If Workers' Gymnasium Was A Bar – Review of Bob Dylan Live in Beijing

It's commonly known that you can't predict a Dylan concert; apparently he's up and down all the time. Regarding the concert last night, if Dylan was the one to value, the only request I'd have would be playing more old songs rather than the ones written in the past decade. If Workers' Gymnasium was a bar, a place full of people simply there to have a good time and to appreciate the music, but not to witness history or the world's 8th wonder, it would have been the best night of the year.

Almost-70-year-old Dylan walked on the stage like he was in a bar, with his grey suited band playing leisurely like they were too. As a person who's only familiar with his old recordings and has never seen him play before, I'm amazed by how powerful his voice got. The raucity of his voice that I didn't like in his new recordings suddenly became a catalyst that empowered the older songs. He's certainly not that wild young man who didn't give a damn about anything anymore. On stage, he's a king of his own world who can treat an arena like a bar.

But it was not in a bar, even though the poor sound system was similar to one. And the venue was not full of people who would dance to the music. It was not even full. All the seats were taken, but the organizers decided to put the VIPs in a small square in front of the stage and leave most of the flat seating area open, making the whole place look kind of odd.

This was Bob Dylan's first concert in China after all; most Chinese people needed time to understand what they were getting. Plus the rearrangement Dylan did to the tunes made the songs even more unfamiliar to the audience. Except the routine clapping between songs, or some random whistle and applause when some one recognized a classic piece, the majority of the audience was put in silence for more than an hour.

The concert was like a 20 minute set with more than an hour of warm up. The passion finally started to expand and pass all around the arena when Dylan started to call "Mister Jones." “Ballad Of A Thin Man” traveled 45 years to the other end of the world and lit up a crowd so unfamiliar with it. If anyone was waiting for a moment, that was it.

Making that the last song was begging the audience to ask for an encore. What no one would expect when Dylan first came on stage was that the crowd made him come back, twice. After the first encore set of "Like A Rolling Stone" and "All Along The Watchtower," it was like the audience suddenly started to understand Dylan. The cheering for encore got even louder and much more dedicated the second time. When Dylan and his band, who already said goodbye to the fans, came back to the stage again, I'd be surprised if there were no tears among the audience.

Eventually, Bob Dylan's debut in China closed with his classic "Forever Young." There were ups and downs, just like a night out in a bar where there happens to be an amazing band.