Fall 2002: Bob Plays the Piano and Covers His Peers
2002-11-01 Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL / 2002-11-13 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
By random coincidence, this month I have two subscriber requests for two November 2002 shows a couple weeks apart.
One a famous and beloved show, the other a lesser-known gem.
So I thought I’d do ‘em both in one newsletter. First I’ll check in on where Dylan was at during the Fall 2002 tour
So I thought I’d do ‘em both in one newsletter. First I’ll check in on where Dylan was at during the Fall 2002 tour
and see what these shows share in common. Then I’ll share some individual highlights from each show.
Bob Dylan in Fall 2002
The big news: This is the first piano tour! Well, partially. Up until this tour—like, his entire career—Dylan almost entirely
played guitar onstage. Soon after this tour—for the next twenty-plus years and counting—he almost entirely played piano.
But, for this transitional tour, he picked a middle ground. Every show was half piano, half guitar. He switched back and forth all night. It makes less difference on the tapes than you might think. While you can hear the piano if you listen, it’s not yet very prominent. Perhaps the main change is you get a lot fewer aimless Bob guitar solos, and more space for the two hotshot guitarists flanking him to stretch out (including, in Larry Campbell’s case, playing a lot of instruments other than guitar).
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