You can never truly prepare for which artist Bob Dylan will pay tribute to, and when. Over thirty years on from the death of John Lennon proves to be the right time for Dylan to lay out the influence and love he had for The Beatles member. Their overlap in music is well-documented, but what is not perhaps common knowledge is the likely inspiration behind Roll on John. An open-top bus tour of Liverpool that Dylan took in 2009 had the songwriter moved, quite clearly, by memories of the past. We may like to think of Dylan as a man who keeps his head and heart in the future, but he has reflected on his life more recently and subtly so. Be it with Roll on John or recent offerings like Murder Most Foul, the impact of the world around Dylan is embedded in his work.
Roll on John is a song Dylan has rarely returned to – such is the purpose of him writing it. This is an exorcism of his memories. Put it in song, tie the bow, and let it lie. Roll on John remains a gorgeous, late-stage piece from Dylan. A perfect closer to Tempest, which often felt Dylan was being swayed by the past, taking measures of what influences had shaped him into the musician he now is. Thankfully the live debut of the song in Blackpool, the performance which reduced guitarist Stu Kimball to tears, was recorded. Not officially, of course. There is more chance of a full Beatles reunion than Dylan letting cameras observe him on stage, but we turn to bootlegs once more. A receptive crowd is everything for an emotionally touching song like Roll on John. This version from a show in Blackpool is, at the very least, on par with the flourishing, heartfelt tone heard on the studio recording.
What both versions share is the conviction of tribute put to song. Those soft adaptations Dylan has made to slowed rhythm and blues music are sensational, and it shows in performances of his most recent works. Roll on John has Dylan contemplate the life of a musician who gave much but could have given more had he not been gunned down. Roll on John, in a live format, is a celebration of what continues to inspire Dylan. Those gorgeous guitar tones, the notes of sombre reflection, fill the Blackpool Opera House. After a few cheers from the crowd, there comes a beautiful silence. Respectful calmness from the audience as Dylan gives us a glimpse into a moment of true, personable affection. That is a love shared by the audience in attendance, the Blackpool crowd thrilled to hear it.
Tempest has Dylan reveal more than first thought not just about his life and musical influences, but the matter-of-fact heartbreaks, the frequent emotional gutting which comes from being in your twilight years. Roll on John is one of the few songs which gets stronger by being held in obscurity, by never being performed on stage after a show at the Royal Albert Hall. Mystique is built not by Dylan but by his listeners. He has been open with them from the start and a song like Roll on John, where his reflections are made more in tribute to the late artist than to the memories associated with him, makes the softer, sombre tone feel like a coy celebration. That is the fine line Dylan walks, that fascinating tightrope of earnestness and living through the history of another performer. Roll on John is a remarkable moment from Dylan on stage because it affects all who have listened to Lennon’s work.
