Bob Dylan – Saturday Night Live 1979 Review

Everyone will, at some point, perform on or be associated with Saturday Night Live. It’s the equivalent of Game of Thrones being a jury-service-like vacuum. You are sent a letter. They will come for you. Lorne Michaels came for Bob Dylan in 1979, when the former had established the comedy sketch sensation and the latter had transitioned his music into religiously influenced stylings following a whirlwind divorce and tour. True to form this performance from Dylan is unexpected, does away with the hits, and would leave the average viewer scratching their heads, asking, “When will he play Mr. Tambourine Man?” “Never” is the answer. Not at this time, as Dylan found himself using his voice as a transmitter for the message of God. It made for some surprises across a trilogy of albums, and the songs here highlight how mixed a bag Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love are. 

Dylan’s television appearances would be sporadic enough to feel rare, but they did come thick and fast. He closed out the David Letterman show, appeared at the Grammy Awards and performed arrangements of his oldest songs with Shadow Kingdom. Those from a fifteen-year period where the man will refuse the big screen and cameras when performing. It does ruin the illusion; he is right there. Harder still to keep that illusion alive, then, when performing on Saturday Night Live. Dylan is not one to play up to audience expectations, but even he knows the album will not sell itself. He delivers a straight-shooting, stripped-back performance of Gotta Serve Somebody. It sounds very different to how it would on live shows just two years later, where backing singers and keyboards would utilise an almost megachurch-like performance art. It’s a fascinating transition and makes this Saturday Night Live performance unique.  

Those criticisms which Dylan would be hit with, be it the message in his work or the unrecognisable singing style, would appear after this performance. But Dylan sounds very clear through the opening performance of Gotta Serve Somebody. He backs it up with a strong I Believe in You, where the risks of his new instrumental and vocal style are laid bare. A bold move, but within is an ambition and desire to make it work. Dylan does just that. When You Gonna Wake Up? is a step too far for that time, though. Spooner Oldham, the veteran musician who has worked with Neil Young plenty of times, is given the chance to showcase what a keyboard can do for Dylan. Very little here, unfortunately. It would get far better than this over the coming years, but part of the problem with that third song is a lack of confidence from Dylan in his material.  

Where the first two songs were nicely defined by their lighter instrumentals and focus on lyrics, the repetition of When You Gonna Wake Up? needs a stronger vocal offering. Dylan does not sound up for it here, with reserved-sounding vocal work. It’s a shame to end the performance on a dud, but it does bring in the background vocals and keyboard, which would become a staple of the song. All it needed was a tempo change and a louder microphone for Dylan. He would get both on the release of Slow Train Coming and the performances through the 1980s. Saturday Night Live still provides memorable performances, though this is not one. Instead, it’s Dylan and a new group of musicians testing the waters for music which would divide his audiences for years to come.