BOB DYLAN : ALBUQUERQUE 2022

 

Disc One (54:51)

  1. Intro
  2. Watching The River Flow
  3. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
  4. I Contain Multitudes
  5. False Prophet
  6. When I Paint My Masterpiece
  7. Black Rider
  8. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
  9. My Own Version of You
  10. Crossing The Rubicon
  11. To Be Alone With You

Disc Two (63:29)

  1. Intro
  2. Key West (Philosopher Pirate)
  3. Gotta Serve Somebody
  4. I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
  5. Melancholy Mood
  6. Mother of Muses
  7. Goodbye Jimmy Reed
  8. Band Introduction
  9. Every Grain of Sand
    Bonus Tracks :
  10. To be alone with you
  11. when I paint my masterpiece
  12. Band introduction
  13. friend of the devil

Label : Crystal Cat Records

Venue : Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Recording Date : March 6, 2022

Quality : Audience recording (A+)

Review : Enjoyable audience recording of Dylan's third show in 2022, at the 2300-seat Kiva auditorium in Albuquerque. During the band introduction, Dylan talks about snakes in New Mexico and laughs. Nice document of another Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour show.

Review (Collectors Music Reviews) : I pity the poor Bob Dylan fan. Love it or hate it, one good night is all you need to have fire in your belly again as a fan, who can afford to hunt Dylan around the world however and pit night against night, waiting for the concert where he thinks ‘screw it’ in the afternoon rehearsal, turns to his band and say, “You know what, I’ve been thinking about this song ..” only to drop it in without fanfare and to the shock and clear glee of the audience. Most likely you’ll hear a night that’s different to the night before, marginally maybe, different definitely and as Dylan sprints around the world, now half way through his “Rough And Rowdy” world tour, each and every night could be the one. The Crystal Cat label, already having presented us with one box from the first US leg of this tour, return with another from the next, a lengthy 74 date tour that takes Dylan through March to July, zipping and shipping around the States. This time, three separate nights, via three different months, along the way, each presumably chosen for either their excellence or how well they were recorded. Each of these shows are perfectly captured – As I’ve mentioned before, were we to encounter a soundboard at this point, I think we’d be baffled. That’s not to say that we would’d accept it with cowboy hats tilted, Dylan’s gale-force-nine enthusiasm while playing the piano sometimes allows for a couple of sneaky faux-pas’ to sound less frightening when they’re masked by an excellent audience recording. Three different shows with subtle differences slotted in between – Whether they feature a sleight of Dylan picking up his guitar, treating us to a blast of the harmonica when he feels like giving that a shot or, as referenced, when he decides that now’s then time that that track from rehearsals feels his streak and he plays it out. As owners of the last set that Crystal Cat put out know, the dates change, but the shows continue to amaze. Dylan, the fire in his belly lit, is playing for the blues bars, the honky tonk clubs as opposed to any folk relief, he’s borne as the old blues boys and girls that he appreciated when his best years were still before him. His legions of fans still praise him, the undeliverable still besmirch his name for ungamely never speaking. What can you do? Albuquerque rocks at the Kiva auditorium with a sharp set for the first pair of discs – Dylan whips out the harmonica for ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ and ‘I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight’ – A particularly pulverising take on this typically sweet flirt, the latest incarnation is a lot more leg-trembling than leg trembler, it’s howling lust as compared to puckish come-hither like a beer-buzzed man (in this case), releasing his urge. ‘My Own Version Of You’, maybe the least trusted track from ‘Rough And Rowdy’ because of its cartoonish, tacky lyrics really ramps up its campy, ghoulishness. The breakdown as it reaches its third part and the music starts to fall away from the body is delicious – As ridiculous as it all appears in print, live it’s an awesome presence. ‘Key West (Philosopher Pirate)’ is one of the blessings of the first recordings – This sounds almost like a soundboard – there’s a little chatter from one of the tapers neighbours firstly, a couple of whoops at the odd occasion but apart from that, it’s as quiet as a pond in Spring and at 10 minutes long, lovingly calm, though soon after comes ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ like a beefed up truck to over tip the calm. It’s very presence is like a big red shadow over the show and has Dylan phrasing in a wild way. It’s coda is steely huge too. ‘Mother Of Muses’ is another break in the set – Stone-quiet, it seems pretty much each person in the audience holds their breath and listens intently, there’s not a murmur or whisper to be heard anywhere from the room. It’s also a gorgeous version of the song. Post, ‘Goodbye Jimmy Reed’ Dylan begins his band introduction, “Well, thank you, e’vrybody. Last time we were here, eer, my bass player Tony and I went, we went to see the Bullsnakes. Bullsnakes still around here? I wonder what their record is? (Laughs)” before the band slip easily in to an easy, ‘Every Grain Of Sand’. Bonus tracks are included here in recordings that aren’t quite as clear as the main performance. ‘To Be Alone With You’ features harp at the beginning before Bob turns back to the piano, an almost discordant ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ that falls before the first hurdle before gamely struggling on. Finally a rare outing for ‘Friend Of The Devil’, this version on piano, a superb rendition.