You have five minutes to make an impression. In the case of Bob Dylan through the early 1990s, his confidence knocked and a resolute desire to make nothing but cover albums from there on, Petange 1993 is promising. His cover of Folsom Prison Blues is nothing short of riotous and sets up what becomes a burning highlight of a year building towards a mesmerising return to form. Try all you like to pinpoint that return, that flicker of burning brilliance again, but it came in little waves which, if it were not for those attending at the time recording and recovering the tapes, would be lost. Petange 1993 is a stellar set from Dylan where hit after hit is played through. But it all starts with Johnny Cash, a cover of his longtime friend and an indication the classics of the past were what he wanted to focus on.
Slowed instrumentals on If Not for You make all the difference for these live offerings. Dylan sounds like he is in tremendous vocal form and the guitar work surrounding him, those shimmering cymbals deployed towards the beginning of All Along the Watchtower, does an incredible job at building the mood. A reinvention of the instrumental scope for this classic track is what makes the difference – it is the change-up most of the classics receive on Petange 1993. They are a touch overpowering for Tangled Up in Blue but there is a song which works without excess. Impossible in the live environment for Dylan at this stage who, occasionally, would cower behind thick instrumental sections. His intentional drowning out of lyrical quality does not trouble a listener here and he cuts through with a fresh, sophisticated take on some of his all-time greats.
Kick on a little further, after some blinding performances of Shelter from the Storm and a rare outing of Jim Jones, to Mr. Tambourine Man. A song which has no doubt blessed the stage far more times than most, and yet it sounds revolutionary all the same. Still fresh, still exciting in its appearance and even in this form it provides a refreshing flourish to a set already stacked with exceptionally performed hits. A punchy turn for Dylan here who sings without octave changes or any real difference in his delivery line to line. Instead, he mashes on through, Mr. Tambourine Man delivered as a rushed poem with plenty of acoustic swagger. That is the joy of Petange 1993, subtle changes are all the rage here and the difference they make is astounding.
Those not-so-subtle instrumental changes are the very core of what keeps these bootlegs and live recordings so interesting. It feels reserved at times on Petange 1993, a bit of a rough and muted performance of It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, being the main casualty. But the rest of it is solid gold. Even in those slower moments, the shifting and often unconvinced acoustic selections sound charming in their daringness, their consistencies. Closer It Ain’t Me, Babe is preceded by a run-through of what can only be described as high-class Dylan essentials. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Highway 61 Revisited and a brief spot of Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35. All of it comes together in this neat and miraculous way, rejuvenating the man on stage just as much as it delights the crowd.
