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The Advance Man Who Announced Rolling Thunder to Small-Town America
"Bob came after me. He was restrained by a couple of security people."
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Part of what has made the Rolling Thunder Revue legendary was the spontaneity. In many cities, the shows would not be announced until a day or two before. Bob Dylan would play small theaters in out-of-the-way places, seemingly rolling into town on a whim to put on a show with his friends.
In the Scorsese documentary, you see footage of those shows being “announced.” It looks a lot like people handing out flyers to unsuspecting—and often skeptical—random locals walking by. Like this guy:
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One of the people in charge of announcing and selling these shows on such short notice was Jabez Van Cleef. He would travel a few days ahead of the tour, trying to get the word out that—surprise!—Bob Dylan was about to perform in their town (with Joan Baez and Roger McGuinn, no less). Van Cleef was what’s known in the biz as an advance man, arriving ahead of everyone else to get things set up and sell tickets.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Madison Square Garden finale—one of the few shows Van Cleef could actually attend, with no more upcoming dates to advance. We spoke a few months back about the tour’s strange setup, and what it was like going town-to-town spreading the word about these surprise Bob Dylan concerts.
Oh, and about the time Bob tried to start a fistfight with him.
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