Bob Dylan, Idiot Wind (Live)

Posted in Bob Dylan, Youtube Favs on August 3rd, 2011 by Willie

I’m not ready to leave this concert from May 23rd, 1976 at Hughes Stadium.  For this segment, Bob is leading his band through a scorching rendition of “Idiot Wind,” another track from Blood on the Tracks.  This live version is especially nasty the way Dylan just bashes his electric guitar and snarls every lyric.  The song is about his ex-wife Sara, at least according to Bob’s famous son Jakob.  Bob denied this, but Jakob famously said that the nastier tracks from Blood on the Tracks are, “my parents talking.”  It doesn’t matter, because again, Bob puts the universal touch in all his songs, and this song is no different. It’s a remarkable and scathing diatribe of broken love and bitter nostalgia, and its a great moment in rock and roll history. A true folk rock gem whose long running time shouldn’t scare anyone from playing it, and if you are, well, you’re an idiot.

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Bob Dylan, Shelter From the Storm (Live)

Posted in Bob Dylan, Youtube Favs on August 2nd, 2011 by Willie

The year was 1976, and Bob Dylan was in Colorado at Hughes Stadium singing one of his greatest songs ever, “Shelter From the Storm.”  Originally from Blood on the Tracks, the song was being filmed and recorded for Bob’s live record Hard Rain.  “Shelter From the Storm” is one of Bob’s most enduring poems.  Its a universal anthem that blithely crosses nostalgia with tall tales of true romance and bitterness.  The video below is taken from NBC’s hour long film of the concert and showcases what Dylan would  do in a live setting for the rest of career, namely never playing his classic songs the way you heard them on record.  This version of “Shelter From the Storm” is transformed from a somber acoustic ballad into an upbeat rocking rave.  It’s also a sight to see Bob play that incredibly unique electric guitar with a slide no less!  This is a wonderful rendition, and a must watch for fans of Bob’s middle eastern head gear phase.

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