Casino Nights
Less than fifty feet from my apartment on 84th St. on the Upper Eastside, I boarded a bus headed for Atlantic City. $30 got me a round trip ticket with a $22 kickback for gambling, which I pocketed. After checking into the overpriced Showboat Hotel, I aimlessly strolled down the boardwalk. It brought back memories of when I was seven years old and went bicycling on these very planks with my dad. In 1988, on this very same boardwalk,my friend Phil and I ran into ESPN announcer Charlie Steiner who was covering the Mike Tyson fight that night. I also literally bumped into Steve Earle as he was leaving the hotel on his way to opening up for Dylan at Bally’s. Dylan treated us to an electric version of Lenny Bruce that night.
Friday June 22nd was the start of another leg of the Never Ending Tour. I made my way over to the swank Borgata Hotel, Casino &Spa. This is the place to be and sweet Jesus, the cocktail waitresses are smokin’. Dylan played a fine show; pretty good for an opening night. He seems to hit his stride around the fourth or fifth show on most tours. He played excellent concerts at the Borgata in 2004 and 2005. The I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine from 4-24-05 was magnificent.
Prior to Saturday’s show, I was holed up at an all you can eat buffet at the Showboat. I decided to go back to college this summer and one of the classes I’m taking is Bob Dylan and American Culture. I finished up my paper on Woody’s influence on Dylan while observing a steady stream of obese Americans devouring massive piles of food. Fatlantic City needs a Mayor like Michael Bloomberg. Somebody’s got to shut down these buffets because people don’t have common sense. If your 100 pounds overweight, avoiding all you can eat buffets is a nice starting point.
Night two at the Borgata Events Center validates all the money and time I spend following Dylan’s Cowboy Band around. The sage was crackling with energy as it seemed like every word he sang had intent. All his gestures were confidant. When you catch Dylan on a night like this it’s something you never forget. All day Sunday, I was still flying high from this performance. And that Nettie Moore – I love you then and ever shall.
........................................6-22-07 Borgata
Wed. June 27th, I made my way to the Mohegan Sun for my next encounter with Jack Fate. I met my college friend Phil there. We scored some rooms at the Best Western in Uncasville for $65 a piece. They provided limo service to the Mohegan free of charge and the rooms were spacious. We pounded some Dos Equis while listening to Van Morrison and Grateful Dead from my laptop iTunes collection. Once sufficiently pumped up, we ventured off to the Mohegan.
I’m fond of that sun tan lotion scent that they pump throughout the place. Inside the arena, they refused to serve me a beer because I didn’t have ID. I thought this was an Indian Reservation and the laws were supposed to be relaxed. Talking about Indians, I didn’t notice signs of Indian culture or an Indian village in the area. That was a little strange. Dylan delivered a solid 17 song show, though the selections were mundane. I was planning on going to two more shows in Bethel and Montreal. But I have this weird feeling he’s going have a huge night tomorrow, so I’ll make the journey to Jones Beach. I’m a rambling kind of guy.
Mohegan Sun 6-27-07
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