Consider what had come before the so-called Gospel Tour, and a drop-off in quality is inevitable. Not because Bob Dylan was experiencing a major change in his personal and professional life, but because the Rolling Thunder Revue is, truly, a career-best effort. Those pieces of religious material would find a better, suitable sound on future tours, but with their contemporary guidance, Dylan arms himself with backing musicians and a dense instrumental offering. It’s a transition which would last a decade, with the occasional spot of brilliance to latch onto, hoping this would be a permanent change. Not so, but Gospel Tour is a fascinating place to pick up with your bootleg listens. An official post to the Dylan YouTube channel is where this one comes from, though the man himself is not hunched over an iPad uploading this, nor is his Jack Frost producer moniker fiddling with the sound.
No, this is a straight rip from the Santa Monica date, and it sounds solid. It’s a heavy collection of his contemporary religious materials from Slow Train Coming, and there’s no room for the songs which had seen Dylan top the charts, sell out shows across the globe, or herald him in as a counterculture icon. I Believe in You is surprisingly well-received. Considering Dylan would play none of those expected hits, the Blood on the Tracks and Blonde on Blonde material forgotten about, the audience sounds delighted. Gospel Tour comes from a period where the performances were still boisterous, Dylan still sounded strong, but his work was moved by the call of a higher power rather than the audience’s call for Mr. Tambourine Man. He does sound fantastic here in delivering these sermon-like writings. That is what keeps this performance together, still struggling against the over-the-top backing vocalists and occasionally dull modern instruments.
What Dylan brings out best in this performance is a strength his future performances would rely on, irrespective of whether they featured In the Garden. Instrumental experimentation is what keeps Dylan interesting even now. It’s a defining feature of the Gospel Tour, with some slick and exciting guitar work to be heard throughout, both acoustic and electric. Man Gave Name to All the Animals is a nice treat, though that may be because, after a long day of travel, anything discussing pairs of animals is light listening. A seven-minute Slow Train is where the set picks up. It sounds as though Dylan is delivering a sermon to the converted crowd, mentions of Satan and “that’s right” throughout as he says the Devil has “been defeated at the cross.” A tambourine shimmering in the background is just a step too far.
Religiously inclined or not, it’s a fascinating period for Dylan, who was keen to share what he saw as a life-saving experience. God-loving songs which are instrumentally expanded, though it does not often sound as strong as Dylan hopes it to be. Covenant Woman is nothing short of incredible, though. One of the few moments which highlights a solid show. It may be a heavy listen for those not too convinced by his religious material, but it’s certainly an intense, often interesting listen. To wholeheartedly accept and continue with this sound is a resounding moment from Dylan, a bold one no less. Dylan has rarely been chattier with his audiences, though he uses those breaks between songs to offer his view on scripture, which had moved him in the build towards his religiously inclined albums. It makes Gospel Tour a fascinating listen, one which has an instrumental quality which comes and goes.
