Liam Clancy speaks beautifully of Bob Dylan, where he praises the “fantastic” setlist of talent the Like a Rolling Stone singer holds. Like any tribute concert for an artist still alive, the request for this person or that player to be on stage and present is the artist’s discrepancy. After a John Mellencamp butchering of Like a Rolling Stone, it is hard to hold faith in the rest of the performances. Hold firm, Dylan fans, Johnny Cash and The Band are just around the corner. Thankfully so, because as it turns out it is very hard to shore up a cover of a track from one of the greatest living performers. No small feat, Bob Dylan – 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration features artists bold enough to try and make these tracks their own.
Wavering between a karaoke tribute and a brilliant and touching cover, Bob Dylan – 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration is a mixed bag through no fault of its own. Every delicate Cash and Carter cover is a piece that feels as though time is against it. An artist that may waver somewhat on the memory as one of the greats, or someone that just doesn’t hold their own. Eddie Vedder and Lou Reed open the early segments of this setlist with some solid work, covers of Masters of War and Foot of Pride respectively. There is little to be missed, though. For some time the highlight is that of Stevie Wonder’s Blowin’ in the Wind, and then Kris Kristofferson comes out to rescue the audience.
But it falls under the protective guise of tribute and therefore cannot truly be hated all that much. They are giving it their best shot knowing full well that their vocals are best reserved elsewhere, away from Bob Dylan covers. Some tracks are mangled by fear, and other pieces are worked through well by the likes of Eric Clapton, George Harrison and The Band. The key here, though, is that the best of performances to this tribute set is carried out by those most intimate with the man they cover. Harrison had the chance to work with Dylan on The Traveling Wilburys pieces, as did Tom Petty. Willie Nelson and Cash, well, the influences traded between them are obvious. Neil Young’s rendition of All Along the Watchtower is a highlight that opens the set up into some stronger works after so long spent with those not up to the task of covering Dylan’s work.
It is bold and creative enough to warrant a watch, though. Whether or not it is worth sticking around to hear Dylan perform My Back Pages with Young, Clapton, Petty and Harrison is another question entirely. There is a sense of short-change despite the bombastic level of quality on display and scattered throughout. As fitting a tribute as ever to the monumental work Dylan carried out over all those years, there is a sense that he would want to be anywhere else but here. Worth it to see the Johnny Winter cover of Highway 61 Revisited and the collection of musical talent on the stage all at once toward the latter stages of the show. It is impressive just how many pieces of talent are scattered across the stage, and just how few of them are left.
