When I heard that Bob Dylan was coming to Portland to do a benefit show for the State Theater, I couldn't believe it. The State is bankrupt and Dylan agreed to do three shows to help keep it in business. Bob is a legend in music history, and one of the most influential men of the twentieth century, so naturally I jumped at the chance to see him in concert. Two friends and I shelled out $30 a piece to get balcony seats for the show: the money was well worth it.

I've seen quite a few bands in concert: Bush, Blues Traveler, The Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Rusted Root, Lynard Skynard, and The Rustic Overtones, but Dylan was by far the best of all the shows I've seen. He didn't play a lot of his classic material, but some of his newer stuff is just as good.

Dylan played for two and a half hours. He started off by getting the crowd going with a great version of "Tombstone Blues." A few songs later he belted out a very loud, high tempo version of his classic "All Along the Watchtower." This broad range of music showed that he isn't just a folk singer. Then he played classic Dead tune, "Friend of the Devil," which got the crowd on their feet dancing and singing. He continued to rock the crowd with a truly amazing version of "Silvio."

Things mellowed out as he played some slower songs: "Under the Red Sky," "Dignity," and "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere." This set the crowd up for Dylan to wow them with his encores. Yes, encores. He played three, but the last two were particularly amazing. He did a very rousing, grooving version of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues." He took a quick break, and while the crowd was still buzzing, he came back. The all-too-familiar drumbeat of his most famous party song "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" began to play. Nearly everyone in the theater was on their feet, dancing in the aisles and singing the classic lyrics. It was a performance that will never be forgotten and probably will never be topped