Bob Dylan's Best Touring Band

There's been a lot of 'em, from The Hawks, to the Rolling Thunder Revue, to the Praise the Lord band. I go back and forth, but I think this may be my favorite one..

Bob
Larry Campbell
Charlie Sexton
Tony Garnier
George Receli

The guitar interplay, with the chugging rhythm section, is just nasty good.

 

I would probably cast my vote for the one just prior, before Receli replaced David Kemper, but they were great with either drummer. Maybe I'm biased because I saw this band a bunch of times and never saw him with the Band, Rolling Thunder, etc., but every single show I saw with Campbell, Sexton and Garnier was great.

 

Swap out George Receli for David Kemper (1997-2002 or so) and you're on. Although I've definitely come to appreciate Receli, who had some very rough initial gigs with Bobby Z.

 

The Heartbreakers a close second probably

 

I hear you on Receli. Kemper was very good. Receli really swings. One of my favorite drummers now.

 

This is just badass

 

The HB's were certainly competent & professional — but I'd put the first & second major iterations of the NET band (the first led by the oft-maligned GE Smith, the second including John Jackson/Bucky Baxter/Winston Watson) ahead of them.

 

I like Larry Campbell, but The Hawks, with The Band a close second.

 

They weren't a touring band (only did one gig), but a sentimental favorite of mine will always be The Plugz

 

I quite like the Mick Taylor 1984 touring band.

 

I really liked the band on 1978's Budokan

 

It's funny, me and my college roomates saw Dylan on Letterman, got all jazzed up and rushed out to buy Dylan tickets thinking we were gonna see him that summer with the Plugz (had a European trip already planned). We go to the show a few months later, out walks Mick Taylor and Ian Mc Lagan. Whups.

 

You lucky dog! I only wish I'd seen that band! (And Carlos Santana would sit in with Taylor and the rest every night on that tour -- that's a hot band!)

 

The Hawks/The Band is still the best.

But after that, the Sexton/Campbell band. (I have a slight preference for David Kemper on drums.)

The current one is right up there too - again, I saw them in November and they smoked every number. And again, it probably helps that they played the same exact setlist throughout the tour, so no fumbling or figuring things out, it was a well-oiled machine that knew what was coming and attacked every song with everything they had.

 

They were "okay". Memory is a bit foggy, but Mick Taylor did his usual thing (standing stone still ripping away), but the rest of the band was meh. I recall Jokerman being a highlight.

 

I've got bootlegs from that tour, and that was a really good band. I think you were just expecting something different (Plugz) and weren't receptive.

 

Probably. They certainly weren't "bad". But the show was in the bottom half of the dozens I've seen over the years. It was in a stadium, too, which rarely helps.

 

As much as I absolutely love The Band, the 1974 tour performances don't do a whole lot for me.
1966 is almost in a category all its own.

 

The official recordings from '74 have not aged well, the boots are better for energy and feel, but it worked in the room live as I recall. 1965/66 was something bigger than just music...

 

The sexton/campbell band is it for me....bob's shows from 99 through about 2003 were incredible. caught 25 or more of them. such a great band, great setlists, bob in awesome voice and into it.....seek out some of the europe 2000 shows or the 2001 fall "love and theft tour" for instance. just awesome. give a listen to the "summer days" from 11-22-02 george mason university for some incredible jamming. was in the house for that one. if memory serves they all fell down at the end. great times.

 

Speaking of, U.S. tour dates announced

08/08 – Perth, AU @ Perth Arena
08/11 – Adelaide, AU @ Botanic Park
08/13 – Melbourne, AU @ Margaret Court Arena
08/14 – Melbourne, AU @ Margaret Court Arena
08/18 – Sydney, AU @ Sydney Theatre
08/19 – Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre
08/20 – Wollongong, AU @ WIN Entertainment Centre
08/22 – Newcastle, AU @ Newcastle Entertainment Centre
08/24 – Brisbane, AU @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
08/26 – Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena
08/28 – Christchurch, NZ @ Horncastle Arena
10/09 – Midland, TX @ Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center
10/10 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at the Toyota Music Factory
10/12 – Tulsa, OK @ River Spirit Casino Resort
10/13 – Thackerville, OK @ Winstar World Casino and Resort
10/14 – Sugar Land, TX @ Smart Financial Centre
10/16 – Lafayette, LA @ Heymann Center
10/17 – Mobile, AL @ Mobile Saenger Theatre
10/19 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre
10/20 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
10/21 – Sarasota, FL @ Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
10/23 – Fort Myers, FL @ Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
10/24 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Broward Center for the Performing Arts
10/26 – Orlando, FL @ Walt Disney Theater
10/27 – Macon, GA @ Macon City Auditorium
10/28 – Chattanooga, TN @ Tivoli Theatre
10/30 – Huntsville, AL @ Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
10/31 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre
11/02 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
11/03 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
11/04 – North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Performing Arts Center
11/06 – Savannah, GA @ Johnny Mercer Theatre
11/07 – Augusta, GA @ The Bell Auditorium
11/09 – Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
11/10 – Roanoke, VA @ Berglund Performing Arts Theatre

 

Hopefully he is done with the Sinatra stuff (looking at recent setlists he may be) ...one or 2 would be ok, but not half sets or more of Frank songs.....

 

Personally I'd be fine with Sinatra.. he's coming to literally down the street from me and I've never seen him before so I have to go.

Some of the dates just have his name and others say "...and his band", does this imply that some of the dates are completely solo?

 

Ian McLagan’s book has some interesting stories from the tour.
They played without a set list, the band would have to listen to Bob’s intros to know what song he was going to play and watch he hands to see what key he was going to play it in.

 

I saw one of those 74 shows. Meh.