The Simpsons creator Matt Groenig once said he drew characters who are distinct and identifiable in silhouette. With the lights low at the Clyde Auditorium, as the band assembled around him, it was still clear to see that the wispy, slightly crumpled figure behind the upright piano in the centre of the stage was Bob Dylan.
His first visit to the city in May 1966 was a rowdy one, his decision to play with an electric guitar for the second half of the show had folk purists protesting with walkouts and heckles. The Herald reported chants of “we want Dylan”, to which he replied: “Dylan got sick backstage. I’m here to take his place.”
The fabled American musician stayed at the North British Hotel in George Square and there is footage of him with guitarist Robbie Robertson in the hotel room, playing an unreleased song What Kind Of Friend Is This? He looked slightly bewildered by the whole experience as he chatted to local kids the next day. You can see the clip here.
If I had wings and I could fly
I know where I would go
But right now I’ll just sit here so contentedly
And watch the river flow
Bob Dylan sold his entire back catalogue of recorded to Sony Music Entertainment at the start of the year, as well as the rights to multiple future releases, in a deal rumoured to be worth between $150m and $200m. Having divested himself of that astonishing collection of music, starting with his self-titled debut in 1962, this 21st Century Bob Dylan, cloaked in the aura of legacy, is content to play a show of bluesy beat poetry predominantly drawn from his 39th studio album, Rough and Rowdy Ways. It was released in 2020, a modern remastering of Americana.
Going to see Bob Dylan is like visiting Mount Rushmore or the Grand Canyon. There’s something monumental about a musician who has created a substantial chunk of the American Songbook. On stage, he’s the focal point of the band, starting as a husky murmur of word play and meaning, growing into a more substantial presence with insistent piano notes and that distinctive cadence.
I fuss with my hair, and I fight blood feuds
I contain multitudes
Every now and again there is a sliver of an impish smile. The voice grows stronger, the songs more fierce, Dylan as the outlaw, the preacher that knows what it’s like to be a sinner, the philosopher at the bar as Western civilization unravels. A rapt audience respond to I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight from 1967 record John Wesley Harding and To Be Alone With You from 1969’s Nashville Skyline.
Dylan reveals himself, gingerly shuffling from behind the piano to acknowledge applause from the audience. At 81 years of age he is a master of his art form, manifesting a live version of his Rough and Rowdy Ways album with a relevant, strident, eloquent performance.
Bob Dylan Set List: Glasgow 30 October 2022
Watching the River Flow
Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine
I Contain Multitudes
False Prophet
When I Paint My Masterpiece
Black Rider
My Own Version of You
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
Crossing the Rubicon
To Be Alone With You
Key West (Philosopher Pirate)
Gotta Serve Somebody
I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
That Old Black Magic (Johnny Mercer cover)
Mother of Muses
Goodbye Jimmy Reed
Every Grain of Sand