1 INTRODUCTION

1999 turned out to be another year on the road. In fact Bob Dylan played more concerts than ever before in a single year, topping the previous record from 1995 with 3 concerts. In April Bob Dylan recorded a new song for a film soundtrack. Rumours about recording sessions in New York in August proved to be premature, so as far as we know the April session was the only studio activity this year. The first leg of the Never-Ending tour continued where the last tour in 1998 ended with essentially the same show. The yearly Europe tour took place in Spring and was largely concentrated to southern Europe with no UK or Scandinavian shows. For the first time during the Never-Ending tour there was a significant change in the show format. The shows now started with an acoustic set with 5 or 6 songs, followed by the electric set. The encores were as before a mix of electric and acoustic renditions. This format was retained during the next three parts of the Never-Ending tour, of which the first two were joint tours with Paul Simon, where they took turns in opening and ending shows, with a duet section in between, with Dylan joining Simon’s Band when Simon was opening or vice versa. The songs were the same though. Although these two tours was “greatest hits packages” the quality in terms of delivery and commitment was consistently very high, matching the outrageous ticket prices. Phil Lesh & Friends was the opening act for the last tour, when the greatest hits concept was abandoned for a much more varied set list, in fact one of the most varied since the start of the Never-Ending tour in 1988.

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2 THE YEAR AT A GLANCE

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3 CALENDAR

26 January	The extensive touring this year starts with a winter tour in the United States. First show takes place in Fort Myers, Florida and features the live debut of My Blue Eyed Jane by Jimmie Rodgers. The band and the format of the show are kept intact from 1998.
3 February	Bob Dylan is nominated in the best country songwriter category for the upcoming Grammy Awards. This is for Make You Feel My Love recorded by Garth Brooks, which reached #1 on the Billboard Country Single & Track chart.
1 March	At The Rio Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Dylan and his band play at a private event sponsored by Lucky Brand Dungarees with Dave Mason as opening act.
2 March	The winter tour ends with a show at The House Of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada.
April	Bob Dylan records a new song Things Have Changed for the soundtrack to a film called Wonder Boys. A promo video with Dylan is filmed at a later occasion.
5 April	Bob Dylan and Paul Simon are interviewed in USA Today by Edna Gundersen. Dylan: I was right away excited about doing this. Simon: It appealed to me immediately.
6 April	Recording of the Johnny Cash tribute show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Bob Dylan and band appear in a pre-recorded video from the rehearsals for the European tour performing Train Of Love. The event was broadcast 18 April in the US.
7 April – 2 May	For the eleventh consecutive year Dylan tours Europe. This time he covers Portugal and Spain as well as France, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The tour starts in Lisbon where Tryin’ To Get To Heaven makes it’s live debut in a semi-acoustic version with Dylan on acoustic guitar. With this show Dylan also introduces the new format with a longer acoustic set in the beginning. Sort of 1966 Revisited.
25 April	Bob Dylan’s and Bruce Springsteen’s tour itineraries intersect in Zürich and Nils Lofgren and Steve van Zandt from Springsteen’s band guest on the last encore.
21 May	An exhibition of Daniel Kramer’s photographs open at the Govinda Gallery in Washington D.C. with Daniel Kramer in attendance.
24 May	Bob Dylan's 58^th birthday.
5 June	The joint Summer tour with Paul Simon starts with a warm up show in Denver, Colorado. Bucky Baxter has now left the band his position has been taken over by Larry Campbell. Charlie Sexton, a seasoned session player and former member of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band Double Trouble is recruited as new guitarist. Paul Simon joins Dylan’s band for a run through of the planned duets. They end with Forever Young, which they apparently aren’t particularly satisfied with for it is to be replaced with Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door for the rest of the tour.
15 June	A New York consultant discloses that she is working with the city of Duluth to build a non-profit Bob Dylan Digital Arts Center.
30 June	Hibbing plans Dylan Museum.
30 June	Bob Dylan appears at the “Eric Clapton & Friends To Benefit Crossroads Centre Antigua” at Madison Square Garden, New York City. He sings six songs backed by Eric Clapton’s band and returns for the encore Bright Lights, Big City with Sheryl Crow.
26 July	Dylan plays another breakout gig at Tramps in New York City. It is one of the longest concerts during the Never-Ending Tour and like the other “solo” shows it features songs not played during the more “greatest hits” focused sets together with Paul Simon. Examples are John Brown, Visions Of Johanna, Every Grain Of Sand and I Shall Be Released. Elvis Costello is in town and joins Dylan and the band on the last one.
30-31 July	The extensive 38 show summer tour ends with two shows at The Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York.
August	Rumours circulate about Dylan having booked recording sessions in New York City at The Theatre. Eventually Dylan cancelled.
2 September	A short 10 date Fall Tour with Paul Simon starts in West Palm Beach, Florida and features the first rendition of a Dwight Yoakam song, The Heart That You Own.
8 September	Country music artist Marty Stuart joins the band for the entire show in Antioch, Tennessee playing acoustic & electric guitar, and mandolin.
12 October	Bob Dylan appears unbilled on the 4^th episode of the new season’s US TV sitcom Dharma & Greg, called Play Lady Play. Dylan plays on two instrumental songs as a band leader when Dharma is trying out for a new band.
26 October	The Fall Tour with Phil Lesh & Friends starts with two warm up shows in Chicago.
8 November	After having performed fairly standard set lists during the first eight concerts, the mood changes and the rest of the tour features a number of firsts and seldom played songs. In Baltimore, Maryland Ring Them Bells, Joey and Big River returns and Down Along The Cove gets its third rendition.
9 November	In Philadelphia A Satisfied Mind from Saved makes its live debut. This makes Saved one of the albums from which all songs have been performed in concert. Folsom Prison Blues, Man Of Peace and Shooting Star are other welcome additions to the set list.
10 November	This night in New Haven I And I and West L.A. Fadeaway are the surprise returns.
11 November	Song To Woody, Absolutely Sweet Marie and the live debut of Willie Dixon’s I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man are performed in Augusta, Maine.
15 November	Live debut of Jesse Stone´s Money Honey in Ithaca, New York.
18 November	Doug Sahm dies of a heart attack in Taos, New Mexico.
19 November	In the Copa Room at the Sands Casino in Atlantic City two breakout shows are played. The early show is an all acoustic affair, except the last encore, Not Fade Away. The late show features 12 new songs out of 13 compared to the early show. Phil Lesh has now left the tour.
20 November	The last show of this tour, this year and this millennium is played in Newark, Delaware. A song written by Jim Anglin, This World Can’t Stand Long is debuted. The opening act, “the blues bombshell” Susan Tedeschi is invited to play guitar by Dylan.
9 December	Rick Danko dies in his home in Woodstock.

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4 NEW RELEASES AND RECORDINGS

4.1 Million Miles

1. Love Sick

2. Can’t Wait

3. Million Miles

4. Cold Iron Bounds

Free sampler containing live recordings released as part of the marketing of the remastered versions of Street Legal and Greatest Hits Volume II.

1 recorded 25 February 1998 at Radio Music City Hall in New York City as part of the 40^th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony.

2 and 4 recorded at the El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, California on 20 December 1997.

3 recorded at Broome County Arena, Binghamton, New York on 19 February 1999.

Tracks 2-4 labelled as ”field recordings”.

Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar), Bucky Baxter (pedal steel guitar), Larry Campbell (guitar), Tony Garnier (bass), David Kemper (drums).

Released on MILLION MILES Live Recordings 1997-1999, Columbia CSK 42171, June 1999. Available only in The U.S.

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4.2 Web Bob

The official Bob Dylan homepage on the Internet, www.bobdylan.com, started August 1997 and has developed into by far the best of all official artist pages. A special treat is the inclusion of complete and mostly unreleased tracks, made available in the so called "real-audio" format. Almost all so far are live PA recordings. Tracks uploaded in 1999 in order of appearance:

Love Sick	6 February 1999	Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Blowin’ In The Wind	30 January 1999	Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida
Tears Of Rage	22 February 1999	RPI Fieldhouse, Try, New York
Make You Feel My Love	2 March 1999	UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Watching The River Flow	1 February 1999	Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center Tallahassee, Florida
Friend Of The Devil	19 February 1999	Broome County Arena, Binghamton, New York
Visions Of Johanna	25 February 1999	Cumberland Civic Center Portland, Maine
Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right	22 February 1999	RPI Fieldhouse, Try, New York
Silvio	30 January 1999	Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida
Never Gonna Be The Same Again	30 January 1999	Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida
To Be Alone With You	22 February 1999	RPI Fieldhouse, Try, New York
Man In The Long Black Coat	30 January 1999	Ice Palace, Tampa, Florida
Not Fade Away	22 February 1999	RPI Fieldhouse, Try, New York
Fourth Time Around	13 April 1999	Sala Ataulfo Argenta, Palacio de Festivales Santander, Spain
Highlands	27 July 1999	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Tryin’ To Get To Heaven	7 April 1999	Pavilhão do Atlântico,Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal

4.3 New tapes & bootlegs

J Mansfield 12 September 1993

J House Of Blues, Atlanta, Georgia 4 August 1996

J Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 23 October 1998

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1 INTRODUCTION

2 THE YEAR AT A GLANCE

3 CALENDAR

4 NEW RELEASES AND RECORDINGS

4.1 Million Miles

4.2 Web Bob

4.3 New tapes & bootlegs

4.3.1 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia 13 April 1996

4.3.2 Augusta, Maine 26 November 1975

4.3.3 New PA-tapes