Bob Dylan – Beyond Here: Unreleased Live Recordings, Spring 2016: Act Two Review

There is a certain beauty in discarding the classics. Bob Dylan found the strength to do so on this tour. Beyond Here: Unreleased Live Recordings, Spring 2016, features all the usual draws of an unofficial bootleg. Clarity rings through this piece as Dylan relies on tracks that would inspire him to make Triplicate. A few classics wade on through but this second act of 2016 performances is built on the classics which would soon divide audiences. Clamour as we do for original material, it is not like Dylan was thoroughly against new ideas. His work in the studio was an exercise in refinement, as was his time on stage as he slipped slowly into this swinging balladeer image. 

Opening track High Water is unlike anything Dylan has provided. A wonderful performance of the Love and Theft rip brings about a subtle charm. This is not any ordinary Dylan performance. He has blurred the newfound focus on percussion with a country twang featuring in the guitar work. A warmth within High Water and follow-up Why Try to Change Me Now will keep you going. Gloriously optimistic and touching work from both tracks provides a duo of best-ever performances. Sentimental curiosities on Why Try to Change Me Now instil the tear-jerking heartbreaks of Frank Sinatra. Shadows in the Night remains an underrated gem of Dylan’s discography but at least it is paid its dues on the stage. This is an unofficial bootleg almost entirely reliant on these covers. It marks a departure from Act One which holds firm with a few consistent live performances.  

Credit to Thousand Highways, the experience is that of a smoke-filled jazz lounge. A seasoned veteran lays out the influential tracks of his formative years. It is quite remarkable. An essential album for slowly fading in and out of connection in your living room, swirling a drink and hopping up every four minutes to hit play on the next track. Media player auto-play remains an elusive, almost impossible triumph of technology. Still, we can enjoy the freedom of a few minutes on the riotous Spirit on the Water. Modern Times paid its dues and an almost complete transition away from the hits of his high point is removed. Blowin’ in the Wind is the only one featured and is given a marvellous string overhaul. It may as well be a different song entirely.  

Bootleg closer Love Sick remains a marvellous experience. It is heavy on the originals in the latter half but chooses tracks which, ultimately, are not too popular. Not with the average attendee, anyway. A strong selection regardless and a wonderful flurry of what makes Dylan an intense stage presence. It features frequently in these unofficial bootleg compilations and makes for an exceptional stopper – a reliable live track from many periods of the Never Ending Tour. It’s thunderous stuff from an artist not far off releasing what would be one of the finest late-stage career albums of all. First came Triplicate but it is hard not to love the experiences Dylan is putting on the stage here. Beyond Here has a broader feel than its first act and focuses on the rarities, deep cuts and differing recording styles. There is success in this and a great joy to have with the live recordings collected from a remarkable Spring tour. 

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