PBS has played host to some all-time greats over the years. From the reduced tour Electric Light Orchestra had planned for their 2001 effort, Zoom, to this appearance from Bob Dylan, the non-commercial company is a cornerstone of calm and cool. Hurricane (Live on PBS) is a big deal. For a song many may think Dylan never performed live there is certainly enough footage of him doing so. It is fair to have dropped it from the live shows, much like Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands it was far too long to fit into a show, and even then, where it would go in the lineup would often present a tricky procedure. Fine-tuning the likes of Hurricane to fit an upbeat or overwhelming mood would be nigh impossible given the specific protest within. To PBS with it, then.
A song of justice for Rubin Carter and the history behind it, PBS plays host to a song which now stands as a testament to music. The power it can hold when trialling those incarcerated. Dylan is the voice of change, as one panel member says before this performance – and he has remained as such for decades. What few live renditions there are of Hurricane must be treated like the fine gold dust it is. Topical ballads are a frequent feature of the Dylan catalogue and though the mystique and elusive nature of his point would be the focus on latter-day releases like Things Have Changed or Murder Most Foul, the straight-shooting narrative of Hurricane is its greatest draw. There is a bolder punch to this PBS live recording, a franker edge to the slightly changed wordplay from Dylan.
Shorter in spots and cutting off the instrumental end are just moments which save the broadcast time. It does little to impact the effort of the song, which remains punchy, articulate and filled with surprises from Scarlet Rivera on violin and Howie Wyeth on drums. Both are at their very best here and bring a wild new life to those instrumentally rich pockets of Desire. Comparatively speaking there is little difference in the intent of this song. There is still a passion burning within, the powerful tones taken by Dylan and the live musicians here burn with the same bright spark as the studio version. Those little lyrical changes and the brief chatter before it – the chance to explore Hurricane not just as another Dylan tune but as a post-Blood on the Tracks protest song, one of many perceived returns to form, is a stellar contemporary punch.
Protest song is nothing new but the use of it here is for a singular aim. Where the likes of John Lennon to Jarvis Cocker may hold firm with timeless protest songs, there is something to be said for Dylan’s effort here. Carter has since passed yet Hurricane remains one of Dylan’s best songs, certainly the finest moment to be heard on Desire. A live performance like no other for the defining Desire protest song, this PBS special edition is a chance to hear the song not as a marker of history but as a contemporary struggle. Those passions are etched into the studio version but the rage and consideration held in what few live recordings exist of this song are a marvel to listen to.
