A staple of most setlists from Bob Dylan over the last two decades has been a song or two from Time Out of Mind. Dylan owes plenty to his 1997 release, being it was his return to form. He came in from the cold, despite nearly dying while making the album and being at loggerheads with producer Daniel Lanois. This back-and-forth kindled the fire of some very best works for Dylan. Love Sick remains an occasional favourite of those lucky enough to attend the Outlaw Festival tour. For those lucky enough to live in the rotting country that is the United States, Live in the Same Old Cage may not be of use. For those in similarly rotting countries like the United Kingdom, though, this compilation of Time Out of Mind efforts, ripped from bootlegs and stage performances across 1997 to 2019, is magnificent.
Dylan could not be clearer on the opening selection, a 2015 performance of Love Sick. At a time when Dylan faces criticism for sounding past his prime, there is an endless supply of live performances proving this is not the case. Live in the Same Old Cage does not actively pursue vindication for Dylan, but it does an excellent job of showcasing the twilight years of his career as a place for continued creativity. Gorgeous vocal inflexions on Standing in the Doorway bring new life to those mentions of cherry red stars. Part of this performance’s charm, from London, 2000, is the sparse instrumentals surrounding Dylan. A few hints of guitar, the steady and constant percussion quieted behind the staggered vocal performance, it is one of a near-endless list of examples of Dylan reforming a song on stage. That is the beauty of his live performances, and it makes itself known on this compilation, an easy-going but confident collection of Time Out of Mind songs.
Those who find much beauty in Time Out of Mind, the return to form Dylan shared with his Grammy-winning effort, there is more to love about Live in the Same Old Cage. It sounds as though the accolades to come during the late 1990s and early 2000s meant more to Dylan. You can hear the pride still in performances of Trying to Get to Heaven and Make You Feel My Love, two performances from the immediate years after Time Out of Mind was released. And yet you can still hear that satisfaction with the songs at hand on performances which come decades after the album placed Dylan back in the contemporary conversation. Compilation closer Highlands still sounds fantastic, taking up space on a setlist which would soon be changed to fit Love and Theft tracks. Head to the latest moments of Live in the Same Old Cage and you hear that comfort, that quality, still booming through.
Be it the emotionally convincing performance from Dylan or the instrumental charm of a song like Not Dark Yet, these are songs Dylan still returns to not just because he is still represented by them, but because there are plenty of new directions to take these tracks. ‘Til I Fell in Love With You is arguably the best song of the compilation though. That confidence of being remembered after death is quite unlike anything Dylan has offered in the past, and yet it feels so fitting. His June 2015 performance of the underrated gem holds with it a fiery read on his legacy. Dylan does not look back on his career and make it clear he is doing so. No, he holds out for live performances, the offhand moments in his discography which, thanks to the instrumental and vocal overhaul, are given new meaning. Live in the Same Old Cage is an outstanding compilation of live thrills.
