We carried you in our arms
On Independence Day
And now you’d throw us all aside
And put us on our way
Oh what dear daughter ’neath the sun
Would treat a father so
To wait upon him hand and foot
And always tell him, “No?”
Tears of rage, tears of grief
Why must I always be the thief?
Come to me now, you know
We’re so alone
And life is brief
Palais Des Sports
Besançon, France
4 July 1994
Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar)
Being on tour is like being in limbo. It’s like going from nowhere to nowhere.
~To John Rockwell, Jan 1974
Rimbaud has been a big influence on me. When I’m on the road and want to read something that makes sense to me, I go to a bookstore and read his words.
~To Neil Hickey, Sep 1976
..maybe, the end of the first Rolling Thunder tour. Or the second Rolling Thunder tour – at least I was doing the best I could in the environment I was in… And now I’m also doing the best I can within this environment
~to Craig McGregor, March 1978
I played acoustical songs on that band tour in ‘74, but I pushed too hard. I played acoustical guitar on the Rolling Thunder tours, but I had to push too hard. And for my type of style I can’t really afford to push too hard, because I lose the reason behind the song. If you heard me sittin’ in a room singing I wouldn’t be pushing too hard.
~to Craig McGregor, March 1978
Here are 7 videos you absolutely need to see. They are chosen for their historical significance and/or blistering performances.
1. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
1 August 1971 Afternoon concert
My love she speaks like silence
Without ideals or violence
She doesn’t have to say she’s faithful
Yet she’s true, like ice, like fire
People carry roses
Make promises by the hours
My love she laughs like the flowers
Valentines can’t buy her
Well, your railroad gate, you know I just can’t jump it
Sometimes it gets so hard, you see
I’m just sitting here beating on my trumpet
With all these promises you left for me
But where are you tonight, sweet Marie?
A show famous for all the people dancing on stage/stage diving on many songs, this one included.
Five Flags Center Arena
Dubuque, Iowa
12 November 1996
Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar)
Not a good video, but a video none the less. The sequencing is all messed up, the video starts with “Like A Rolling Stone”, “All Along..” and then goes backwards from “Ballad Of A Thin Man”… it’s kind of a mess. Despite all of this, it’s interesting at least for some of us 🙂
Sports Grounds
RMIT University
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
10 April 2011
I’m beginning to hear voices and there’s no one around
Well, I’m all used up and the fields have turned brown
I went to church on Sunday and she passed by
My love for her is taking such a long time to die
I’m waist deep, waist deep in the mist
It’s almost like, almost like I don’t exist
I’m twenty miles out of town in cold irons bound
Pauley Pavilion
UCLA
Los Angeles, California
22 May 1998
Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar)
Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar)
