Bobfest: Bob Dylan: 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration

Been listening to this for the last two weeks.

I find the performances to be of a high calibre, everyone seemed primed to do their best for the occasion. Highlights for me are:

Foot of Pride by Lou Reed

Masters of War by Eddie Vedder/Mike McCready

Just Like A Woman by Richie Havens

I Shall Be Released by Chrissie Hynde

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right by Eric Clapton (hot!)

Absolutely Sweet Marie by George Harrison

License to Kill by Tom Petty and the HB (made it sound like their own tune, great!)

My Back Pages by Dylan, McGuinn, Petty, Young, Clapton, Harrison

I missed Robbie Robertson not being there. Also, no one was there to represent the Dead and their long association with Dylan.

Many very good covers on these discs. From Johnny Winter to Johnny Cash to Tracy Chapman to Stevie Wonder. And, of course, Bob Dylan himself!

 

This is a great show - I hope Sony gets this out on DVD and they include some of the tracks that didn't make the album or video. Including;

1. "Lay Lady Lay" (instrumental version) by Booker T. and the MGs. This is available on the Booker T/MGs box set on Fantasy Records.

2. Apparently there is lots of footage of rehearsals and soundchecks, including Clapton and Dylan rehearsing a duet of "It Takes A Lot To Laugh..." that never made the show.

Interestingly, Dylan studio-overdubbed parts of his vocal to the "My Back Pages" performance for the album/video release.

 

I have the LaserDisc. I love Neil Young doing "All Along the Watchtower". Damn thing sounds like it is one of his own tunes!!

 

Trivia: Elvis Costello was originally booked to perform at this show, playing "Positively Fourth Street" (a song he's never been known to perform otherwise). Wouldn't that have been something?