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
February 23 captures the third night in Budokan in excellent stereo with a minor tape flip in the middle. It is a good but nervous performance. Dylan himself sounds self-conscious and make several quips through the performance. Before “Love Minus Zero/No Limit,” commenting on a mistake in the lights, jokes “we left the light show home tonight” and after a sloppy “Like A Rolling Stone” he jokes “Thank you! We almost played that one right.”
The show comes to grand finale with nice versions of “The Man In Me,” “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” and especially “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” using the flute set to a reggae beat. The set ends with “Forever Young” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” It is a very good, but not classic, performance. They are still trying to learn the new arrangements and have not yet introduced any new songs to the set.
~collectorsmusicreviews.com
Nippon Budokan Hall Tokyo, Japan 23 February 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)
Rob Stoner (bass)
Bobbye Hall (percussion)
Ian Wallace (drums), Helena Springs, Jo Ann Harris, Debbie Dye (background vocals)
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
