Those post-Love and Theft performances are stellar. There is an increase in the quality of Bob Dylan on stage around this time, and thankfully, be it with the Expecting Rain compilations or these full live show tapes, there is ample material to show just how brilliant a live show Dylan could provide in the new century. Things have changed since this 2003 performance, and while Dylan may incorporate those classics into his setlist still, the mood here is to adapt classics into a new sound. To Be Alone With You may be ripped from Nashville Skyline, an album where Dylan visits a vocal style he would never touch again, but the very fabric of the song has a rocking fundamental. It is that sound which Dylan pursues during these live shows, and the performance with his band at Pines Theatre, 2003, is a fine example of how those classics are modernised.
An effective instrumental flourish, a staggered but still cool vocal performance, this show has it all. The Times They Are A-Changin’ is given similar treatment. Quality is assured. Constant, too. The change-up from The Times They Are A-Changin’ to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, is sweet. The latter song may be a bit of a plain sailing lyrical piece but the emotive guitar playing from Freddie Koella and Larry Campbell is nothing short of beautiful. It elevates a song of lesser emotive tones, but such is the case for that Love and Theft throwaway. Harmonica brilliance follows, and it soon becomes clear this performance is all about the individual moments, rather than the collective experience. A nice change of pace given the overlap so often heard in those clear-cut performances. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight is the clear example of this, while the follow-up song Things Have Changed keeps relatively close to its studio charms, albeit with some obvious vocal changes.
Those moments of reforming classic songs come to a head here, and it showcases the band sometimes winning the fight to deliver not what fans want, but what they know. There is no doubt going against the perception of what the listener wants is the right thing to do. Artists are not in service of an audience but themselves, whatever power provides them with the ability to create. For whatever reason, the band wins out on Tangled Up in Blue, with Dylan conforming to the straightforward style. There are no drifts into solo instrumental work on show here, nor are there moments of change from Dylan, who seems reserved but plays up to the expectation set by the rest of the band. It marks a change from earlier moments in the performance, which hears Dylan change the inflexion of his voice, and thus control the instrumental style.
It happens again on Like a Rolling Stone, though is to be expected of those classic tracks. Keeping them interesting for the band, the audience, and himself, comes through making those big changes. They are difference-makers which stand the test of time. It makes these performances exciting to return to, but also highlights the quality of Dylan as a performer with a trick or two up his sleeve. Whether contemporary audiences appreciate those flickers, that desire to constantly toy with the very fabric of a song, is perhaps tertiary to the choice itself. Every step could lead to a next-level performance, and that is what matters. Grunting away on Like a Rolling Stone is tricky to defend, but it makes sense in the context of the times. Bob Dylan and His Band at Pines Theatre, 2003, is an exemplary performance. One of many in the well-performed, solid tour stock.
