THE GREAT MUSIC EXPERIENCE II
“I'm used to measuring my audiences in hundreds of millions,” Tony Hollingsworth jokes. When the British entertainment super-producer puts together a show, he goes big. Really big. He’s produced nine of the world’s largest global broadcasts outside of sports. His two celebrations of Nelson Mandela at Wembley Stadium were broadcast to over 500 million people apiece. His staging with Roger Waters of The Wall at the site of the recently-fallen Berlin Wall aired on TV in 100 different countries.
And, in 1994, he booked Bob Dylan for another one of his television spectaculars.
If you’re a big Dylan fan, you might have seen the YouTube clips of Bob singing with an enormous Japanese orchestra. This is, as best I can tell, the only time Dylan has ever performed with an orchestra—a 64-piece orchestra, no less, alongside musicians playing replicas of eighth-century instruments. He sang three songs: “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” “I Shall Be Released,” and “Ring Them Bells” (then reprised “Released” in an all-star finale).
I’d seen the YouTube clips, but I didn’t really know what the context for them was. So, in anticipation of the 30th anniversary today, I called up Tony (pictured below) to talk me through it. . . . . .
read on here at Flaggin’ Down the Double Es
The Great Music Experience, Nara, Japan 1994 (Full Concert) 2:56:22
Birthday wishes to Bob - Like a Rolling Stone, just keeps on rolling.
ReplyDeleteIndeedily doodly Dell!
ReplyDeleteand THANKS as ever for dropping by
Did you listen to the Nara concert Dylan bits?
I find them so moving . . . . especially Hard Rain . . . works so well globally somehow!