Bob Dylan – Rock of Ages Review

Step aside, Tom Cruise. Rock of Ages, this is not. Long before the jukebox musical comedy filled screens across the globe, Bob Dylan was on the stage covering it. No, not the Def Leppard song, though it would make for a fascinating sight. Naturally, this is a Christian hymn and with Dylan at the helm, it becomes a cool, country-like creation. Should it be the words of Augustus Toplady on stage, then Dylan has reached deep into the back catalogue of old hymns and revitalised the literal rock. It should be no surprise for those who have attended gigs of Dylan over the last decade. Rock of Ages slots into the set with the usual expectation of faith-based ruminations. But the strongest work Dylan could offer his audience should he want to pay tribute to his faith is his own. 

He would figure this for the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, where False Prophet and Gotta Serve Somebody would make up the core of his set. There should be no surprise for listeners who find Dylan covering this Toplady hymn. Brutality and self-reflection flow through the track, an appealing commentary for Dylan to provide his audience at the time. Flickers of hindsight burn through this performance as he seemingly realises these are the songs he should have slotted into place during the Saved and Shot of Love tours. Traditionals and classic numbers where it is hard to trace the source have almost replaced the classics and hits we would expect of an artist in their twilight years. But Dylan, like all self-respecting contemporary artists, is keen to mould the set to his fascinations and not to what an audience wants.  

It marks a great strength of the live sets between 1999, when this performance took place, and now. Rock of Ages gives Dylan a chance to deliberate the sin and guilt, a chance to expel them on the stage. Yet even with the religious equilibrium, faith or no faith, listeners can get something from this. Be it the guitar style and structure around lyrics serialised hundreds of years ago or the heartfelt display from Dylan, there is much to love about this piece. A cool and enjoyable track with considerable merit when lined up with the context of these covers and how frequently Dylan would rely on them. It is an understandable inclusion in the setlist and seems delightful, if a bit light. The covers Dylan includes in most of his tours are well-considered, and this one feels well-placed. 

No, it is not a cover of The Band. Their live album Rock of Ages, while excellent, did not have a song of the same name. We can pin this Dylan cover as a fine cover of a Christian hymn. Extracting the desire for purity and an escape from wrath and greed gives it the old-school damnation. Paired with some neat acoustics and a little leg shake seen in the video of this performance, it feels like a relaxed inclusion. Dylan has often been moved to include the hymns of his youth in live performances. We can assume this is one of them. Or, at the very least, is a track, one of many, which has affected Dylan in the earliest days of his writing career. Maybe even at the turn of Slow Train Coming. Who knows. Whatever the case, this marks a very fine cover.