In the few gigs of recent memory, Malahide Castle has had dreadful weather. That has nothing to do with Dublin, of course, but it is worth nothing. One of the biggest and best outdoor venues has constantly rained down upon attendees of sold-out shows. What ties Neil Young and LCD Soundsystem is not a love for the counterculture which would soon become contemporary sound, but rain. It is what springs to mind when listening to Bob Dylan perform Under the Red Sky, at a venue just forty minutes from Malahide Castle. His appearance at the O2 Arena, now 3Arena, is a set worth revisiting. If You Ever Go to Houston is given its live debut, while the show after this one would bring a few acoustic delights back to the stage. Girl from the North Country with Dylan on guitar, the stuff dreams are made of. Under the Red Sky in Dublin is as its title would suggest.
What it does not present in its title is the surprise quality of the performance. Under the Red Sky was never the greatest release from Dylan, a title track for a forgettable album where the best song is the cringe-inducing Wiggle Wiggle. At least it is remembered. This Under the Red Sky performance is memorable, too. For those now used to the modern-day Dylan singing voice, the shock of hearing his vocals will not be the first thing you notice. What comes through here is the laid-back style from the instrumentals. It’s a nice continuation of the instrumentals heard on the album, though without that pop-oriented sound which crushed the album’s sentimental best moments. Dylan sounds better in Dublin than he does on the record, too. That’s a crucial difference to highlight. For those who believe Dylan sounds better in the studio than he does on stage, it is proven as a dim view here.
Under the Red Sky in Dublin recontextualises the song not just instrumentally, which is a given, but lyrically. Tucked between Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again and Honest With Me is a performance of Under the Red Sky which brings those under the crimson overcast to life once more. But with it comes that modernity which is inevitable on stage. Dylan made timeless music not just because the writing is often of pristine quality, but because it can be adapted to the present day. It’s a journey through time which is offered by this Under the Red Sky performance. The long-serving Tony Garnier is crucial to the rhythm of this one, as Denny Freeman and Stu Kimball are given a loose leash with their guitar work.
It’s a nicely built performance relying on the intimacy and knowledge of their instrumental skills. That camaraderie is what brings out the best in Under the Red Sky, with George Recile on drums tying it all together. Dylan pulls out the emotive core of the song, one which has always existed but was difficult to connect with thanks to poor production. A misaligned song which sounds far better on stage. It is a somewhat sad truth for many songs by Dylan. During the pop spillover in the 1980s and 1990s, his writing remained a constant force, pushing through the many variables of synth and shameful live albums. Hearing these songs, like Dark Eyes, performed live, offers a more credible display of what could have been a hit at the time. Under the Red Sky in Dublin proves the necessity of reinvention. A far superior version to the studio offering.
