Bob Dylan serves bootleg listeners some wise words indeed. Get Out of Denver, a cover ripped from a show on the Never Ending Tour, is a necessary listen for those who want to hear every ounce of material Dylan has ever put out there. He didn’t even put this one out there; bootleggers did. We are better off with them at shows because it lets us reflect on the major changes Dylan has made to his voice over the decades. Between the keyboard-led, post-Love and Theft days to the volatile, gospel singer features of the early 1980s, it’s never a dull experience with Dylan. This performance from 2004 is right in the heyday of those Love and Theft performances, the preamble to Modern Times not quite gripping the set yet. It means there is space for covers such as this, a Bob Seger track which found its way into Dylan’s Detroit show in 2004.
A sensational rocker this one. Dylan lets loose the influence Chuck Berry has on him, and it’s hard not to fall in love with this Get Out of Denver cover. Part of the charm is that it’s totally different to what Dylan would deliver just a year later. This old-school rock and roll sound had eluded Dylan for some time, though it did strike back in the late 1990s, right around the time he started touring Time Out of Mind. What’s crucial for this performance is the staggering quality of Dylan’s vocal work. He sounds rejuvenated by the chance to let loose with a cover of a favourite. A blistering bit of live stage work here, and it’s all thanks to the instrumental power backing Dylan. The long-serving Tony Garnier, who is still a crucial member of Dylan’s touring lineup, is on hand. Barely audible, but the keenest of listeners will know how important his bass is for leading these songs, for making sure they’re formed with an improvised twinge.
That’s exactly what happens with Get Out of Denver. There’s a charm to the suddenness of these live performances, and this marks the only time Dylan performed it. He’s keen to include the likes of Eddie Cochran and Grateful Dead numbers in his setlists, though it appears there comes a time when he just wants to play one of his favourites. Rocking greatness is what you can hear on this Get Out of Denver cover, and it comes at a time when Dylan, gruff-sounding as he may be, is an onstage menace. A real force to be reckoned with on this tour, and you can hear the strength of that vocal range push through. Whether it’s because of the chance to play different material or simply catching the veteran songwriter on a good day, who knows. What we can hear, though, is a real turn of quality.
If you want an example of how Dylan is moved by old school rock and roll, look no further than this. A real deep cut from Bob Seger’s discography, the first appearance of The Silver Bullet Band and an album that failed to chart all that well. Get Out of Denver caused a ripple, but a little one at that. Dylan has an ear for songs which move him outside of the charts, naturally, and it’s adapting them to the stage that brings about new ears for old projects. Seven, the album Get Out of Denver features on, was described by one critic as the best Seger album of all time. Whether that’s true, who knows, but Dylan has offered a route to listening with this Get Out of Denver cover. A thrilling experience, one that highlights his love for the greats.
Lucky to be there all 3 nights.
I was in the crowd for this one, and the place went bats for “Get Out Of Denver.” The recording on YouTube can’t tell the whole story, because you can’t see people leaping up and down like school just closed for the summer. Though I wouldn’t have been able to swear to it in Set List Court at the time, I said to my buddy, ‘He’s never done that one before, and I bet he never does it again’. I wonder if Dylan even remembers playing it now. The setlist.fm entry for this show says Jack White was on stage for this tune, but I don’t remember him there, and I think I would. Also, you call it a “deep cut from Bob Seger’s discography.” That’s relative, I suppose. In Motor City, it’s practically a standard, and has been a radio staple for decades. Thanks for this post – One of my fave Bob Show recollections.