Bob Dylan – Live in Lisbon Review

An incredible year of touring can be heard from Bob Dylan in 1999. Fresh off the release of Grammy Award-winning album Time Out of Mind, a reinvigorated Dylan introduces some of his best-ever songs to the stage in a form people can understand. There is a swagger to them which the rocked-out 1980s simply could not offer. During this tour, Dylan gave hits-heavy sets. A few surprises within, namely The Roving Gambler serving as the opening song, but also a welcome acoustic set to open the show, which would feature the same sentiment as the days when Dylan was going electric. Not as controversial but certainly noting the transition of a great artist decades before, Live in Lisbon is a delightful listen for those wanting a solid show with consistency as its aim. This is a no-frills performance. Solid live work which does not try to be anything more than that. 

Sentimentality lingers on the acoustic performances. Such is the case for songs taking advantage of an aversion to electricity. In the place of energy and power is a tempo and a tone which lends itself to the lighter mood. It occurs for moving renditions of Mr. Tambourine Man and Masters of War, the latter still a worryingly pertinent song. Blowin’ in the Wind is held for later in the show as it would have capsized the mood of Live in Lisbon if it were bundled in with the likes of Girl from the North Country and Tangled Up in Blue. Each of these acoustic renditions is delightful. For those wanting the electrified thrills of modern-day Dylan, you do not have long to wait. The set featuring a lesser-known Time Out of Mind track, Trying to Get to Heaven, is a sweet start. It makes a change from hearing Not Dark Yet and Love Sick every show, the latter included towards the end. Can’t Wait is featured too, though, marking a neat trio of contemporary songs which sound as brilliant here as they do on the album.  

Dylan on guitar, and joined by Bucky Baxter and Larry Campbell, is what makes these late 1990s sets so incredible. The overlap of instrumental success is what redefines songs like Lay Lady Lay and Like a Rolling Stone. Defining versions of both Girl from the North Country and Lay Lady Lay can be heard on Hard Rain, but this is decades removed and searching for a far different, equally stunning sound. Delicate renditions are what Live in Lisbon offers. A softer touch to some of the very best in Dylan’s discography, which comes through, in part, thanks to Baxter and Campbell filling in with some blissful instrumental moments. Of all the highlights, though, it is a staggering and stripped-back version of Blind Willie McTell which stands above most of the songs here. Give the encore some time, and that, too, becomes an all-time great moment for this show. Those opening guitar notes of Love Sick set a whole new mood to what came earlier in the show.  

A somewhat surprising outing of Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat opens what is the first of three hits to round off the set. Dylan’s performance and the instrumental backing him are consistent throughout this show. It is not as though he is inconsistent elsewhere, but you can hear the effort, that extra mile Tony Garnier and David Kemper on bass and percussion are going. Live in Lisbon offers some of those familiar favourites and a selection of the contemporary thrills which Dylan would continue to offer on stage over the next few years. Show closer Highway 61 Revisited is further confirmation of those instrumental strengths, which are boisterous enough to make the show a rocking one, but quiet enough to allow Dylan some more space to adapt his vocal range. It is needed as he finds a new route through these stage shows.