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Barolo, Italy 16.07 the best Bob Dylan bootleg from 2012 according to Hallgeir

From The Collisioni Festival website:
“For three days a small village on the top of the hills turns into an open air non-stop stage where the audience attend lectures, readings and concerts for three days and live together in the magical mood of a small village in the hills. The concert arena is placed in the natural amphitheatre of the main village square, surrounded by the ancient vineyards of the five “grand crus of wine” Barolo. Collisioni is the biggest literature and music event in Piedmont organized with the grant aid of the Piedmont Region to promote culture and art.”

Forgetful Heart:

“The statue of an Oscar with two bracelets hanging down particularly inspires Bob or maybe it’s the wine of my country or something like that, but he was in a really great mood. The grand piano has added something to the concert avoiding the monotony of last autumn’s concerts. The band touched the perfection in many moments of the show, and sometimes went beyond. George Recile specially, he looked kissed by the Music’s God. The same disastrous beginning of ever, with Bob forgetting the words of Leopard skin, but then something happened, and Simple twist of fate was the most beautiful live performance I’ve ever seen, and the saddest one as it has to be. Great a Hard rain’s gonna fall, desperate and persuasive until the last rhymes, when Bob gave a breath of hope to humanity and the crowd with such an energetic finale.”
– Roberto Destefanis (Bob Links)

Other entries in this series:
My Favourite Bob Dylan bootleg from 1962: The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan Outtakes
My Favourite Bob Dylan bootleg from 1969: The Dylan / Cash Sessions
My Favourite Bob Dylan bootleg from 2011: Funen Village, Odense, Denmark June 27

I’ve played this concert a lot. It’s an audience recording but it has an above average sound quality. What separates this concert from the other 2012 bootlegs for me are the way the songs are performed. I’ve seen and heard enough Dylan concerts to know that the unexpected is normal, but sometimes it just “comes together”.  This night in Barolo is one of those night when it all clicked and the whole concert became something special.

The songs are not radically altered but the changes that are done are very welcome. The subtle changes are well executed, some songs are slowed down and some are more swing and “barn dance” oriented. It just sounds like a fun night out. My experience is that when Dylan gives Charlie Sexton some room to flourish the band benefits, the concert gets lifted to a higher level.

Many of the slowed down songs has an ominous tone, especially Forgetful Heart, Ballad of a Thin Man and It’s all over now Baby Blue. The videos from YouTube give a hint of what the bootleg is like, but the sound is so much better on the discs. Search the web for it, it is a great package.

Ballad of a Thin Man:

Godfather Records have called this boot, The Day Of Wine And Roses. It’s a sublime release with much to sink yourself into. The bonuses are good as well. Remember, don’t pay for bootlegs, buy the official releases and search for bootlegs on the internet.

Oh, how I would have loved being there, drinking a glass of Barolo and watching Bob Dylan and the band at the top of their game.

Things have changed:

Set list from Bob Links:
Barolo, Italy
Collisioni
July 16, 2012

1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Bob on keyboard)
2. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue(Bob on grand piano with harp, Stu on acoustic guitar)
3. Things Have Changed (Bob center stage with harp, Stu on acoustic guitar)
4. Tangled Up In Blue (Bob center stage with harp then on grand piano, Stu on acoustic guitar)
5. Honest With Me (Bob on grand piano, Stu on acoustic guitar)
6. Spirit On The Water (Bob on grand piano with harp, Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass)
7. The Levee’s Gonna Break (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on electric mandolin)
8. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall (Bob on grand piano,Donnie on electric mandolin, Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass)
9. High Water (For Charley Patton)(Bob center stage with harp then on grand piano, Donnie on banjo, Tony on standup bass)
10. Simple Twist Of Fate (Bob on guitar, Stu on acoustic guitar)
11. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob on guitar, Stu on acoustic guitar)
12. Highway 61 Revisited (Bob on grand piano)
13. Forgetful Heart (Bob center stage with harp, Donnie on violin,Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass with bow)
14. Thunder On The Mountain (Bob on grand piano)
15. Ballad Of A Thin Man(Bob center stage with harp, then on grand piano and back to center stage with harp)
16. Like A Rolling Stone (Bob on grand piano)
17. All Along The Watchtower (Bob on grand piano)

(encore)
18. Blowin’ In The Wind (Bob on grand piano then center stage with harp, Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass)

– Hallgeir