Last Night in Kalamazoo (by Chad Golda)
2025-04-16, Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI
The Spring 2025 leg of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour is rounding its final bend. Last night Bob Dylan and His Band came to Kalamazoo, Michigan, on one of the last stops. Musician and Dylan fan Chad Golda was on the scene and reports in:
I attended the show with my father, Ed, who was never a Dylan fan, but said he would come to this show because it was being held at Western Michigan University. More specifically because the venue was Miller Auditorium, where he walked across the stage as a part of the graduating class in 1974. He remembered a James Gang concert there in the '70s—or maybe it was J. Geils Band.
I love talking with him and saying things like, “You could have been there: 1974! Ann Arbor! What were you doing?” And to him it is hilarious. (He did attend the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, so he is a cool guy.) Will our kids have the equivalent: “He was touring Rowdy and Rowdy Ways in 2025…and you didn’t go?!” But I can say I did go, last night in Kalamazoo for the 16th show of the tour, four shows left. Bob and the band have rounded third and are headed home.
We arrived on Western Michigan University's campus and drove the windy roads to Miller Auditorium. 6:30 doors had a good amount of people already in line mixed in with college students travelling between classes. Inside, a beautiful bunch of people. The grey ponytails, the teenager in a suit. My father and I had balcony tickets, so we walked two flights up and stood for a moment overlooking the merch area. It was obvious there was a good amount of present and former WMU students and faculty in attendance. We started up a conversation with a guy who was an 83-year-old former professor, still lived in town, and recounted seeing Dylan a couple times in Kalamazoo. “I guess he likes it here,” he said as he told a story about a '90s concert.
We made our way to the seats with about 20 minutes until showtime (long sleeve shirt, nobody was looking for the Apple Watch). Lights dimmed and the fans welcomed the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour to town. Bob was sounding great from the first note. Giving us plenty of guitar licks at the end of the opener “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” [first time that song had guitar all tour! -Ray] and more guitar for the intro of song two, “It Ain’t Me Babe.” The view from balcony right was perfect to look down over Bob's shoulder playing guitar. The sound mix was great: Shining guitars, smooth bass, real clear drums. Only sometimes on the first line of a song the vocals were a little low, but I think most of that can be attributed to Bob moving from standing to sitting position and repositioning the mic. I loved watching Bob catch inspiration and go to standing and pound out some melody.
The song that left the largest impression while it was happening was “My Own Version of You.” The sound of Bob's voice hanging in the air, the sparse drums, the band so elusive. Such a bold move that proves so powerful in the room. As this song kept unfolding, I was in wonder. It was after this song he said, “And we’re playing all hits tonight!” He knows what he just did to that audience.
Bob gave a little laugh while delivering one line from “I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You”: “I traveled the long road of despair (ha!) / I met no other traveller there.”
Anton did a cool snare roll during “Mother of Muses” when Bob said “and the battles they fought” like he was doing an army roll call. He really didn’t do the same thing the rest of the song so I think it was intentional.
My notes say four stars for “Jimmy Reed.” This arrangement had a real fun bop to it. I loved the delivery of the line “thump on the bible, proclaim a creed”.
It was very dark up in the balcony so I could not see my notebook in my lap and here is a blind contour drawing I did of Bob and the band:
Walking out, I wanted to know my father’s impression of the show. He was really impressed by the whole thing. He spoke of how well the guitarists played together and how much control and power Bob has over the music. “Key West” was the one he could point out. Maybe that’s because Bob says “Key West’ about 100 times in the song, but I also thought it was a strong performance.
Plenty of friendly chatter as we exited the venue, only one guy making it known he thought Bob ended with a weak harp solo on “Every Grain of Sand.” I smiled at him and kept walking. We snuck out of an employee exit in the parking garage and were out of town in 10 minutes. Back to Metro Detroit by 1am. The drive home listening to Billy Joel’s greatest hits, and talking with my father about truly appreciating every day, every moment, living life to the fullest, how you can’t take nothing with you when you go. Or as Bob would say: “This old river keeps on rolling though, no matter what gets in the way or which way the wind does blow, and as long as it does, I’ll sit right here, and watch the river flow.”
I want to thank my father for agreeing to go to this gig with me. I know he had fun. I want to thank Ray for allowing me to write this scene report. And I want to thank Bob and the Band for performing an excellent show I will treasure for the rest of my life.
PS. Details I left out:
My father forgot his wallet sitting on the bed when he was changing his clothes. I grabbed what I thought were two tickets I had mailed to me before the gig. What I did grab was one ticket and one receipt. Thankfully a kind will call attendant believed the story and reprinted the ticket.
From what I could tell...no dancing.
Wrench report: Negative.
Oh and my dad finally remembered it was a J. Geils Band show, but it wasn’t at Miller Auditorium. And he did graduate, but never walked across the stage. He thinks he actually had never been inside Miller Auditorium until this moment.
Thanks Chad! Find Chad Golda’s music on Bandcamp and his funny “Which Bob Dylan Are You” page on Instagram.
He also grabbed this excellent tape of the show:
Thanks for the fun review Chad. Making memories.
I was there, as well and I don't have a positive report. Seem like the audience was bored with show. I was in row 16, and barely could make out Bob with the dim lighting on stage. Bob was in and out of his microphone sometimes in the same verse. I have like the band to stand out more. Bob when he played guitar, he turn his back to the audience while still sitting on the piano bench, like Miles Davis. Quit hiding, Bob. Harp playing was weak, except for Every Grain of Sand. Like the last show I saw in Grand Rapids a whole lot more. I appreciate he is still performing, but he needs refresh things up.