Bobtalk

February 24, 1986
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Sydney Entertainment Centre
Concert

Thank you! The Queens of Rhythm! (after Clean-Cut Kid)

How are you? Sometimes it's hard to find people who understand me. (before Trust Yourself)

Thank you. I wrote this song about seven years ago I think, in my so called folk song, protest period. Anyway, I still play this. It seems to hold up really well though, ha-ha. (plays Masters Of War) Thank you. I wanna introduce you now to one of America's last great rock ‘n’ roll bands and surely one of my favorites. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Thank you! Well, I just read another concert review the other day. It said “Bob’s sounding like a parody of himself. He sounds just exactly like he’s imitating himself”. I should like to know who I’m supposed to sound like, you know. I know it’s hard when so many people sound like me these days. But someday, somebody got to tell these people that I’m still here. Well, I can’t sound like anybody else. I don’t know how to. If I did, I would. (before It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding))

Tom and I are gonna do a song for you right now. We used to hear these songs all the time when we were growing up. You can't hear them anymore. Very seldom you hear real songs anymore. Well, we were lucky to grow up, when you could hear them all the time. All you had to do was switch on the radio and you could hear them. (before I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know)

Thank you, all right. Here's a song I wrote a while back about one of America's greatest forgotten men. This man was just a little bit before his time. He said some things which got him into trouble with the wrong people. But there’s a lot of people right now saying a lot of things much worse than he ever could have dreamed of. And of course they're making millions of dollars and they've got nice houses and drive fast cars. And they got lots of pretty women. He didn't have none of that stuff at all. (before Lenny Bruce)

Thank you, "Lonesome Town", got tears to forget. God knows there's enough to forget. All right, this is a little song I wrote a while back, after a, oh how long? Oh shit ... twenty years maybe, maybe more. I forgot how old I am, I'll tell you. All right, so you know famous people they're always suppose to do these things called "press conferences". And everybody sits around and asks me questions about your personal life. I don't mind answering questions about music things, but I can't stand answering questions about my personal life. You know. For some people enjoy that, I just don't. Anyway-er, they want to know about your politics, and your religious life, and your sex life. I don't answer none of those questions. I figure I write about that stuff. So if you... anyway, so whatever a person says, it's the person's life that speaks for itself, right? So every once in a while, you know, you got to put somebody into place. They don't want to go in their place, but it's like what's happening in the Philippines right now. Somebody's being put in their place! Every so often, it's got to be done. And if you don't want to do it, somebody else will. It's a good thing though to be put in your place, it's happened to me a few times actually. I've rather appreciated the experience in the long run. So here's a song about putting somebody in their place. If you ever need to do it, don't you be afraid now, 'cause don't forget, if you don't do it, it might not get done! (Before Ballad of a Thin Man)

Thank you. Thas called Borderline. For all you rock critics who are out there. Don't forget that rock critics did to Elvis now. (after Across The Borderline)

Thank you. I wanna, I wanna thank Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for backing me up tonight. On the keyboards, give him a warm hand, Benmont Tench. All right, on the drums, Stan Lynch. Playing the bass and the mandolin, Howie Epstein. All right on lead guitar, Mike Campbell. I especially wanna thank Tom Petty. And of course my sweet singing partners over on the left. (before Like A Rolling Stone)

All right, thank you. Here's a, here's a song I wrote a while back, it's on a record called "Empire Burlesque". I don't know if it's out here yet. I think it's out of print in America. Anyway, it's kind of my response to people, you know those kind of people that sit around and judge you all the time? I don't know if any of you ever had that experience. You know people that constantly say "Impress me" until you get the feeling that you got to impress 'em all the time. Judges. They send judgement on you all the time. I don't like those kind of people. (before When the Night Comes Falling from the Sky)

All right, "everybody must get stoned". I write a lot of songs that can be taken like a couple of different ways, that's one of them. But — here's one that can't be taken but just one way. (before Seeing The Real You At Last)

All right. Yeah, we gonna get out of here now. Yeah. We got to go. It's way past my bedtime, I don't know about you. Anyway we always sing this last song here. It's about my hero. Everybody’s got a hero. Some people got a hero, lots of different heroes. Money is a hero, success is a hero. To lots of people Michael Jackson's a hero. Bruce Springsteen, John Wayne, everybody's got a hero. Shut up you! Well, I wanna sing about my hero, I don't care about those heroes. I have my own hero. (before In The Garden)


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