Great news for anyone who loves the music of Bob Dylan.
The country’s favourite Dylan interpreters are playing their annual show at St Peter’s Hall, Paekākāriki, on Saturday May 27. The Zimmermans are an all-star ten-piece band. They feature five vocalists, two guitarists, keyboards, bass, drums, a full brass section and backup singers. The band’s musicians have played with outfits including Sneaky Feelings, Let’s Planet, the Mockers, the Wooden Box Band, Mel Stevenson and the Dunstan Rangers.
The core of the band came together through a shared love of Bob Dylan’s music. “So many people we know love his songs but have no idea that he wrote them. So, we thought we’d put together a full show celebrating the extraordinary range of music Dylan has created”, says singer and guitarist Paddy Burgin. “And we didn’t want to be just a tribute band”, he says. “We wanted to be able to put our own slant on these great songs. Some come off sounding pretty similar to the originals. But, like Dylan himself, who was always reinventing his own songs, we’re happy to re-interpret them. We see ourselves as Dylan interpreters rather than a tribute band.”
But the songs are all still all very recognisable and audiences soon find themselves singing along with “Mr Tambourine Man”, “Blowing in the Wind”, “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”, “Tangled Up in Blue”, “Like a Rolling Stone” and many more. “We pack as many songs as we can into the show”, says saxophonist and singer Chris Nichol. “It’s a two-hour non-stop performance. “We’ve deliberately chosen 23 songs from the whole spectrum of Dylan’s 60-year career – lots of old favourites and some great newer material too. We draw from Dylan’s early folk and protest songs, from Blonde on Blonde and Highway 61 Revisited, his gospel and blues material as well as songs from his latest album.
“They’re wonderful songs to play, and even better playing them to an enthusiastic crowd.”
Tickets are available from Eventfinda at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2023/the-zimmermans-play-bob-dylan/paekakariki
The show kicks off at 7.30pm. Doors open at 6.30pm.