"Breathing hard...don't know how much longer I can wait" - Dylan goes over the top with "Can't Wait"

I'm not sure what was happening that night, but Dylan appears to be having the time of his life hamming it up in this performance of "Can't Wait," recorded November 1, 1998, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It's sure to bring a smile to your face!

I don't think I've ever seen Bob more animated on stage. His playful antics may seem at odds much of the time with the smoldering, plaintive lyrics and whole tenor of the song as released on "Time Out of Mind." But I'm not going to quibble about that - I have way too much fun watching this concert video version!

Many thanks, as well, to whoever handled the stage lighting that night, particularly on this number, as I don't think I've ever captured anywhere near as fine, detailed images of Dylan's eyes before as can be seen in this video.

As I've said before, Dylan has never had any real success with movie acting. Years ago, New York Times film critic Vincent Canby summed up his performance as the enigmatic character Alias in Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garret & Billy the Kid" as apparently portraying some kind of "retarded hanger on." And although his co-starring performance as Billy Parker in 1987's "Hearts of Fire" wasn't universally panned, it's pretty stiff and more than a few people - including me - find it kind of difficult or at least uncomfortable to watch.

When performing music onstage, though, Dylan is an "actor extraordinaire." Whether conveying via his facial expressions and body language every nuance of thought and emotion in the songs he sings with detailed attention to every line and even each syllable; or taking the opportunity to play to the crowd and charm the audience with his winning exuberance and playful showmanship, Dylan often delivers what on the silver screen would be an Oscar-worthy performance.

Makes sense, then, that after winning his Academy Award for Best Song for "Things Have Changed" from "The Wonder Boys," he carried his Oscar with him everywhere on tour and had it near him on stage.