Wading through the waters of religious subtext became an obsession for Bob Dylan. His works from Street Legal to now are steeped in his beliefs, some more obvious than others. Shot of Love and Slow Train Coming still linger in his mind even on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. This 2002 tour, was documented well by the thirteen-track Standing by God’s River bootleg. Absolute gold within. These recordings are crisp, clear and lifted from a booming tour of the world where Dylan felt it would be apt to throw in a few covers. His legendary performance of Something, a tribute to the late George Harrison and his fellow Traveling Wilburys member, is well placed as the closer for this bootleg. But move back to the start, where Seeing The Real You At Last awaits.
It is a keen opener of real and continued quality. Listen in, again and again, to those quality instrumentals. There is a sense of comfort to come from these bootleg additions – particularly for those who have heard Dylan live in the last two decades. Little has changed beyond the setlist and introduction of new materials. Standing by God’s River turns it up a notch, with a complete overhaul of these tapes and a crystal-clear quality worthy of a proper release. It even makes Empire Burlesque numbers sound interesting – a near-impossible feat. Follow-up I’ll Remember You is a wonderful piece too, the warbling tones of Dylan’s voice now are a solid draw, even if those in attendance may not be all that convinced by the croaky mumbles. They do set the scene, a push on for the classic numbers and covers that swirl around his latest tour appearances.
Standing by God’s River does not the Fall 2002 tour is not just old standards and covers though, the appearance of A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, in an unrecognisable form, is a crucial part of understanding where Dylan takes his live material. Reinventing it on the fly, changing his range and tempo, it is all part of keeping these songs interesting – more to the artist on stage than those in attendance. Early shots of this swinging fever which would later crop up on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour can be heard on Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread, an incredible deep cut which pays a nod to The Band. Keen ears will cry out for an uncovered Warren Zeaton cover. Accidentally Like a Martyr has an urgency to it from Dylan, whose fans may feel he is prophetic.
He has often dismissed it, or just refused to comment on it and fuelled an almighty fire. Standing by God’s River details Dylan as an artist desperate to return to the form he knows he is more than capable of. Closer Something still lingers on as one of the best covers Dylan has, and likely ever will, perform. It pays tribute to his Wilburys pal and longtime collaborator. There is a sense of anxiety to it, little flickers of choking up or even struggling to get through. No wonder it was a one-time treat. But that is the essence of talent, and likely the reason why Dylan likes to spring a surprise cover or two on unsuspecting audience members. It keeps a rigid set fresh in the modern day, and for Standing by God’s River, keeps Dylan moving as an interesting live artist.
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