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02/11/2006

Roger McGuinn does Dylan in mesmerising London gig

Thanks to James Ketchell:

“Legendary front man and lead guitarist of the Byrds, Roger McGuinn came to London on Tuesday night. Playing solo for the whole gig, he came on to the familiar strains of the Byrds’ version of Mr Tambourine Man, and the 500-strong crowd at the intimate University College London Bloomsbury Theatre cheered ecstatically.

“He then put the electric guitar to one side and played his custom-made seven string Martin acoustic guitar. Playing songs from throughout his career he prefaced them with little stories.

“McGuinn told us about meeting Dylan, his work with Peter Fonda and Dylan on ‘Ballad of Easy Rider’, his love of the Beatles and how they, in his mind, invented folk rock, and some jokes about banjos. (What’s the difference between a Harley Davidson and a banjo? You can tune a Harley). His immense heart, humour and warmth came through and, coupled with his excellent guitar work, could not have left anyone in the theatre unmoved.

“Highlights were an amazing ‘Eight Miles High’, where his guitar work was simply mesmerising. Mixing flamenco licks, Ravi Shankar-esque work and folk guitar picking, it was a musician’s tour de force and reminded everyone in attendance what a talented guitarist he really is.

“Other songs of note included ‘You Ain’t Going Nowhere’, originally by Dylan but played on their country record, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, a cover of Woody Guthrie’s ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’ and an intense ‘St James Infirmary Blues’.

“He returned for the encore to much applause; picking up the electric guitar, he blitzed his way through ‘Chimes of Freedom’ and ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’, encouraging the crowd to sing along and participate. The “A time for war, a time for peace” line in ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’ got a loud cheer from the ageing ‘hippy’ crowd.

“It was a wonderful way to spend a cold Hallowe’en night in London. Next time he visits these shores, be sure to get yourself a ticket. You will not be disappointed.”

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