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Jakob Dylan Lyrics Approximately: Late-Night Improvising

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Jakob Dylan ran into a bout of forgetfulness during his encore at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza on Monday night.

His band, the Wallflowers, had just started into Babybird, a lullaby from their third album, Breach. And after drawing a lyrical blank, Mr. Dylan turned to the crowd for help, only to face an awkward silence.

Mr. Dylan might have been straining his audiences memory along with his own, but what else could he do? Breach was released in 2000 Babybird came tucked in as a hidden track and the bands breakthrough second album, Bringing Down the Horse, dates to 1996. For the first plodding hour of Mondays show, that felt like an epoch ago.

In some ways it was. Back then the Wallflowers were ubiquitous: on modern-rock radio, on MTV, in articles weighing Mr. Dylans nascent output against the legacy of his father, Bob. The band has weathered the intervening years by touring, releasing two more albums and getting used to diminishing returns. Last month there came a reminder of flusher times A Collection: 1996-2005 (Interscope/UMe), a compilation CD and DVD of music videos followed by what was intended as a reunion tour.

That plan faltered when the keyboardist Rami Jaffee, a charter member, was no longer said to be involved. His substitute, Bill Appleberry, is a capable but faceless presence in the touring group, which also includes two regular Wallflowers (the bassist Greg Richling and the drummer Fred Eltringham) and one recent addition (the lead guitarist Stuart Mathis). All together, their sound is as stout, bland and roots-girded as ever, like a junior version of Tom Pettys Heartbreakers without the vital hint of mischief.

As the bands moral center, Mr. Dylan was responsible for the laggard mood. His songs often strike a tone of beleaguerment crossed with wary resignation: if not the last man awake, hes the last one keeping score.

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