Concert Guide: Quick trip to Tahoe, epic show with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson

Outdoor concerts at Harvey's in South Lake Tahoe are a sublime summer experience.

In June, we previewed the Bay Area concert scene, venue by venue, in our Ultimate Summer Concert Guide. There was a venue I was interested to include, but didn't, because it was just far enough out of the area to break the Bay Area theme. However, I just got back from a quick trip to South Lake Tahoe to see Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson at the outdoor venue at Harvey's casino—and concert fans should know that the place is an absolute gem. The Harvey's outdoor series is booked by Berkeley-based Another Planet Entertainment, the wonderful folks behind Berkeley's Greek Theatre and the fabulous Fox Oakland, which opened in February. The Tahoe venue is nothing short of spectacular, tucked just bewteen the lake and the casino.

And oh man, what a show! Nelson and Dylan booked Harvey's as the last night of their summer long tour, and they could not have ended the tour with a better spot. All the other shows on the tour included John Mellencamp, and were performed in minor league baseball parks across America, which seemed like a really fun idea, and I likely would have gone to Saturday's show in Stockton had they not booked Tahoe as the tour ender.

Following a brief, lively set by the WiYos, Willie Nelson and his band took the stage just after 8 p.m., and proceeded to set a new world record for mellowness during his hour of hits, including, "Crazy", " On the Road Again," "Mamas Don't Let Your Children Grow Up to Be Cowboys," "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," and "Always on my Mind". Nelson, at 76, sounds wonderful, looks healthy, and is as iconic a country music star as we have—watch for him to visit San Francisco's Fillmore in the winter. To think that he was the warm-up act made this show all the more special.

Though I saw many Willie Nelson t-shirts in the crowd of 6,000 music fans, Bob Dylan was clearly the central attraction on Sunday night. Dylan and his band took the stage around 9:15 p.m., and launched into a bluesy version of "Ballad of a Thin Man", from his landmark 1965 Highway 61 Revisited album. Dressed in a black torador suit with a flat brimmed cowboy hat, the famously private Dylan seemed to be having a ball from the first song on. His throaty vocals were as clear as I'd heard in awhile. For the second song, Dylan, strapped on a Les Paul Gibson (RIP Les!) and launched into a beautiful "Lay, Lady Lay" from 1969's Nashville Skyline. Next was "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'",  the first song off his 2009 album, Together Through Life. Pretty cool that the guy who wrote the best songs of 1965 and 1969 is still writing the best songs of 2009.

The rest of the set list went like this: "I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like we've Never Met)", "The Levee's Gonna Break", "Visions of Johanna", "Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum",  "When the Deal Goes Down", "Highway 61 Revisted", "Not Dark Yet", "Summer Days". Afte a brief break, the band came out for a three song encore, beginning with an absolutely killer version of "Like a Rolling Stone", Dylan's most famous song. Next was a total surprise, a fabulous cover of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel", sung on the anniversary of the King's death. Dylan absolutely killed this version with his growly delivery, while his band knocked out the bluesy guitar riffs. Finally, the band ripped through an electrified, slightly psychedelic "All Along the Watchtower."

It was a spectacuar performance, one of the best of the twenty-some Dylan shows I've seen since I first saw him co-headline the Concord Pavilion with Carlos Santana back in 1993. If you weren't there, you're in look. Bob just booked shows at the Berkeley Greek Theater on October 10-11. The $50 general admission tickets, sell out for sure, so get your tickets now!

Since Tahoe is a three-hour drive from the East Bay, I spent the night at a new boutique hotel, 968 Park Hotel and Spa. Located just on the California side of the Stateline division, this "eco-hotel" uses all kinds of green-friendly accents—recylced wood as the headboard on the king-size bed, etc. My colleague, Michaela Jarvis, wrote about the hotel last winter, but I'll add that its in a great location for Harvey's concerts—less than five minutes walk to the venue, and close to the lake as well. 968 Park Hotel is offering some killer  specials through the end of the summer, so if you are looking for a nice place to stay for one of the remaining Harvey's concerts (Toby Keith, August 30, Chickenfoot, September 5) this summer, check it out.