Bob Dylan – Thunder at The Falls Review 

A concert date in Niagara Falls lends itself to Bob Dylan bootleggers. Not just because it’s a quality show on the Rolling Thunder Revue, but because nature is easy to pull titles from. Thunder at the Falls is proof enough of that, an exceptional recording of Dylan and the all-star band and opening acts performing around the start of a tour that would implode. Cancellations, cautionary tales, and a quality live album in the form of Hard Rain are scattered around for those with an interest in hearing how Dylan adapted his greatest hits to the stage after a tour with The Band. An utterly staggering show, not least because of the excellent setlist. These are interpretations of Dylan’s greatest songs in the hazy days of the mid-1970s. Divorce, disaster, and Desire just around the corner. Not one song misplaced, and there’s even a callback from an audience member yelling Judas at Dylan. Thunder at the Falls may just be one of the most entertaining bootlegs around.  

It opens with When I Paint My Masterpiece, a song that swaps out the emotional sincerity for a striking instrumental build and blowout. It and It Ain’t Me, Babe, are perfect bedfellows for this set. Two songs that are as tender as they are integral to Dylan’s sound during this period. Here, he lets the wilder side of rock and roll lead the way through both songs, and it makes such a difference to the context of the song. What was once a tender lover parting ways on It Ain’t Me, Babe is now a standoff, a thrilling interpretation built on the upbeat, enraged tempo. That sort of sound would feature later in the set too, and it sounds as though it’s driven by Hurricane and Tangled Up in Blue. Contemporary highs from Dylan, who, by this point of the tour, was already diving deep into his discography and coming up with wild interpretations of his very best works. Staggering guitar work is what pieces the best of these songs together, particularly It Ain’t Me, Babe. Jaw-dropping work.  

Dylan whips out a bit of harmonica, and the crowd goes wild. There’s a volatility for the simpler additions of his set that lingers even now, decades on from this tour. Long may that be felt. Bold choices like The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll and Isis feature early in the show, and after a sensational I Shall Be Released, Dylan dips from the stage to give Joan Baez and Roger McGuinn a chance to perform. Solid work from the pair, and then Dylan returns for a stretch of songs that work as a striking example of just how many greatest hits he has. Love Minus Zero / No Limit into Tangled Up in Blue, followed by Oh, Sister, Hurricane, and One More Cup of Coffee, is the work of an all-time great. Here, it’s performed with a thump and thrill that’s absent on the studio album. Both versions work, of course, but this is mesmerising work.  

Finishing off the set with Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and a cover of Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land is a magnificent experience from Dylan and the rest of the Revue. Thunder at the Falls may linger on the mind a little more because of its charmed title, but the quality heard throughout this bootleg is a rarity, not for the tour, but it captures a mood that depends on the headspace of an artist, rather than their performance. A passionate performance to say the least from Dylan, the man is on fire across the whole of this one, where songs like It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry and Blowin’ in the Wind are adapted to this blues-influenced rock and roll structure. Dylan would toy with this tone for years to come, and Thunder at the Falls is one of those many great moments.