– “I really don’t have any place to put my feet up…. well, we want to play ‘cause we want to play… Why tour?
It’s just that you get accustomed to it over the years.
The people themselves will tell you when to stop touring.”
-Bob Dylan (to Kathryn Baker – Aug 1988)
The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan’s endless touring schedule since June 7, 1988.
AD: Tell me about the live thing. The last tour has gone virtually straight into this one.
BD: Oh, it’s all the same tour. The Never Ending Tour…
-Adrian Deevoy Interview (October 21, 1989)
Bob Dylan has later rejected to “Never Ending Tour” tag.
Don’t be bewildered by the Never Ending Tour chatter. There was a Never Ending Tour but it ended in 1991 with the departure of guitarist G. E. Smith.
-Bob Dylan (album sleeve notes to World Gone Wrong (1993))
..but many of us like this tag, and continue to refer to his endless touring since June 7, 1988 as “The Never Ending Tour”.
Bob Dylan and his band at Santa Barbara County Bowl, Aug 7, 1988 – picture by James Coffey
–
Mid May – early June 1988
Dylan rehearses for an extensive US tour at S.I.R. Studios, NY. The tour band initially consists of Marshall Crenshaw on six-string bass, G. E. Smith on guitar, and Christopher Parker on drums. After three or four days of re- hearsals, however, it is apparent that Crenshaw’s six-string bass does not fill the sound out enough, and Dylan decides to recruit a conventional bassist. …
Kenny Aaronson is assigned the task of fleshing out Dylan’s touring band as rehearsals continue at Montana Studios, NY . After a day of playing minus Dylan, Aaronson has just five days to learn the 60 songs that comprise the basic repertoire for a major summer tour.
-Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)
N.E.T. 1988 first leg is often labeled Interstate 88 – part 1. It started in Concord, California on June 7, 1988 & ended Santa Barbara, California ON August 7, 1988.. nice and clean.
This leg featured shows in California, Utah, Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Massachussetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, Canada, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas & Arizona.
No backup singers this year, no keyboards and no harmonica at all. A new year, a new sound. New friends, in the sense that old songs become new friends (to the performer) when their forms change because the players and the instrumentation and the musical environment (and the performer’s self-image) have changed.
…the 1988 shows had a basic format, a dramatic structure based on the alternation of electric (band) sets and acoustic sets. At Concord and at most of the shows for the rest of the year, Dylan and the band opened with “Subterranean,” then played five more electrified songs, followed by the band walking off stage and Dylan and Smith performing a three-song acoustic set, followed by the return of the band and three electric songs, the last of these a rousing show-closer (“Like a Rolling Stone” at Concord and most other nights in 1988). The audience would then play its part, calling for an encore, so the fourth and last set would be the encores.
– Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performance Artist 1986-1990 And Beyond)
Here are some music from Interstate 88 – part 1:
Concord Pavilion Concord, California 7 June 1988
The first N.E.T. song sets the tone…
After the years of big bands, string sections, horns and female backing singers, it must have been quite a shock to see Dylan take the stage flanked only by a three-piece band: Chris Parker on drums, G.E. Smith on lead guitar and Kenny Aaronson on bass. They looked and sounded like a band of rock and roll gangsters from the wrong side of the tracks. Neil Young was there too, though his presence was barely audible.
The opening show started with a shock as a fairly throaty Dylan sped through his first ever live performance of “Subterranean Homesick Blues”. This proved so successful an opener that it remained in the starting slot throughout 1988.
– Andrew Muir (One More Night: Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour)
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Here is the full show:
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Absolutely Sweet Marie
Masters Of War
You’re A Big Girl Now
Gotta Serve Somebody
In The Garden
Man Of Constant Sorrow (trad. arr. by Bob Dylan)
Lakes Of Pontchartrain (trad.)
Boots Of Spanish Leather
Driftin’ Too Far From Shore
Gates Of Eden
Like A Rolling Stone –
Maggie’s Farm
Cal Expo Amphitheatre Sacramento, California June 9, 1988
Two Soldiers (trad.)
–
Greek Theatre University Of California Berkeley, California June 10, 1988
San Francisco Bay Blues (Jesse Fuller)
–
Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View, California June 11, 1988
Man Of Constant Sorrow (trad. arr. Bob Dylan)
Yes, “Gates of Eden” from June 13th is extraordinary, and “The Lakes of Pontchartrain” from June 7th and “Two Soldiers” from June 9th and various other 1988 acoustic “cover” song performances are quite wonderful.
Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performance Artist 1986-1990 And Beyond)
Park West Park City Salt Lake City, Utah June 13, 1988
Riverbend Music Center Cincinnati, Ohio June 22, 1988
Wild Mountain Thyme (trad.)
–
Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center Canandaigua, New York June 28, 1988
Shelter From The Storm
Give My Love To Rose (Johnny Cash)
–
Let’s jump to the wonderful show @..
Jones Beach Theater Jones Beach State Park Wantagh, New York June 30, 1988
This is a wonderful soundboard recording.. crisp clear sound, and maybe my favourite 1988 Dylan bootleg.
This incredible sounding recording is being added to our ‘Must have’ boots section, as it is the best sounding show of the year.
–bobsboots.com
You’re A Big Girl Now
Boots Of Spanish Leather
All Along The Watchtower
–
Here is the full show:
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
You’re A Big Girl Now
Tangled Up In Blue
Masters Of War
I Shall Be Released
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
Lakes Of Pontchartrain (trad.)
A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
Eileen Aroon (Carolin O’Daly, arr. Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem)
Boots Of Spanish Leather
Silvio (Bob Dylan & Robert Hunter)
Gates Of Eden
Like A Rolling Stone –
The Times They Are A-Changin’
All Along The Watchtower
Maggie’s Farm
–
AND July 1 was also a GREAT show.
Jones Beach Theater Jones Beach State Park Wantagh, New York July 1, 1988
Here a lovely:
Simple Twist Of Fate
–
Forty different songs were played at the first 4 concerts & by the 15th show, 62 different songs had been played.
In 1988 Dylan played a total of 92 different songs in 71 shows.
–
Great Woods Performing Arts Center Mansfield, Massachusetts July 2, 1988
Pretty Peggy-O (trad. arr. Bob Dylan)
–
Dylan could also cover modern songs to similar dramatic effect. The pick of these was Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, unveiled in Montreal on July 8th, presumably as a tribute to the Canadian poet and songwriter. The way Dylan performed it made it sound like a brand new masterpiece of his own.
-Andrew Muir (One More Night: Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour)
Forum de Montréal Montréal, Quebec, Canada 8 July 1988