Bob Dylan – In the Garden 2001 Review

On the road promoting Love and Theft is where some of the very best, underrated live cuts of Bob Dylan are found. His comeback was well underway by this time, and the thrill of his new tracks is not lost on an audience which had welcomed him back, a man famous long ago, given a warm embrace. This is thanks to the quality of these contemporary materials, both Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft still linger in the conversation for Dylan’s very best album. In the Garden 2001 is not just a celebration of contemporary material but what this meant for the hits of the past. Dylan often adapts and re-arranges his best works on stage, he still does now on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, after all. This series of live arrangements, a bulky three-and-a-half-hour collection, is made up of a few 2001 dates.  

Two ten-minute-long performances of It Ain’t Me, Babe and A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall should be a clear indicator of what Dylan wanted from this tour. He elongates these classics with instrumental jams and the playfulness which comes from those moments, be it through the whoops which come at the sound of his harmonica or that rugged vocal style, is a thrill. In the Garden 2001 has a heavier focus on the hits, though that is only natural given the quality of each of the songs, irrespective of how often they are played. These bootlegs are tremendous, because hearing the intensity, the surprise volume of Dylan’s voice, is to feel envy towards those who experienced it. In the Garden 2001 is an exceptional example of the value Dylan brings to the stage, even now. But over two decades later and the Love and Theft tour may be the most underrated piece of Dylan’s live show history.  

Classy showcases of at-the-time new material like High Water (for Charley Patton) gel brilliantly with the classics. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right and Like a Rolling Stone are nothing short of perfect. Even the much-played and increasingly underwhelming Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum is a barnstormer. There is a surprise around every corner in what Dylan plays, but once you hit the groove of this instrumental style, the steadiness found on stage and the transcendent guitar work, every performance feels like a whole new way to experience the songs. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 redefines Dylan. Those who believe his scratchy, coughing vocals are all he could offer during this period will be thrilled to hear this is not the case. He never had a crystal-clear voice – just listen to his earliest radio appearances. The folkier side of his vocal inflexions can be heard throughout In the Garden 2001.  

Even beyond the performance, the speeches Dylan gives to the crowd are playful slices of an artist at the top of his game. In the Garden 2001 is the clearest you can hear the audience’s effect on Dylan. The third disc is a bonus-laden goldmine, with performances of Every Grain of Sand, It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, and Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door marking truly special moments. Love and Theft is a piece of Dylan’s discography which desperately needs re-evaluating. It and the tour it inspired are some of the very best works Dylan has ever put to studio or stage. In the Garden 2001 is an outstanding compendium of a truly entertaining period. Longstanding instrumentalist Tony Garnier is the glue holding all this together. A tightly knit collection of songs with an inspired frontman leading the charge. Blissful listening, an absolute must for those wanting to know more about Dylan at the turn of the century. Start here.