15th May 1966, Bob Dylan and the Hawks played the De Montfort Hall, Leicester.
On this day in 1966, Bob Dylan and the Hawks played the De Montfort Hall, Leicester. Another very strong show, and another crowd mixed with cheers and jeers. The show was reviewed for the Illustrated Chronicle by David Sandison (who later went on to work as A&R man for Island Records). Sandison clearly noticed where Dylan’s energy lied in the show – the second half.
‘I was a bit bored with the first half of Dylan’s show, with its subdued, hushed quality and the church-like reverence afforded the poet. Dylan looked slightly fed up with the whole affair and got so hung up on one phrase during his ‘Tambourine Man’ harp solo that I’m sure he was mocking the audience. I know I laughed at it. But what a contrast when Bob Dylan, the shouting electric poet with his all-steam rave band, jumped on the stage for the second half! …
After months of waiting to see whether The Group were as good as recent Dylan albums suggest, those who did stay to listen heard the good news: Dylan has a great band to support him and help him develop as he obviously wants to. … He has grown up and out of the missionary zeal that was so much a feature of his early career. Perhaps those who spoiled the De Montfort Hall concert will also mature in time and realise that their prejudice is almost as great as the prejudices Dylan used to campaign against.’
Here’s that ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ harmonica solo Sandison refers to, recorded at Leicester that night
. #Dylan66 #JUDAS
Read more about the whole tour in JUDAS! by Clinton Heylin: http://www.route-online.com/all-books/judas.html
No comments:
Post a Comment