Bob Dylan - Live At The Royal Albert Hall 1966
Bob Dylan turns villain as his famous electric period is showcased on 'Live at The Royal Albert Hall' although it was actually recorded at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. This concert took place on the 17th of May, 1966 making today the 55th anniversary of that particular concert.
The gig is split into two notable halves, the first half being acoustic and the second half electric. In an opposite way to his 1965 release 'Bringing It All Back Home'. The crowd are in adoration for the first half and then things pick up a bit. It gets loud as Dylan's backing band, The Hawks who would later change their name to The Band, join him on stage. Tell Me Momma brings new life in proto-punk fashion and is met with hostility. Discontent and feelings of abandonment hang in the air. Remarks from the crowd that went as far as calling Dylan Judas! ensue. They saw his electric period as turning his back on the folk community and his roots. Selling out is usually the term used. Visionaries cant be held back however. Stick to your own game. Play for the long-term victory. Raucous closing track 'Like A Rolling Stone' is met with applause as if people had finally come around to what Dylan was doing.
Dylan doesn't get enough credit for the intricacies of his playing. He has quite the delicate touch and awareness of the ebb and flow of his lyrical content to match. This at least ties in with the first half of the concert as he is on his one and only. His vocal performance and guitar-work go hand in hand to complete the highly influential signature sound.
"My electric guitar never goes out of tune" Dylan says sounding ultimately fed up with the limitations and expectations placed upon his work.
"It used to be like that but now it goes like this. The times are changing influenced this song". He's referencing himself as a point of influence. Some would call it cocky or even self-centered but when you’re the one moving things forward it must be a necessary thing.
In an ironic way most people wouldn’t see progress if it stood right in front of them. The whole "we paid 5 pounds to see you play and you’re not playing what we want" mindset is dangerous to a degree. It's nice to see a band come out and blow the venue away with their most known set but you have to appreciate it when someone defies the odds and switches it up a little. I've personally been to many gigs where expectations weren't met but in retrospect they shone a new light on their output. The most recent of my experiences with this was with black midi. They decided to play pretty much all new and unreleased material and after the gig people were upset and complaining to the sound engineers, as if it was their decision. Looking back on it it was a move by a young band who believe in themselves and are an enigmatic act. I understand that it was a different time and place but the principals remain the same.
May 17th, 1966.
