Bob Dylan didn't please everyone (photos)

Don't Think Twice, It's Alright is Trevor Harding's favourite Dylan tune.

For Jay Case, it's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall.

Len Ward chose Gotta Serve Somebody as his top pick because of its slow, funky groove.

Although he had a hard time narrowing it down, Norm Rosteck finally went with 4th Time Around.

"It's so hard to pick just one because they're all beautiful songs," he told SooToday.com with a huge grin.

Eugene Caputo simply stated: "I can't pick one. There's too many."

For almost 50 years, Bob Dylan has been many different things to many different people, continuously reinventing himself and his craft.

But not once has he ever done what's been expected of him.

Sunday night at the Essar Centre, 75 per cent of the Sault audience knew to expect the unexpected from the troubadour that has influenced generations of artists throughout his career.

The most devoted of fans occupied the majority of the floor seats and were far younger than expected.

The other 25 per cent bellyached about it.

Some of them even left half-way through.

No, the set list wasn't saturated with radio versions of his numerous classic hits.

Thousands of artists have covered Dylan's music over the years, including Mike Ness, The Band, The Beatles, Taj Mahal, Ministry, Rage Against the Machine, William Shatner, Siouxsie and the Banshees and The White Stripes.

If anyone has the right and ability to reinterpret his music, it's Mr. Dylan himself.

The true diehards in Sunday's crowd understood this and managed to decipher the updated versions of definitive tunes he selected to perform.

These included A Rain's A-Gonna Fall from his 1963 recording The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, 1965's Highway 61 Revisited and Like a Rolling Stone, Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat and Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again from the 1966 definitive release Blonde on Blonde, and All Along the Watchtower from John Wesley Harding originally released in 1967.

Rounding out the set list were Rollin' and Tumblin', Don't Think Twice It's Alright, The Levee's Gonna Break, Tryin' To Get To Heaven, Blind Willie McTell, Honest With Me, Thunder on the Mountain, I Believe in You, When the Deal Goes Down, Nettie Moore and possibly his most famous protest song, Blowin' in the Wind.

Yes, he barely acknowledged the audience during his performance.

But Dylan has never been one to revel in the spotlight, opting instead to let his music and poetry to speak on his behalf.

Watching closely, he could be seen grinning with pride and dancing about the stage as his band mates skillfully jammed.

It was obvious to anyone paying attention that he thoroughly enjoyed his time on stage.

Yes, his voice leaves a lot to be desired.

But expecting Bob Dylan to actually sing with clarity and range is like expecting Luciano Pavarotti to belt out death metal.

Although he has won three Grammy Awards for various vocal performances, he's a songwriter first and has never been known for his vocal prowess.

The only valid complaint heard Sunday night pertained to the sub-par sound quality which resulted in muffled, distorted vocals and sporadic instrument volume levels.

Dylan's out-of-tune guitar during Don't Think Twice came as quite a surprise, likely to him as well, and made for a bizarre solo.

The overall performance, however, was a gimmick-free, refreshingly simple and engaging experience from one of the most iconic figures in music history.

It's unfortunate that some couldn't enjoy it for what it was.

As one fan wrote on Dylan's website today: "...open your minds and appreciate the man for what he has contributed to music and what his message was and still is."

Editor's Note: Cameras of any kind were strictly prohibited at Sunday night's Bob Dylan performance, a restriction which also applied to members of the media. The photos included in the gallery below were submitted by faithful and tenacious SooToday.com readers.