Eagle's Ballroom
Milwaukee
Nov. 25, 2000
Story and Photo by Phil Bonyata
Jakob Dylan both embraces and shuns his royal heritage. Being the son of legendary Bob Dylan can't be easy, especially when your career choice is music. On Saturday night The Wallflowers strolled into the arms of it's friends and fans at The Eagle's Ballroom in Milwaukee.
Jakob has inherited his father's penchant for articulate and sometimes confusing lyrics. On the buttery popcorn beat of "I've Been Delivered", Dylan screams, "And I just wave back. Like a little boy up on a pony. Cause I can't fix something this complex anymore than I can build a rose."
"Hand Me Down", off their critically acclaimed new album "Breach", is a satirical take on how Dylan has artistically excelled over the low expectations of many of his early critics. Jakob couldn't keep down a wry smile throughout this biting number.
The Wallfowers music is straight ahead electric folk rock. With all the songs composed by Dylan, who incidentally resembles a good-looking Ben Stiller, this group should be called The Jakob Dylan Band. The band structured their music into a beautifully layered soundscape which helped create a colorful sound palette for Dylan's nasally, sound familiar, voice. Dylan's lyrics are very personal and introspective as witnessed on "Murder 101". Despite it's up tempo chorus, "Sleepwalker" is about a would-be lover who never quite measures up. David Bowie's "Heroes" had Dylan channel the lyrics into an autobiographical testament for everyone to bear witness. Perhaps wishing to distance himself from his father even further.
The mellow all-ages crowd seemed to jiggle to life on "One Headlight." Great pop music with catchy hooks does this to people whether they like it or not.
The Wallflowers are on a slow and steady road to one day shaking the ubiquitous comparisons to one of the most profound and influential forces in rock history.