Times a-Changin’: Dylan, Wonder Play Silicon Valley

Who says computer geeks don’t get to have any fun?

The 11,000 employees of Applied Materials Inc. were treated Friday to separate concerts by Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder.

Applied was celebrating its 30th anniversary as a Silicon Valley semiconductor powerhouse. The Santa Clara-based company is the biggest maker of factory equipment for chip makers such as Intel Corp.

Although Applied is not a household name among computer users, industry executives rank it with Intel and Microsoft Corp. as a market force in its niche of the computer business.

Dylan and the Wallflowers--a rock band fronted by Dylan’s son, Jakob--were to perform for employees and guests at a San Jose sports arena. At the same time, Wonder was to perform in Austin, Texas, for employees based there.

The gigs were not just for fun. Headhunters credited Applied with cleverly highlighting its generosity to employees in a cutthroat job market with neighbors Cisco Systems Inc., Netscape Communications Corp. and Oracle Corp.