Friday, June 22, 2007

Et tu, Dylan?

Some guy named Bob Dylan rehearsed with his band at the Bardavon this week.

(The Freeman will have the story Saturday).

Photos and recordings were NOT allowed.

And no photographers will be allowed next week at the concert at the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, Bethel Woods, either.

Upon hearing about this, a coworker raised an interesting issue: Why this God-like status for a songwriter whose greatest times were more than three decades ago? (“‘Modern Times’ notwithstanding,” I would have added).

And how many times is “Bob Dylan rehearses at the Bardavon -- again” going to be a story?

In the trade, we like to call that concept “reader fatigue”: As something happens more often, it becomes less unusual and less interesting, and readers stop ... well, reading.

(How many stories or photos of Middle East violence — or a starving refugee from Darfur, etc. — do you have to see or read before you stop paying attention?)

So next time Dylan shows up at the Bardavon (and he’s said he will -- and you can't go to that one, either), will that be news?

Full Disclosure: Chris Silva, the executive director of the Bardavon, saw his idol close and personal (I told him -- for all of you readers -- that he sucks).

I said that to him (in a jovial manner, by the way) because I’m planning to go to the June 29 concert (lawn tickets are modestly priced). And I’m probably just going to see Dylan as a dot on a stage next to a big screen with a half-second delay.

We’ll see.