DYLAN I: The guessing game at most...

DYLAN I: The guessing game at most Bob Dylan concerts involves song selection because he often changes the set list dramatically from night to night. But fans at Dylan’s Pantages Theatre engagement also looked forward to another question each concert: Who’s going to open the show?

To add to the freshness and individuality of the shows, each concert featured a different artist, with fans not knowing the name of the act until arriving at the theater. The lineup was a healthy mix of new and veteran artists: Peter Holsapple and comedian Steven Wright on opening night, May 13; the Continental Drifters (a band that includes Holsapple) on May 14; Marc Cohn (joined during the encore by Jackson Browne) on May 16; the Fabulous Thunderbirds last Sunday; Counting Crows on Tuesday, and the Beauties on Wednesday. The Blazers, the roots-rock East-L.A. band, were added to Thursday’s bill after Dylan caught their act last weekend at the Palomino.

Musically, the songs that hit hardest at the show Pop Eye caught last Sunday were three of the oldest: the socially conscious “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’ ” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” all taking on renewed poignancy given the recent rioting in Los Angeles.

The surprise was how well a recent, whimsical Dylan tune, “Everything Is Broken” from the 1989 “Oh Mercy” album, fit into the same series of songs. The wry lines summarized the feeling that things seem to be falling apart on all levels these days.

Sample lyrics:

Broken lines, broken strings

Broken threads, broken springs

Broken idols, broken heads

People sleeping in broken beds

Ain’t no use jivin’

Ain’t no use jokin

Everything is broken.