What an incredible experience the Rough and Rowdy Ways shows have been. They continued well last year with an all-time great experience at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. But for those who attended the previous tour, the 2024 shows, you may notice a few differences. Even if Bob Dylan played nearly the same set, there are the nuances of the night which will never be repeated again to contend with. That’s what you can find on Should I Break it All Down, a reminder of just how different the shows were, captured across the US and European legs of the tour which is set to continue into 2026. On it goes, sounding fresher and fiery even now. That much shouldn’t be a surprise but there are still surprises to cling to. Just take the opening song of this unofficial compilation, My Own Version of You, an outstandingly clear recording. Many Dylan bootlegs have a little wear and tear or white noise, but not this one. Remarkable.
You would be hard-pressed to find a better performance of My Own Version of You on this tour. This is the best version of the song to date. The same occurs for the rest of the Rough and Rowdy Ways material here. Dylan hit a magnificent groove for the tone of the songs across this leg of the tour. Love Sick being a swap-in that the UK never received is a heartbreaking little fact but at least it was recorded. It sounds, much like My Own Version of You, magnificent. A little closer to the original, though you can hardly take out the thumping guitar riff heard on the Time Out of Mind classic. Additional piano is the major difference here. Those who believe Dylan plays the baby grand piano like a boxer with his gloves still on are proven to be onto something here. A bit of a rough dissonance to the song, but nothing that throws off the other tracks that are reliant on piano.
All Along the Watchtower, for instance, that’s a great use of piano from Dylan. He integrates it well into a classic track, and does the same for It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue. Those who ended up walking out of these shows, inevitable the foot traffic is for these performances, they may be better off having listened to a compilation of Rough and Rowdy Ways before heading to the show. Twenty-six songs in total, and each of them is a staggering example of why this tour, the way Dylan performs his classics, works so well. Ballad of a Thin Man and even Under the Red Sky sounds fantastic, and both are included on this compilation. What they highlight is the longevity of Dylan, irrespective of his songs.
He pulls out some rarities like Dignity and a classic like Simple Twist of Fate to tease the crowd. Where his interest now lay is in the Rough and Rowdy Ways material. That is featured here too. Black Rider and Crossing the Rubicon are particularly special moments from this compilation. Should I Break it All Down does, indeed, break it all down. It showcases just what Dylan and the capable musicians he is backed by can do with decades old material. How they can bring it to life through new styles and sounds, it’s an incredible achievement. If you needed any extra examples of how great a tour these 2024 shows made, the closing track, My Own Version of You, is outstanding. A full circle moment to open and close with such a song, but a nice touch from a compilation that has plenty of care put into it.
