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By Dave Miller

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Leave it to that old rascal Bob Dylan to continue to surprise and confound.

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The first thing Dylan did after walking onstage for Friday's concert at the United Center was pick up a guitar. That's a rarity these days. For quite awhile now, the 71-year-old timeless troubadour has mostly stuck to keyboard, piano and harmonica during his shows. (The general consensus says it's due to arthritis.) It's become an occasion when he plays guitar for a song. He can go many shows without doing so.

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So the Dylan diehards knew immediately something special was taking place when he started jamming on guitar with his top-shelf five-piece band. From center stage, Dylan dug hard into a blues tune that turned out to be an instrumental. What song was it? That's still open to conjecture. As Rolling Stone reported, the reliable Dylan site Bob Links settled on "Sweet Home Chicago," though the song never crossed my mind during the opener. Others believe it was "Watching the River Flow," a song that has steadily opened this stretch of the so-called Never Ending Tour, which began in the 1990s. "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35" has been suggested, too, as have other titles.

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Whatever it was, it rocked and drew an enthusiastic reaction. On a night where Dylan inexplicably ignored his critically-acclaimed new album, Tempest, opener Mark Knopfler came out and played guitar on the following four songs, the highlight of those being "Blind Willie McTell." A feisty Dylan alternated between a keyboard and grand piano on the right side of the stage and blew his harp from center stage, playing a jaunty, song-and-dance man, selling what he was singing with arm gestures in between bouncy shuffles of his feet.

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One of the treats of seeing Dylan is his touring band. However, lead guitarist Charlie Sexton and rhythm player Stu Kimball, both stationed on the left side of the stage, were reduced to accompaniment more or less for much of the show night compared to past stops in town when they, especially Sexton, were more co-conspirators with their leader. During this concert, Dylan's keyboard playing was more involved and served as the guide for his nimble band's exploration. More so that in the past, drummer George Recile kept the songs forcibly rolling, while veteran Dylan sideman Tony Garnier held things together with his bass. Donnie Herron supplied touches of violin, mandolin and pedal steel.  

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At this stage of Dylan's career, his voice is an acquired taste and judged relatively, though his singing is always interesting, and on this night he clearly sang to be understood. It took awhile as usual for his voice to warm up and it faded on him near the end of the show, but it's been years since I heard him sound as good as he did during thie middle of the set. Standouts were "Desolation Row" with its gentle interplay between Dylan's voice and piano and Sexton's guitar, and "Forgetful Heart" with Dylan's vocals entrancing the crowd.

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The band became its most powerful when Sexton and Kimball both played electric guitars on songs such as "Thunder on the Mountain" and "All Along The Watchtower." The sound was surprisingly sharp, particularly for the United Center. The upper deck was cordoned off and perhaps the curtains prevented the sound from bouncing around the arena. Most of the rest of the place was filled. As usual, Dylan had no video screens or special effects. The only thing close to special staging was the vintage, random mirrors stationed at the front of the stage, offering a view askew. The symbolism emphasized Dylan's restless reflections. His music continues to be compelling to this day, even when you don't know the song he is playing.

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Bob Dylan's setlist:

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blues instrumental
To Ramona
Things Have Changed

Tangled Up In Blue

Blind Willie McTell

Make You Feel My Love

The Levee's Gonna Break

Desolation Row

Highway 61 Revisted

Forgetful Heart

Thunder On The Mountain

Ballad of a Thin Man

Like a Rolling Stone

All Along the Watchtower

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Blowin' in the Wind

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Start: 9:16 p.m./Finish: 10:52 p.m.
Totals: 15 songs, one hour 36 minutes

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Mark Knopfler played a well-received opening set that stretched to near headliner length at more than 75 minutes. He played with seven musicians, who played mandolin, upright bass, flute and a bagpipe-like contraption in addition to the usual instruments. The impecable outfit played a sleepy mixture of country blues and Irish folk that woke up near the end of the set, which was capped by "So Far Away."

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Mark Knopfler's setlist:

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What It Is
Corned Beef City
Privateering

Kingdom of Gold

I Used to Could

Song for Sonny Liston

Done With Bonaparte

Hill Farmer's Blues

Haulaway

Marbletown

So Far Away

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Start: 7:30 p.m./Finish: 8:47 p.m.
Totals: 11 songs, one hour 17 minutes

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Photo Gallery

Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Bob Dylan

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Mark Knopfler

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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Mark Knopfler

November 9, 2012 @ United Center

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