1
INTRODUCTION
The
Never-Ending Tour continues in the new millennium of course. Five new legs in
pretty much the same territories as in 1999. Same band, some new songs. Bob
Dylan is awarded the Polar Music Prize. No less than three different “best of”
compilations are released. The new song Things Have Changed is included
in the soundtrack to the film Wonderboys. The song is played live at almost
every show in 2000. All in all it was another very good year. Dylan is singing
better and better and the band is getting tighter. When will we get the live
album from The Never-Ending Tour?
2
THE YEAR AT A GLANCE
3
CALENDAR
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6
January |
The Japanese version of GQ magazine contains a Bob Dylan article ranging about 50 pages, of course including several photos. |
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7
January |
Dont Look Back is released on DVD. This release contains an alternate version of the Subterranean Homesick Blues “video” as well as 4 new sound tracks please refer to section 4.1. |
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12
January |
Bob Dylan and Isaac Stern are awarded this year’s Polar Music Prize. The late Stig Anderson, who was the publisher, lyricist and manager of ABBA, founded this prize in 1989. Stig Anderson donated a large sum of money to The Royal Swedish Academy of Music with the aim of creating what was to become known as The Polar Music Prize. Its name stems from Anderson’s legendary record label, Polar Records. |
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27
January |
Beatrice Rutman, mother of Bob Dylan, dies in St. Paul 84 years old. |
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15
February |
Release of Wonderboys soundtrack with Things Have Changed. |
|
23
February |
Bob Dylan and Lauryn Hill presents the Grammy Award for Best Album to Carlos Santana at the Grammy ceremony at The Staples Center in Los Angeles. |
|
10
March |
The first tour of the new millennium kicks
off with two shows at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim, California. The first show
features two live debuts, Tell Me That It Isn’t True and Things
Have Changed. Dignity returns to the set list after almost five
years. In the second
show Country Pie is played live for the first time and We
Better Talk This Over is tried out. It has not been played since
Hollywood Florida, 16 December 1978 and is the second song from Street
Legal to be played during The Never-Ending Tour. Apparently Bob is
dissatisfied with the result and almost aborts the song and it isn’t played
again. Country Pie becomes the standard first song in the electric set
this year. |
|
14
March |
The show in Visalia, California first version of Dear Landlord since Sarasota, Florida, 9 November 1992 |
|
15
March |
The show in Santa Cruz, California
features the First version of Drifter’s
Escape since Pistoia,
Italy, 7 July 1996. |
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6
April |
Ray Benson from support act Asleep At The Wheel guests on the encores in the final show of the US Spring Tour in Denver, Colorado. |
|
Early
May |
Rehearsals for the upcoming European tour in a New York City studio. They also recorded Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache for a Warren Smith tribute album. |
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6 May |
Dylan returns to Europe with tour in Germany, Scandinavia and Italy. First show though is in Zürich, Switzerland and Delia is played for the first time since the late show at The Supper Club in New York City, 17 November 1993. |
|
8 May |
Release of the Best Of Bob Dylan Volume
2. Please refer to section 4.3. Release of the Swedish The Very Best Of
Bob Dylan. Comes with liner notes in Swedish. Please refer to section 4.4. Bob signs a deal with HBO to star in a
one-hour special developed specifically for him by writer-producer Larry
Charles (of Seinfeld fame). The special
is said to include Dylan music, both new and classic material, and comedy. |
|
15 May |
Dylan attends the Polar Music Prize Award Ceremony at The Berwald Hall in Stockholm and receives the price from King Carl XVI Gustaf. The prize winners never perform at the ceremony, but other artists pay tributes. Brian Ferry sings A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall and Louise Hoffsten sings a moving version of What Good Am I? Dylan looks highly uncomfortable through the whole thing. Later the same evening there is a dinner at
the Winter Garden in Grand Hotel. The winners are supposed to entertain at
this occasion. However Dylan skips the dinner and flies to Helsinki for next
day’s concert. |
|
21 May |
Dylan plays a show at the Ny Teater in Horsens,
Denmark. This must be the smallest audience ever with the exception
of the prison gig in The Correctional Intuition For Women in Clinton, New
Jersey, 7 December 1975. There are 100 tickets for sponsors, 75 for paying
press, and 250 for the people who line up. |
|
24 May |
Dylan celebrates his 59th birthday with a show in Dresden, Germany. First “birthday concert” since 1966! |
|
2 June |
Last show of the European Spring Tour in Cagliari, Italy. |
|
15
June |
After just two weeks off the road Dylan starts a marathon summer tour in the US with Phil Lesh & Friends. Dylan starts each show, which typically consists of 16 or 17 songs. The first show in Portland, Oregon, however is a warm-up without Phil Lesh and sees the debuts of Standing In The Doorway and Searching For A Soldier’s Grave, a song by Johnnie Wright, Jim Anglin, and Jack Anglin. Also featured is the second live performance of She's About A Mover by Dough Sahm. In a way this is also a debut since Doug Sahm himself sang it on the previous occasion in Edmonton 24 August 1988. |
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15
June |
Songs from Time Out Of Mind are surprisingly absent from the first joint show with Phil Lesh in Portland. This proves to be the rule rather than the exception for the remainder of the tour. |
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17
June |
Second live performance of Long Black Veil during the first show in George, Washington. |
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18
June |
First live version of House Of The Risin' Sun since Paris 7 October 1987 during the second show in George, Washington. |
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20
June |
The show in Medford, Oregon features the first live version of The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest since Rochester Hills 18 July 1988. |
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25
July |
Grateful Dead Records releases a tribute album called Stolen Roses. It includes the Bob Dylan contribution Friend of the Devil, a live version from the past year. |
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30
July |
After no less than 33 shows the summer tour ends in Stanhope, New Jersey. |
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22
August |
Release of The Best Of Broadside 1962-1988 with two Dylan tracks. |
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13
September |
This year’s second tour in Europe starts with another warm-up show at a small club, Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland. All tickets are sold in less than 1 minute! |
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1
October |
The most surprising debut of the year takes place in Münster, Germany when If Dogs Run Free is played as the third encore. A smooth jazzy acoustic version, which is to stay in the set for the rest of the year. This is the fourth song only from New Morning to be played live. |
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5-6
October |
The Fall tour in Europe ends with two shows at The Wembley Arena in London. |
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9
October |
Wallflowers’ third album Breach is released. |
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29
October |
The last tour of the year starts in Madison, Wisconsin. |
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31
October |
Release of the 2-CD set The Essential Bob Dylan. See section 4.5. |
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1
November |
Blue Bonnet Girl by Glenn Spencer is played in Bloomington, Indiana. |
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2
November |
The set in West Lafayette, Indiana contains the first live version of Chimes Of Freedom since the inauguration of Bill Clinton in Washington 17 January 1993. |
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12
November |
10,000 Men is played live for the first time at the show in South Kingston, Rhode Island, leaving Handy Dandy as the only song without a live rendition from Under A Red Sky. |
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19
November |
The last concert of the first year in the new millennium is played in Towson, Maryland. |
|
December |
Bob Dylan records the Dean Martin song Return To Me, intended for use in TV mafia drama The Sopranos. |
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