyone view this guy as a genius?"\nOh, how naive I was.\nIn the time since that fateful viewing, Bob Dylan has become one of my favorite artists. I became mesmerized the first time I heard The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963). I couldn't get over how fresh his music sounded even though it was written more than 40 years ago. Then Martin Scorsese released his fascinating documentary "No Direction Home" while Dylan was releasing Modern Times and becoming the oldest living person ever to have an album enter the Billboard charts at No. 1.\nAfter that, his genius could not have been clearer to me. \nSo it's hard not to get excited about seeing Dylan live. It will be even more exciting for me because I've never had the pleasure of seeing him, and now I am finally getting my chance. And aside from his endless catalogue of classic material to pull from, as well as anticipating which voice he'll employ, I'm looking forward to seeing the man who embodies 1960s revolution and the music of the people. \nDylan has served as a fearless voice of reason for more than 40 years. He was the real-life rebel without a cause -- except that he had plenty of causes behind his music. At times, he could be a voice to the voiceless. He was a trailblazer, a man who was booed during a time of change because he changed too much. And he was a tireless worker who somehow delivered amazing albums with unfathomable consistency in a relatively short amount of time.\nHis timeless lyrics still ring true in many ways, touching on sentiments everyone feels at some point. The inability to answer the rhetoric posed in "Blowin' In The Wind" will forever be relevant. The same is true for the declarations of "The Times They Are A-Changin'," and "Masters of War" could have been written as an anti-war song to our current political administration. \nTouring at 66 years of age as well as releasing a No. 1 album last year are testaments to Dylan's longevity and resonance with multiple generations. Granted, it's not the same as the Dylan the world came to know in the '60s; we now see the Dylan of modern times. His voice is now soaked with a blues man's rasp and takes on another appeal. His performances of his older hits might lack the vigor they had 40 years ago, but that doesn't mean they are less powerful. Besides, he was a much different person when he wrote songs such as "Blowin' In The Wind" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'." He has different scars and different stories to sing about these days.\nBut Dylan's songs paint the portrait of a fascinating figure, someone who will always have something to give to the masses. In his book "Chronicles, Vol. 1," Dylan writes about how he still tours and offers his live music to many generations of people. Even after 40 years, Dylan still has new fans dying to catch a glimpse of him.