鮑勃•迪倫 / The Legendary Bob Dylan (2)

The night started with a local band playing some familiar tunes and the crowd was warming up. Beer flowed freely and people were definitely enjoying the warm summer night out. Nine o'clock rolled around and the fans cheered as Bob Dylan played his first song. For the next ninety minutes or so, over 35,000 people (my estimate) sang and danced with the 'jester' of rock-and-roll. In front, there was a couple in their fifties hugging and kissing and reliving their hippie trippy days. Next to me was a young man with a gold earring on his left ear, drinking beer and smoking dope at the same time. I wouldn't say he was stoned out of his mind, but his head space was definitely somewhere else. For a while, I could smell the drift of marijuana and was worrying about getting high on second-hand smoke (don't forget I have to bike back home!!).

After Bob Dylan and his band played their last song and left the stage, the audience was still wild and hungry for more. They waited and waited and just would not disperse. The chanting of "Encore !! Encore !!" was like a wave that rolled back-and-forth across the faces of 35,000. Alas, the band came back followed by Dylan and they played one more song, one last time, much to the delight of the enchanted crowd. Finally, the last note was struck, and Bob thanked his band members and the concert came to an end. As the crowd filed its way out of the open field, their faces told me that the legend of rock-and-roll had again captured the hearts and souls of his fans, this time on the Canadian side of the pond.