He gave us his heart, but we wanted his soul.

Fans young and old filled University of California, Berkeley’s 12,000-seat Haas Pavilion on Sunday, Oct. 17 as famed singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and his band rocked out renditions of his classic hits, just days after he released his new autobiography, "Chronicles: Volume One."

Dylan, whose blend of American folk, rock and blues has entertained generations of listeners, performed a two-and-a half hour set including an encore, of such perennial favorites as "Forever Young," "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Like A Rolling Stone."

For a show featuring someone of Dylan’s stature, this should have been the concert of the year. Unfortunately, it seemed that the only way to truly enjoy a 2004 Dylan show was to catch a glimpse of history.

Dylan, still often regarded as a lyrical mastermind, definitely hasn’t been at the height of his musical glory in recent years, and the Berkeley show was only further proof of how far he has musically evolved throughout his illustrious career.

The performance itself was enjoyable, but for first-time audience members, it was an unexpected side of the Bob Dylan that grew to fame as a solo singer-songwriter playing vivid poetry on an acoustic guitar. Still, history and reminiscence of what used to be proved very powerful, and those that listen to and admire Dylan’s music regularly would have had no trouble being enthralled with the mere fact that they were seeing him play live.

Dylan’s performance, however, was anything but the lone-ranger acoustic guitarist and harmonica player of the Sixties.

The band he played with was a collection of extremely talented musicians; Larry Campbell stole the show at times with hooking guitar riffs and solos. Dylan himself stuck to an electric piano far stage left, and didn’t touch a guitar all night, to the murmuring disappointment of some crowd members. There was an electric guitar to his left, but he didn’t go near it. Campbell, a multi-instrumentalist who has played for such acclaimed artists as Shawn Colvin and Roseanne Cash, handled any song requiring an acoustic guitar.

It was clear that Dylan’s voice has declined in recent years too. Never touted as a phenomenal vocalist, at least he used to sing clearly. Dylan growled out the first line of lyrics in the opening song, "God Knows If You See Her, Say Hello," and overall, he sang with a thick, guttural raspy-ness-- presumably from years of chain-smoking. After a few songs though, Dylan's voice seemed to warm up, and his lyrics did become a little more understandable. Every once in a while, he would hit a note or sing a line so clearly that it brought up a memory of the essence of his records.

As the show went on, it was easier to get used to electric-piano Bob and his lack of lyrical clarity. Late in the set, Dylan rolled out "It Ain’t Me Babe," and at that point, it just didn’t seem to matter that his voice had declined or that he wasn't on a guitar. Dylan was still Dylan, and that’s why people love him.

Dylan’s more modern attributes even paved the way for new renditions of old classics. "Highway 61 Revisited" was the highlight of the set; the 2004 version of the 1965 song was more aggressive with dirty guitar licks and hard-hitting percussion.

The encore was uproarious. An unrecognizable rendition of the song that put him on the map, "Like A Rolling Stone," still rocked, even though performed in such a different way. Dylan closed with "All Along the Watchtower," which seared through the stadium’s smoky air with a cookin’, rock edge.

Throughout the night, Dylan’s sweet harmonica parts were met with favorable applause.

When it comes down to it, Dylan stepped up and gave the Bay Area a good, entertaining show.

Sure, the audience didn’t get to see the Bob of the Sixties, but truth be told, it got his spirit. If people didn’t enjoy that show, it wasn’t him, babe, it wasn’t him they were looking for babe.