Confident, cunning, and remarkably coherent, 84-year-old Bob Dylan offered a vintage performance at Glasgow’s SEC Armadillo, turning back the years—with laughter and tears. For the five years of the Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour, fans and critics alike have not hesitated to comment on Dylan’s relative unintelligibility and lack of audience engagement. Regardless of this, the Dylan on show in Glasgow was not the one of modern times, and more that of Modern Times, his tempestuous gravelly songs of experience yielding to a clearer (and more pleasant) warble. With zeal, Dylan launched into a rich—albeit relatively unchanged – setlist, complete with ’60s classics and songs from his newest album, Rough and Rowdy Ways.
His first two songs, ‘I’ll be Your Baby Tonight’ (replacing ‘All Along the Watchtower’ from last year’s setlist), and ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’, offered an acknowledgement of those in the crowd who came for his ‘hits’, but more importantly, they gave his voice a chance to come into its own. By the time the reflective ‘I Contain Multitudes’ and blues-rock ‘False Prophet’ had concluded, Dylan was belting out lyrics with sustained vibrato and bravado, his swagger carrying the sardonically bitter lyrics of his newer works.’His first two songs, ‘I’ll be Your Baby Tonight’ (replacing ‘All Along the Watchtower’ from last year’s setlist), and ‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’, offered an acknowledgement of those in the crowd who came for his ‘hits’, but more importantly, they gave his voice a chance to come into its own. By the time the reflective ‘I Contain Multitudes’ and blues-rock ‘False Prophet’ had concluded, Dylan was belting out lyrics with sustained vibrato and bravado, his swagger carrying the sardonically bitter lyrics of his newer works.
Coinciding with what seemed to be Dylan hitting his stride in terms of vocals and confidence, ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ was one of the best renditions of the night. Backed by a punchy double-bass, bouncing backing guitar riffs, and rutes drumming their own brushstrokes, Dylan retread his ancient footprints through a shrouded night along the Piazza di Spagna in real time. In many respects, the song’s new character—its simultaneously thumping and delicate nature, as well as Dylan’s live delivery – marks the culmination of over 60 years of illustration. Having begun as a vibrant swatch in 1971, the song has evolved into a sprawling mural, taking on eclectic coats of paint, blending lyrics from its original release version in 1971, The Band’s iteration, and Dylan’s 2023 Shadow Kingdom reworking. The harmonica solo, which typically emerges by the fifth song of the set, added finishing touches to the canvas, making the song – and the performance—more than worthy of its namesake.
A song later, another welcome surprise came as the band unveiled a brand-new arrangement for ‘My Own Version of You’, earning a standing ovation and frequent exclamations from the most attentive of fans. The new adaptation featured a subdued band, with Dylan playing a devious staccato on his baby-grand piano, synced to his list of ‘limbs and livers and brains and hearts’ needed for his experiment. The sing-songy crooning crescendo of the song was so melodic that it begged the question whether he was waiting for his voice to be as pristine as that night, before revealing his new version of the song.
Carrying his daring charisma, he also played to the crowd, asking through a sly grin “what would Julius Caesar do?”, and emphasising the “wee small hours” in a nod to the Scottish crowd.
Generally, the pacing of the show itself was a highlight. For those not expecting the rigid setlist, the performances followed a masterfully meandering and undulating path, his reimagined classics being interspersed with his newest work. Slower, more introspective songs, such as ‘Key West’, were followed by rougher and rowdier tracks, such as ‘Goodbye Jimmy Reed’, and a remarkable reworking of the 1965 classic ‘Desolation Row’, whose rhythmically determined performance evoked images of its “carnival” and “feast.” The closing track, ‘Every Grain of Sand’, immortalised by a mesmerising and prolonged harmonica solo, made for a touching farewell, and left the perfect final impression.
“Bob Dylan – Azkena Rock Festival 2010 2” by Alberto Cabello from Vitoria Gasteiz is licensed under CC BY 2.0.