Bob Dylan – Germany 2002 Review

The performances of Bob Dylan following the turn of the century are littered with fascinating choices. Gone were the hit song expectations and in were the new crowds stunned by deep cuts, covers and whatever else he chose to throw out there on the night. There is an almost randomised sense to his work as of late, particularly the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour which lulled audiences with its stock of contemporary album material before throwing in a Chuck Berry cover here or a Grateful Dead overhaul there. It remains a fascinating time to be a Dylan fan, not least because listeners can haul themselves back in time, using one of the many soundboards out there. Germany 2002 may not seem like an above-average performance, but listen in and hear Dylan hit a groove of great form.  

Hot off the release of Love and Theft, Dylan is keen to display his widening discography. A couple of covers sprinkled within and it sounds like the man who covers I Am the Man, Thomas, is enjoying his time on stage. A receptive crowd, an in-form musician. Sometimes this is all we need to galvanise ourselves after a rough day. Or an annoying one. Germany 2002 is a dependable recording for it has some nice and mellow productions for classic tracks like The Times They Are A-Changin. It is a fiery performance. Perhaps one of the best experiences of the track from this century. Germany 2002 holds a beautiful mixture of deep cuts and essential tracks – feeding into one another with such a natural, entertaining form. Acoustic beauties take form in Boots of Spanish Leather and erupt into deeper cuts like Solid Rock and Moonlight, which benefit from bigger band momentum.  

But the real beauty comes from the revisions made to old material. Masters of War makes for a shocking addition, well received by the audience and worthy of such reception. Dylan appears to be having fun with a wildcard series of additions to this set, a series of songs with little connection beyond a want to be played. An encore to challenge even the best of the Dylan offerings features monumental performances of Like a Rolling Stone and Blowin’ in the Wind. Dylan reconnects with these tracks in fiery confidence, a few acoustic elongations throughout the set separate this one. Setting these performances apart from others is an easy feat for the band, who sound in fine form here.  

An effort is made throughout this set to keep contemporary relevance at the forefront yet bleed in the hits of his past. Dylan finds the balance well here and with it comes a consistency which would mark his career for the rest of his time on stage, now more than ever. Germany 2002 is a neat performance, a tight collection of his best works and in a sound quality remarkable for the time. Get your hands on this performance and remind yourself of the Love and Theft qualities. The shake-up they had not just on the contemporary tales Dylan would tell on stage but on the older works, the reinvention of the fundamentals, sounds marvellous. A triumphant series of performances heard within this one, and a real treat for the ears as expected.