Bob Dylan – Escape the Law Review

Bob Dylan left quite a mark on his Spring 2022 tour. His second year of showcasing Rough and Rowdy Ways took him to new instrumental highs. He spent much of the year before this finding his footing with contemporary material on stage for the first time in eight years. A second round of tour dates featured Dylan at his very best. A twenty-six-song bootleg, Escape the Law, showcases just that. Spring 2022 marked a moment of contemplation from Dylan, not on the wordplay or meaning of his songs, but on what he could do for them instrumentally. It sounds avant-garde at times, which is a kind way of saying messy. When I Paint My Masterpiece, for instance, has a jaunty, upbeat tone to it brokered by a harmonica that tries to excuse the thudding piano notes, an occasional slip up as Dylan gets to grips with a new lead instrument. That’s what occurs for much of Escape the Law, and it’s at least an interesting listen, if not the best.  

Experimental, is what you could say about these performances. Instrumentally elongated performances which pierce through the noise and expectation of a crowd wanting the hits, but in their usual manner. Dylan sounds exceptional here and would maintain this strong voice across the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. Someday, everything is going to be different, as Dylan often sang. But this When I Paint My Masterpiece is different. Dylan sings of a beautiful world waiting for him and the crowd, rather than a difference. It’s a subtle change, but changes like that for the dedicated listener makes all the difference when sifting through bootleg after bootleg, in search of the perfect performance. It will take up space, temporarily, as one of the best renditions, but recede from mind once you remember those jagged instrumental strokes. They’re common across Escape the Law. Make your peace with them as soon as you can. A good place to do that is on Watching the River Flow, a jumbled but convincing instrumental spillover.  

Across Escape the Law is the sound of Dylan and the band clattering around with their instruments. They sound somewhat unsure of which direction to take and, while not completely ruinous, it does take a bit of time to get into some of these songs. But once you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard not to fall in love with these instrumental choices. A thudding start to Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine) offers a heavy bit of percussion and then guitar and piano blur, a reprieve which features across this bootleg. Later performances of Melancholy Mood, Mother of Muses, and Gotta Serve Somebody rely on this spirited and improvised jumble. It works to a degree. For every unconvincing, misplaced note, there’s a staggering moment just behind it, to make up for what sounds like a bit of a jumbled shortcoming.  

Where it doesn’t work is in the slower, contemplative moments. I Contain Multitudes sits on the knife’s edge and the expectation of it crumbling is too clear to hear. Still, Dylan pushes through with a clear and confident vocal performance. It’s quite the experience. Most of what Dylan does here is find his way through instrumental stylings which would be shored up that much better in the years to follow. Slices of what he would manage to do come to life on the likes of Black Rider and I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, songs that rely on a tempo set by Dylan. It never sounds better than it does in the studio for those two songs but the hushed, rushed style from the veteran songwriter here is a nice touch which keeps the spirit of the songs intact as he searches for different instrumental qualities.