Audiences expect performers to be at the top of their game no matter the situation. Sickness, death affecting them in their personal life, and lateness are brushed away for the sake of ninety minutes. Bob Dylan’s now legendary performance, captured here on the Prague 1995 bootleg, is perhaps an ill-advised stage venture. His flu should surely have made bed rest mandatory. But this is Dylan. He takes to the stage and offers up a career-best performance, perhaps to spite those who are knocked out by a stuffed nose, let alone fever and loss of appetite. Prague 1995 is legendary. Lend an ear to the right circles and you can hear confident but hushed praise of an otherwise ordinary night. Considering the flu, the roaring performance Dylan gives here is extraordinary. It goes against everything we know so far about medicine. His recovery is rapid, and though he pulls out of playing guitar, the vocal change it provides is a masterclass on accident.
A splash of harmonica there, a bit of harp here, but the focus from Dylan is on his vocals. Microphone in one hand and a cable in the other, this is how you can hear some very best moments from the veteran songwriter. Opening song Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood) is an ambitious start and has some phenomenally powerful moments. This all despite the flu, which is the core of this performance. It’s of interest not just because Dylan fights and succeeds in vanquishing possible vocal trouble thanks to illness, but because of how his band backs him. These are instrumentally intelligent performers at the best of times, but the line-up is now adapting to Dylan, unable to add an instrumental layer. You can hear the sparse nature of If Not for You, the first casualty of this lighter instrumental line-up. Still a strong performance, great fun to say the least, because in stripping these performances back out of necessity, Dylan and the band find a new way of playing these hits.
All Along the Watchtower still has an instrumental strength to it, and that is thanks to Bucky Baxter and John Jackson on guitar. Their consistencies open a whole new range for Dylan, who seems to revel in the chance to perform without providing instrumentals. It’s a moment where he’s stripped of a defence from the audience, a barrier has been torn down, and it’s nothing short of incredible to hear. Just Like a Woman and Tangled Up in Blue are just as brilliant here as they would be for the rest of the tour, where Dylan would bring an extra instrumental edge. Flu or not, there are some brilliant moments here, some surprising renditions of Watching the River Flow and Man in the Long Black Coat can be found within.
Inspired moments with Mr. Tambourine Man and Maggie’s Farm feature, too, in a hits-heavy set which capitalises on the MTV Unplugged high. It’s a performance which reinvigorated Dylan, brought his show to younger crowds, and, ultimately, is the reason he had such a magnificent return to form. A tremendous performance of interest because it highlights how singers can adapt to illness. The show must go on is an unfortunate reality for many, especially those on budget-breaking tours and burning themselves out to make it work. Prague 1995 is a fantastic performance, despite the flu frequently mentioned by fans listening in. It’s got some delightful instrumental workings within, the band knowing it is up to them to haul these songs across the finish line. They and Dylan provide a brilliant showcase, a job well done, when the start of the tour could have been derailed by illness.
