Well the future for me is already a thing of the past
~Bob Dylan – Bye & Bye (Love & Theft, 2001)

[about destiny] It’s a feeling you have that you know something about yourself that nobody else does – the picture you have in your mind of what you’re about will come true.
~Bob Dylan (June 12, 2005 interview with Ed Bradley)

Probably Dylan’s finest concert since the last night at Earl’s Court three years earlie. The band is now accustomed to Dylan but not jaundiced by endless performances, while Dylan is in excellent voice throughout. At the end of the main set, he is not at all anxious to leave the stage.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)

Playing his first show in Newcastle in 18 years, and to an English-speaking audience for rhe first time on this tour, Dylan clearly enjoys the experience. One highlight is a lengthy “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” Dylan’s harmonica dueling with Santana’s guitar. The next day the Newcastle Evening Chronicle proclaims that, “Dylan the magician had breathed the kiss of life all over his work.” The concert is recorded officially, and “License to Kill” and “Tombstone Blues” both feature on Real Live.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)

Three years on, Dylan returns to this relatively intimate venue, and, although the acoustics remain poor, he presents a high-energy show. After concluding the main set with a version of “Slow Train,” he returns with the Heartbreakers and Roger McGuinn (who has opened all the shows) for a fine version of “Chimes of Freedom,” Dylan singing the first and last verses, and Mr. McGuinn the second. The second encore is “Gotta Serve Somebody.”
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)