A lesson learned from Dylan

When it was announced that Bob Dylan would be performing at UB, I was not impressed. Why would anyone be excited to see a mumbling old man - the voice of a generation on its way to the grave - perform?

I received some backlash from my friends who worship Dylan, but I still agreed to go.

As he sang his first note to "Things Have Changed," an Academy-Award-winning song, I still only saw an old man singing words I couldn't understand into the microphone.

I thought to myself: "I was right, this is going to be a long night."

But all of a sudden, as Dylan swayed his hips back and forth, dancing to the music, the sound of a soulful harmonica melted my face.

At this point during the show, I finally recognized Dylan's true importance to the world of music.

For over 50 years, Dylan has captivated listeners with his deep poetic messages. His words have touched the hearts of fans all over the world. While he may be hard to hear or understand now, he still manages to stir the same emotions.

He just does it in a different way.

Somewhere between the first notes of the show and the last riff of the encore, I drank the mystical Bob Dylan Kool-Aid and took a trip I'll never forget.

It didn't matter if I understood the lyrics. I started to notice the little things that matter: tight musical arrangements, Dylan's versatility between instruments and his passion for putting on a great performance.

Who can say they attack their job with the same virtuoso everyday at the age of 71?

To see Dylan performing on stage with such enthusiasm ignited something inside of myself. Where will I be when I'm that old? Will I impact the lives of others in the way that Dylan does? Will I even live to be 71?

Dylan was the glue that held the band together; he set the pace for the rest of the band. He conducted his group and the audience for an hour and a half with no breaks and a smile on his face.

Too often, we see a band live and anticipate they will sound like they used to on our favorite records. It can be disappointing when they don't, and many people take this attitude toward Dylan today.

But if you look closely through the predispositions, you see a man growing old and still doing something he loves every single day.

Email: joseph.konze@ubspectrum.com