Shows just before a global pandemic hit were a little different. It does feel like a whole different era, not least because of the downturn in gig etiquette. It may be ironic to talk of mutual respect at shows across the world when someone has sat down with a recording device to capture the entire Bob Dylan performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Somebody had to, and we are better off for hearing this delightful live showcase. Focus in a little closer and you can get the best bit of the performance, a rendition of his Tempest classic, Pay in Blood. A song he wrote on the back of a bus ticket, according to Elvis Costello, that would become a feature of his outstanding 2012 song. There’s an allure built into Pay in Blood that features on the studio version, but is amplified here by a sparse instrumental section that would seemingly influence the Rough and Rowdy Ways period.
What it does is keep a constant instrumental sway in play while Dylan isolates his voice, builds a strong bridge into the past with it, and keeps a listener there, wanting more. That is no small feat. Not least with a song that is hardly ranked among the favourites of a passing fan or gig-goer. This is an extraordinary on-stage moment from Dylan, whose knack for detailing the thrills of a deep cut song are strengthened here. Dylan plays around with an instrumental rise, the guitar a constant, plodding addition which soars throughout. Where the studio version remains a keen example of Dylan’s directions toward the macabre, the live version feels more like a celebration of even having the choice to pay with that titular substance. But not his own, he continually notes throughout the performance. It makes all the difference to the mood and message when it’s backed by this lighter rock tone, one that would come to affect the thrills of his on-stage performances from 2021 onwards.
Hearing Dylan toy around with his sound that little bit more on this Pay in Blood rendition is a delight. That softer flourish, the piano featured throughout, it would form the core of those Rough and Rowdy Ways performances. It begs the question as to whether Dylan had made up in his mind what he wanted to sound like on stage, irrespective of where his next studio effort would take him. We are unlikely to receive another studio album from the veteran songwriter, but why receive another when he sounds assured by the context of that album? Of all the songs to make it so, Pay in Blood does much of the heavy lifting needed to highlight how complete a sound it is for Dylan. It makes all the difference for Dylan. Beyond that, it’s one hell of a rendition of an underrated gem.
One of his most violent songs, that much is certain. Paying with another’s blood, what transaction requires such an offering is guarded by Dylan, but it speaks volumes as to the quality of his suggestion. Pay in Blood from the Santa Barbara Bowl is a fantastic place to hear out what fast becomes a best-ever performance from Dylan. A little slice of what is a truly marvellous sound that suits his modern-day vocal range and what he wants to say rather well. Finding that match-up is harder than first thought, and once there, Dylan makes the most of it. We’ve had seven years of this style now, and it has yet to get old. Long may it continue, and maybe Pay in Blood will return to the stage one of these days.
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