"I've been seeing Bob perform since 1966. I've never seen him as good as he was during the Rolling Thunder tour" - Larry Sloman, Rolling Stone
Image: Source
Twirling a lustrous silver harmonica between his fingers, he approaches the microphone. The concert hall is tiny and filled to the brim. The sounds of violins, electric guitars, drums, and basses are captured, trapped within its walls. Under the spotlight, his face is slick with sweat and smudged white paint. His eyes, rimmed with black liner, are hidden beneath the brim of a gray hat adorned with an array of plumes and flowers. From his skinny frame explodes a deep, gravelly voice, every syllable drilling into the air. This is Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue.
Rolling Thunder Revue was an eclectic traveling caravan of musicians traversing the continent by candlelight, acoustic guitars strapped to their backs. Every night they would pitch their tent and enter the ring, dazzling crowds with their vocal acrobatics and guitar string balancing acts. At least, that's the imagery it provoked.
Somewhere between rockstar and ringmaster lay Bob Dylan. At its core, the Revue was Dylan’s attempt to return to the simplicity of performance. He had been swept up by the musical current and dragged into a sea of fame and fortune, but he never wanted that. What he wanted was to share his music with the world and to form connections with his audience. Yearning for the days of old, Dylan concocted a plan, taking a page from the centuries-old handbook of Italian commedia dell’arte troupes.
Dylan took on the role of the spellbinding circus king, rounding up a cast of characters and arranging a tour plucked out of a fairytale. The troupe would turn up mysteriously, rolling into small towns and holing up in their local venues for just a few days before vanishing as swiftly as they’d arrived. They provided no indication of their impending arrival, save for small paper handbills handed out the week before they rolled into town. Even performers were rarely alerted as to where their next stop would be.
To accountants, the tour could be seen as an outright failure. Only a year prior, Dylan had been selling out stadiums. Now, he insisted on selling out small-town concert halls. The profit margin had been reduced to virtually nothing.
Bob Dylan was, of course, the headliner of the tour. The bardic musician would paint his face white and rim his eyes in black eyeliner before taking to the stage. Atop his mess of unruly curls sat a custom-made Baron “Hannibal” hat, flat-brimmed and embellished with flowers and feathers. He exchanged his New York Chic wardrobe for vests and swaths of scarves, flared denim jeans, and leather boots. The most significant difference in Dylan, however, was his energy.
Dylan’s 1975 stage presence and vocals remain unparalleled. To say he was in his element would be an understatement - the King was reclaiming his crown. His fingers danced on a black and white electric guitar, his eyes darted wildly around the room, and his voice practically sailed out of him, erupting with strength and intensity. He ferociously ripped through his repertoire, spitting out each lengthy song like a machine gun. The veins in his neck bulged as he tore into "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" and "Romance in Durango," hardly ever stopping to take a breath. He was exuberant, filled with energy and liveliness night after night as he delivered never before heard material to a wonderfully bewildered audience. Without the burden of stardom, Dylan had bloomed like a rose.
Dylan cracks a smile - "He never felt or acted like he was the star of the show. He was just one of the gang."* | image: source
Dylan, however magnificent, was not the sole attraction on this tour, though. He was joined by an eclectic cast of characters, filled with rock stars and poets, folk singers and violinists, each with their own enchanting air and dazzling attributes. Rolling Thunder Revue brought together friend and foe, uniting them through the power of song. Joan Baez, Dylan’s former flame, sang by his side every night in perfect harmony. In days long gone, the couple had ruled as the King and Queen of folk. Baez had recognized Dylan's extraordinary talent long before the public had. She would often pull him on stage during her own shows, watching excitedly as she introduced the world to Bob Dylan. As Dylan’s popularity skyrocketed, however, he surpassed Baez in acclaim. He was hailed as the mouthpiece of a generation, inaugurated as a bona fide rockstar. Baez was left to observe from the sidelines.
Their relationship crashed and burned, but with the help of Rolling Thunder Revue, they were pulled back together. The raging storm had passed, allowing Dylan and Baez to forgive and forget. Their voices intertwined, unfurling into the air and blending as one in a manner only Bob and Joan could achieve. They were a pairing like no other, buzzing with electricity. This was how they would often open the second act of the show - two phantom voices ringing out into the night before the red velvet curtains would part to reveal Dylan and Baez, together at last. Dylan would then slip off the stage, giving Baez her moment to shine just as she used to do for him.
Much like Dylan, Baez had also been rejuvenated by the Revue. It seemed she had surrendered all inhibitions as she stood center stage and danced like no one was watching. Some nights she was another person altogether - she was Bob Dylan. Baez, too, would paint her face white and place a gray hat atop her head, adorning it with flowers. Starched white sleeves would peek out from under a black waistcoat, her neck wrapped in one of Dylan’s signature scarves. It was a sight to behold, but most nights she hit the stage as herself - the incomparable, effervescent, and occasionally haunting Joan Baez.
The tour was also joined by folk singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn, singer-songwriter Ronee Blakley, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Neuwirth. Neuwirth was a close companion of Dylan’s and not only a road manager, but a singer, songwriter, and producer. It was Neuwirth who had rounded up a whimsical lineup of backing musicians, although they seldom vanished into the background. These musicians included bassist Rob Stoner, drummer Howie Wyeth, glam-rock guitarist Mick Ronson (of David Bowie fame), and violinist Scarlet Rivera.
Scarlet was perhaps the most enchanting of the group, often stealing the show with her incredible skill and editorial looks. Rivera stepped on stage and, without lifting a finger, commanded the attention of the crowd. Her long black hair cascading down to her waist, her slim neck swimming in a sea of feathers, her bow gliding across the strings of her violin. She wore everything from prairie dresses to snakeskin boots, her face either fresh and clean or graced by dark lipstick and intricately drawn eyeliner. Her dominating presence was not for naught, as she was well on the road to becoming one of the most prolific violinists in history.
The most surprising figure on The Rolling Thunder Revue, however, has to be poet Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg had joined the tour eager to recite his poetry to the masses, but as the cast list grew, Ginsberg’s time slot dwindled until it was ultimately reduced to nothing. There are rumors, perpetrated by Martin Scorsese’s slightly fictionalized film adaptation of the tour, that Ginsberg was made to sling luggage instead. By all accounts, however, this appears to be false. Ginsberg did, however, get the opportunity to write poems for the weekly Rolling Thunder Revue newsletter, a weekly tradition started by road manager Chris O'Dell (yes, that Chris O'Dell, the former Apple secretary and friend of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, CSNY, and many, many more).
Scorsese’s film, aptly titled Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story, only adds to the air of mysticism that envelops this tour. The film blurs the lines between fact and fiction, myth and reality, pushing the boundaries beyond convention. Scorsese intermixes fictional figures with the original ones, superimposes them into photographs, and carefully cuts footage to create an entirely new narrative. It’s a nod to the days of the traveling trickster, charming the audience with performance and drama, luring them into a false reality. It’s a fascinating film with ingenious creativity that, without scrutiny, one would believe to be entirely true.
No other tour compares to the beguiling Rolling Thunder Revue. Caught somewhere between a circus, a traveling theater troupe, and a rock and roll concert, Rolling Thunder Revue is in a league of its own. It was another stroke of genius to befall Bob Dylan, who reaped the infinite rewards. Although always exceptionally talented, Dylan’s performance during this 1975 tour might just top anything else he has ever done.
Watch Dylan's Explosive Performance of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" Below!
References
https://time.com/5604841/bob-dylan-martin-scorsese-rolling-thunder-revue-true-story/ *
https://www.peele.net/blog/091015.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Thunder_Revue#Critical_responses_and_film
Scorsese, M (Director). (2019) Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (Film). Grey Water Park Productions
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