Bob Dylan – Live at the Universal Amphitheatre 1978 Review

Another oddity from the official Bob Dylan YouTube channel, this time not a rip of the early years. A pleasant surprise to hear there are other, copyright-ready releases from the team behind those rehashes. This gig from Los Angeles, California, Live at the Universal Amphitheatre, is of interest. This is the transition between the Rolling Thunder Revue to the Street-Legal tour. For those who enjoyed Live at Budokan, those who welcomed the entertaining woodwind additions to those post-rock and roll days of Hard Rain, this compilation will be a treat. A few surprises within, too, as Dylan decides to debut two songs and reintroduce a classic he had not played in over a decade. Baby, Stop Crying would not become a mainstay of his setlists, but Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) would become an occasional setlist treat. Beyond those surprises, this is a solid show interpreting the hits in a different instrumental form.  

That is what listeners want from these live bootlegs, officially released or not. A chance to hear the likes of Like a Rolling Stone, I Shall Be Released, and Just Like a Woman with a fresh flair to them. To trot out the hits and give them no sense of modern-day interpretation would be a cheapened experience. Part of the charm of Dylan’s hits, those songs which have lasted on for decades, is the variety of instrumental changes, the sheer amount of vocal differences to be heard. Backing vocalists on Shelter from the Storm give it a lighter touch, and that is where the valid detractions may come from for this period. Dylan, however brief it may have been, was ripping the heart from his songs and replacing it with an instrumental swing undermining the harsher, harder-hitting message. It happens for Love Minus Zero, although it must be said this version is a treat. That lightness gives and takes, but it mostly affects the meaning of the songs. At least the studio albums are still available.  

But it doesn’t massage the worries of audience members who, presumably, want the meaning intact. Make no mistake, the performance heard in this Live at the Universal Amphitheatre release is great, a truly exciting run-through of the hits. Tangled Up in Blue, in this slowed form, sounds like a handhold through the harshness of the song rather than a journey for the audience to take themselves. These instrumental changes are not Dylan dumbing down the nuance of his hits, but it certainly sounds as though he had taken them as far as he could with the Rolling Thunder Revue sound. This is, though, the best version of Maggie’s Farm available. For those who needed to scratch their Budokan itch once more, this Live at the Universal Amphitheatre is solid work, though the best bits sound almost identical to Live at Budokan.  

What separates it from Live at Budokan is not just location, but the neat surprises within. A few songs which never made it to that infamous show, another selection of tracks which just sound as though it was their night for attention. Going, Going, Gone and Masters of War are highlights, no reason other than how they landed on the night, where they are in the setlist. The same goes for Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right and Simple Twist of Fate, two songs ripped from the stage which benefit from being towards the back end of the show. That golden spot when the crowd is at their most receptive, relaxed into the form of the show, is where Dylan thrives. Like a Rolling Stone is an inevitable thrill. Live at the Universal Amphitheatre has a great selection of songs, well performed in the wake of a wild Rolling Thunder Revue tour.