They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones
’Twas then he felt alone and wished that he’d gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate
They walked along by the old canal
A little confused, I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burnin’ bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate
“Simple Twist Of Fate” is among Dylan’s finest songs and there many fantastic live versions available.
Here are 15.
First ever live performance @ WTTW-TV Studios Chicago, Illinois 10 September 1975:
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Scarlet Rivera (violin)
- Rob Stoner (bass)
- Howie Wyeth (drums)
Palace Theater
Waterbury, Connecticut
11 November 1975
- Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar)
- Bob Neuwirth (guitar)
- T-bone J. Henry Burnett (guitar)
- Roger McGuinn (guitar)
- Steven Soles (guitar)
- Mick Ronson (guitar)
- David Mansfield (steel guitar, violin, mandolin ,dobro)
- Rob Stoner (bass)
- Howie Wyeth (piano, drums)
- Luther Rix (drums, percussion)
- Ronee Blakeley (vocal)
Blackbushe Aerodrome
Camberley, England
15 July 1978
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Billy Cross (lead guitar)
- Alan Pasqua (keyboards)
- Steven Soles (rhythm guitar, backup vocals)
- David Mansfield (violin & mandolin)
- Steve Douglas (horns)
- Jerry Scheff (bass)
- Bobbye Hall (percussion)
- Ian Wallace (drums)
- Helena Springs, Jo Ann Harris, Carolyn Dennis (background vocals)
Paramount Theater
Portland, Oregon
3 December 1980
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Fred Tackett (guitar & mandolin)
- Willie Smith (keyboards)
- Tim Drummond (bass)
- Jim Keltner (drums)
- Clydie King, Carolyn Dennis, Regina McCrary (background vocals)
–
Meadowlands Brendan T. Byrne Sports Arena
East Rutherford, New Jersey
27 October 1981
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Fred Tackett (guitar)
- Steve Ripley (guitar)
- Al Kooper (keyboards)
- Tim Drummond (bass)
- Jim Keltner (drums)
- Arthur Rosato (drums)
- Clydie King, Regina McCrary, Madelyn Quebec (background vocals)
–
The Summit
Houston, Texas
12 November 1981
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Fred Tackett (guitar)
- Steve Ripley (guitar)
- Al Kooper (keyboards)
- Tim Drummond (bass)
- Jim Keltner (drums)
- Arthur Rosato (drums)
–
Piazza Grande
Locarno, Switzerland
5 October 1987
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar) with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
- Tom Petty (guitar)
- Mike Campbell (guitar)
- Benmont Tench (keyboards)
- Howie Epstein (bass)
- Stan Lynch (drums)
and with The Queens Of Rhythm: Carolyn Dennis, Queen Esther Marrow, Madelyn Quebec (backing vocals)
A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walkin’ by the arcade
As the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin’ up,
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate
He woke up, the room was bare
He didn’t see her anywhere
He told himself he didn’t care, pushed the window open wide
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate
Radio City Music Hall
New York City, New York
19 October 1988
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- G. E. Smith (guitar),
- Kenny Aaronson (bass)
- Christopher Parker (drums)
–
Le Zenith
Paris, France
23 February 1993
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar)
- John Jackson (guitar)
- Tony Garnier (bass)
- Winston Watson (drums & percussion)
–
Shoreline Amphitheater
Mountain View, California
26 September 1998
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar)
- Larry Campbell (guitar)
- Tony Garnier (bass)
- David Kemper (drums & percussion)
–
Reno Hilton Theater
Reno, Nevada
17 March 2000
Early show
- Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
- Charlie Sexton (guitar)
- Larry Campbell (guitar, mandolin, pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar)
- Tony Garnier (bass)
- David Kemper (drums & percussion)
He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailors all come in
Maybe she’ll pick him out again, how long must he wait
Once more for a simple twist of fate
People tell me it’s a sin
To know and feel too much within
I still believe she was my twin, but I lost the ring
She was born in spring, but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate
–
Jahrhunderthalle
Frankfurt, Germany
6 November 2003
- Bob Dylan (vocal & piano)
- Freddie Koella (guitar)
- Larry Campbell (guitar, mandolin, pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar)
- Tony Garnier (bass)
- George Recile (drums & percussion)
–
Spektrum Oslo
Norway 30 June 2011
- Bob Dylan (vocal & keyboard)
- Stu Kimball (guitar)
- Charlie Sexton (guitar)
- Donnie Herron (violin, mandolin, steel guitar)
- Tony Garnier (bass)
- George Recile (drums & percussion).
–
KunstRasen Gronau
Bonn, Germany
4 July 2012
- Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar, grand piano & keyboard)
- Stu Kimball (guitar)
- Charlie Sexton (guitar)
- Donnie Herron (violin, mandolin, steel guitar)
- Tony Garnier (bass)
- George Recile (drums & percussion).
–
Spektrum
Oslo, Norway
10 October 2013
- Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar, grand piano & keyboard)
- Stu Kimball (guitar)
- Charlie Sexton (guitar)
- Donnie Herron (violin, mandolin, steel guitar)
- Tony Garnier (bass)
- George Recile (drums & percussion).
Check out:
- Bob Dylan live 1970 – 1979 (videos & audio)
- Bob Dylan: 7 essential videos from the 70’s
- Bob Dylan: Live 1980 – 1989 (Video & audio)
- Bob Dylan: 8 essential videos from the 80’s
- Bob Dylan concert videos/audio from 1990 – 1995 @ alldylan.com
- Bob Dylan: Concerts & Videos from 1996 – 1999 @ Alldylan.com
- Bob Dylan: 10 concert videos you MUST see from the 90’s
- Bob Dylan live 2000 – 2009 (videos & audio)
- Bob Dylan live 2010 – 2014 (videos & audio)
- –
- Karl Erik’s expectingrain.com
- Olof’s “Still On The Road“
-Egil
Somehow… whenever I think of this song or see the title I think of Joan Baez singing… pity there isn’t a duet of the two of them together because I always think the song was written about their relationship ending!
Ah Yes!! Beautiful. I found it here too.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTc5ODcxNzA4.html
How about the version from the John Hammond TV special in ’75?
Thanks for your comment Gerry.
The Hammond-75 version is indeed a great version, better than most/all in this post.
This was not a “top 10” list.. just 10 great versions that I found on youtube.
Here it is (not from youtube… but some russian site)
Ah Yes, great vocal here and cool little Martin he’s playing. Thanks for putting this up.