Still collaborating decades on from this Minnesota performance, both Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson have cemented themselves as legends of the stage. While the latter artist may not be as keen to tour other parts of the world, Dylan is on his way back to the UK for more shows. We can listen to bootlegs in the meantime, preparing for what ought to be another resounding adaptation of the Rough and Rowdy Ways stage show. Where Dylan may bring the all-time greats across the globe, his performance alongside Nelson adds a new layer to his legendary songs. Minnesota 2004 is a delightful show, not least because of the boom in popularity Dylan was still riding at this time. Modern Times was just two years away, and Love and Theft was still offering the veteran songwriter some contemporary thrills. With Nelson appearing for Heartland early on, there is much to love about this show.
Nelson is not, of course, stealing the spotlight from Dylan and sticking around for the whole show. Even then, the songs selected feel more inclined to support the laid-back style Nelson offers in the studio. Opening with Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35, calling for those in the crowd to get stoned, feels like a neat overlap with Nelson’s way of life. Relaxed, contemporary, and still cutting a sweet sound on stage. Dylan offers that too, with some incredible instrumental spots. That gruff vocal tone is a welcome sound, as is the guitar work found throughout. At this point in his career, Dylan was keen to blend those hits into a contemporary aesthetic. Some would say he sold out. Others would suggest his Victoria Secret advert adds to the intrigue of his artistry. Both are probably true to some degree, but what it means for his shows across the 2000s is a keen and fresh focus from a new generation.
Giving them something more than rehashes of the studio sound is the sign of an artist comfortable on stage, but also confident in his material. Forever Young and Highway 61 Revisited being included and reformed is a welcome sound. The Nelson-featuring Heartland, too, is a treat. These are comfortable renditions of some very best songs in the Dylan discography. Minnesota 2004 interest is hinged on the Nelson inclusion, but around that is a carefully constructed live show. It’s a highlight, for sure, but not the best moment of the night. That comes from an encore featuring Tommy Mad Dog stepping up on guitar for Summer Days. Follow that sweet collaboration with Like a Rolling Stone and All Along the Watchtower, and you have a very effective end to the set.
Elsewhere are some real deep cuts, contemporary at the time but now rarities. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven and Honest With Me were rarely given a look-in over the likes of Love Sick or the inevitable Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Love Sick is the only one absent here, and that may be because Dylan was shuffling the deck of contemporary tracks, seeing what would stick with his audience. For those in attendance here, and those listening decades later, it is the Nelson collaboration which sticks out. But there are some exceptional performances of hits from Dylan’s discography throughout, which are given some truly solid renditions. Welcoming tones like that are part of the reason listeners return to these early twenty-first-century recordings. There is enough on show here to warrant listening to Minnesota 2004 again and again.
