Bob Dylan – Friend of the Devil Review

After a triple of religious album experiences it is safe to assume Bob Dylan is no friend of the Devil. But he is a friend of the Grateful Dead and covers of their tracks were frequent to his tours long before he overhauled their discography single-handedly on the recent Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. Take a few steps back in time, shuffle along to the early 2000s and embrace the rise in popularity Dylan was still riding after the release of Time Out of Mind. He would continue with Love and Theft yet find space for covers of his favourite songs, the work of close friends brought to the stage with the croaky, cool style he would engage with for twenty-four years and counting. Friend of the Devil certainly benefits from the newfound range of Dylan, a man with nothing to prove at this point yet hellbent on doing so anyway.  

A track settling into the setlist in 1998 and 1999 (but making a roaring appearance on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour too), Friend of the Devil is a grand chase song. It has made for a wonderfully consistent feature in a setlist sometimes looking for a bit of an extra punch. The 1999 and 2022 performances are the best of the bunch. Those hollers and whoops from a crowd realising Dylan is paying another stylish tribute to The Grateful Dead is a delight as is the performance itself. Friend of the Devil sounds exceptional. There is a liveliness to this 1999 performance lacking in other cover work Dylan would provide. Plenty of musicians have given Friend of the Devil a crack but few have come close to the casual fear at the heart of it. It is what presents the Dylan version as a notable cover – better than the exceptional Tom Petty, Elvis Costello and Jack Elliott covers.  

Naturally moved by the track but there is a layer of newfound intimacy to the Dylan recording given his close ties to the band in the decade prior. Dylan and the Dead may be a lull in each of their careers but the trades of faith and respect in these covers over the years have been a wonderful sound. Acoustic integrity is the real draw of this 1999 cover, while those constant whoops from the crowd add an extra, necessary volume. Friend of the Devil makes for a neat appearance on the Rough and Rowdy Days tour with a similarly warm reception but less of a focus on the guitar work, instead a switch to the blues-rock-like focus of the tour. At its core, it is the Dylan vocal range which keeps the song spirited and lively.  

Strong vocal performances in both instances of this track and a classic addition which gets an outing more than most Dylan covers. Friend of the Devil remains a booming, wonderful track and having the 1999 version bleed into the 2022 performance is a delight. The earlier performance is stronger but that may just be the love for acoustic range and crowd involvement. Friend of the Devil sounds much-loved whenever it appears on the live sets and rightly so, it calls back to an underachieving period in the careers of The Grateful Dead and Dylan, both now setting it right. Giving the track a chance to breathe and grow after a few years of rough work is certainly the right move, and the reverence held for it and the performer is a perfect blur.