Bob Dylan is old. And so is his music. But hearing a Dylan hit live is like hearing it for the first time. In classic Dylan form, no song is in classic Dylan form.Last Sunday, Dylan and his band played the UNO Lakefront Arena, where they proved that the blues-rock icon is still strong and has an even stronger following. The crowd ranged in age from six years old to 60 years old.Dylan hastily jumped into a string of acoustic songs as soon as he moved onto what seemed to be a giant black and white chess board, which was his playing field for the night.From the first song, the Stanley Brothers’ “I Am the Man, Thomas,” one might wonder if Dylan shouldn’t be at the Grand Ole Opry. His band backed him up with a banjo and fiddle, while he stood clad in a white cowboy hat, white boots and a black Hank Williams Sr. outfit.But when the man picked up his harmonica – a move that was followed by a roar from the crowd – it began to feel more like Dylan than the ghost of Hank Williams.The set continued with two older tunes – “My Back Pages” and “It’s All Right, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” – but Dylan managed to slide in a few songs from his Sept. 11, 2001, release “Love and Theft.” Although these tunes were new to the ear, they filled the arena with a honky-tonk blues excitement that made the 60-year old Dylan swing his hips. The vitality of the old man made some wonder whether this backup band could hang with Dylan. Those questioners were answered in the first few songs. The band consisted of two guitars that blended smoothly into a twelve-string orchestra and vocal harmonies that were hit on the head.After the acoustic instruments were set to the ground, Dylan and the band picked up their Fender guitars for “A Simple Twist of Fate” and laid down some of the down-right best blues lines I’ve heard since seeing Eric Clapton in concert.All the while, Dylan’s hat kept an eerie shadow over his face and blocked the lights that eventually turned blue. It wasn’t until then that the crowd came to its feet for “Tangled up in Blue.”Dylan may play this at just about every show he does, but it is never old.Unfortunately, a row of songs from the new album caused many to leave their seats for a drink. All the crowd wanted was a hit. It wanted something to sing along with. Almost sensing the desire, Dylan pulled a quick one on us all. The set ended with “Like a Rolling Stone.” But this was not a version to be sung along with, nor was it intended to be. Bob left his mouth-harp completely out of the tune and manipulated the “how does it feeeell…” line, which everyone wanted to hear, making it just out of reach from the fans.Regardless, the set ended with the crowd on its feet, calling for more. As quickly as Dylan left the stage, he was right back on again with a series of oldies, including a beautiful version of “I Shall be Released.” The backup band again proved its worthiness by providing solid vocal harmonies.But the encore was highlighted by the Hendrix-style rock version of “All Along the Watchtower,” in which Dylan showed approval of the late guitarist’s cover.Two nights before, in Augusta, Georgia, Dylan had given himself a thumbs-down on-stage and later apologized for a weak performance. But here in New Orleans, the man must have felt better. He came out for another encore – only his second time this tour – and pleased the many with “Blowin’ in the Wind.”Between new songs and new styles, the performance was not a sing-along. But that did not make any difference. Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan, and he has aged like wine.