Bob Dylan Royal Albert Hall Review: Poignant, perplexing, passionate and a privilege to see

Dylan comes on stage and doesn't speak. The audience are reverentially quiet, too. The Royal Albert Hall has turned into a cathedral, and we are here to worship the high priest of rock: Bob Dylan.

Dylan starts most of his songs standing and singing into the microphone and then shuffles over to the grand piano, which he stands playing most of the night.

The musicianship from his band is superb, especially his two guitarists, Doug Lancio and Bob Britt and drummer Jim Keltner. Dylan's piano playing is, in turns, sorrowful, passionate and pounding. And let's not forget his harmonica playing that hasn't been tampered with. When he blows and sucks it is just like being transported back to the 1960s.

Luckily for us, half of the set that Dylan plays comes from his 'Rough and Rowdy Ways' album, which I feel is his best album for decades. The LP (his 39th studio release) suits his rough, deep and talking voice that is now a substitute for his previous whining tone - endearing as that was. Because the album is so recent, it means that Dylan has not had the chance to get too bored of the songs on it, so he has not mangled and 'destroyed' them in the way some claim he has done so with the classic songs from his repertoire that he plays on tour.

Some classics like 'All Along the Watchtower', which opens this set, and 'It Ain’t Me Babe', which follows soon after, seem to have been reinvigorated by Dylan's tinkering. But 'Desolation Row' - one of his greatest songs - is virtually wrecked by giving it a fast rock tempo treatment. The beauty of that song – as in all of Dylan's classic '60s songs - is in the way that the music matches the intensity and picturesque imagery of the lyrics. Sadly, when Dylan sings it now, there is none of that. Nevertheless, when this version of the song comes to an end, there is thunderous, non-stop applause for minutes. But you can't help feeling that the applause is for a song that Dylan sang way back in the past, and which connected with so many people, not the song he is singing now.

The other interesting thing about his show is that there are no gimmicks. No bright, flashy lights, no pyrotechnics and no undulating male and female dancers, which is sadly what today's breed of pop and rock superstars find necessary to inflict us with. Although I think the addition of some emotional female backing singers would have brought light to Dylan's shade.

As the set progresses highlights included 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' - from his 1965 album 'Bringing It All Back Home' - 'I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You' and 'Goodbye Jimmy Reed' and Dylan departs the stage after performing 'Every Grain of Sand' from his 1981 album 'Shot of Love'.

The concert started at 8pm and is all over by 9.45pm. The ecstatic crowd howls for more, but it's in vain - Dylan doesn't do encores.