Forty years on from their Live Aid performance, the overlap between Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood still feels strange. Their rehearsal tapes shed light on this meeting of musical minds, but their performance on the Bob Geldof-organised event in aid of the Ethiopian famine is a strange experience. Interesting for sure, and to hear The Rolling Stones’ guitarists pair with the Mr. Tambourine Man songwriter is, on paper, a match made in heaven. But the nuance of their style and the necessities of Dylan’s live shows make it an awkward fit. Richards and Wood are exceptional musicians, easily listed as two of the best guitarists in history. They are not exactly up for feeding Dylan with loose instrumental work, which can be pulled in whichever direction the mood of the evening offers.
Especially not when Richards and Wood are part of a band known for its rigidity in performance. You can hear as much on the Like a Rolling Stone cover they did with Dylan a decade later. But these are three legends of the business and, as such, must perform together. It makes as much sense as the Phil Collins feature for Led Zeppelin. It could be argued that Dylan and The Rolling Stones are not too far apart in style, especially in the mid-1980s when both groups were trying and failing to reinvent themselves as pop-friendly acts. Empire Burlesque and Dirty Work were the big blazers period, and what a hellish time it was. The trio must have known of this horror when coming together for their Live Aid performance, as they stick to the hits. They had not been performed in some while, but the “great voice of freedom” is keen to rock out to some of his slowest tempo ballads. Quite the pairing, and the three-track set introduced by Jack Nicholson does, at the very least, make sense.
An audience would expect Blowin’ in the Wind, but to deliver a direct, acoustic performance would not work. And yet, here we are. The Ballad of Hollis Brown sounds phenomenal here. It is hard to think of how a stripped-back, acoustic performance can fill up a room this large, but it does. The John F. Kennedy Stadium is spent after a day of rocking out to the very best in music history, and Dylan caps the night off with a set suitable for the go-home show. When the Ship Comes In, a song last performed at this point in 1964, is the second of three surprises for this set. More because it was played at all than anything instrumentally different, but a treat to hear, especially given the occasion. Each act is given just a short while to cement their style on stage, and the “fitting songs” as Dylan calls them, are well chosen.
Comments made by Dylan would lead to an appearance at Farm Aid, one of the many issues tackled by those whose care for the world runs deep. It is a wonderful moment, not at all received rapturously by the crowd, who are merely waiting for a song suitable for the show’s message. Blowin’ in the Wind at the end of the set is an inevitable, but excellent closer. It’s the perfect end to a three-song show where Richards and Wood are more like session musicians than presences for the show. Few artists could have capped off Live Aid as strongly as Dylan did, and the performance here is a surprise. Not just because it was a pairing of three legends, but because the vocal work is strong, the instrumental style is not lapsing into improvisation all too much. It is a three-song run of solid, dependable work from Dylan, a rarity in the 1980s.
Loved this