“You can’t be who you want to be in daily life — I don’t care who you are, you are going to be disappointed in daily life. The cure for all that is to get up on stage and that is why performers do it. But in saying that, I don’t want to put on the mask of celebrity. I’d rather just do my work and see it as a trade.” (Bob Dylan, 2001)

“A lot of people can’t stand touring but to me it’s like breathing. I do it because I’m driven to do it. At times in my life the only place I have been happy is when I am on stage.” (Bob Dylan, 2001)

“I do what I think is right, what I think is best” (Bob Dylan, 2020)

It was forty years ago since I attended my first Bob Dylan concert, in Gothenburg, June 9th 1984. I was just a crazy kid at 22, a boy from the north country of Norway, never been to a gig like this before. Both Nick Lowe and Santana were opening acts, but actually, I couldn’t care less – I came to see Dylan! I was pretty sure this was my only chance to see him, afraid that it wouldn’t happen again. Who could have thunk he wasn’t even in the middle of his career? And it felt so unique to me, after some lonesome years with my special interest in this artist, from I was fourteen, not particularly in step with the times and people at my age. To see him with 55000 others was really something, and it was a fantastic concert, a fabulous setlist and a mindblowing experience for me. Dylan this night changed my life a second time, listening to Desire in 1976 was the first. Now I fully understood the magic of Dylan as a live artist, in my mind still the most overlooked part of his art, of his creative work. Of course not only because he has performed before an audience more than 4000 times, not because he is one of the greatest poets of our times, not because he is one of the most influential artists, but because of his unique abilities to create art in the spur of the moment as a performing artist, the wild range of songs & genres presented, the hundreds of cover versions, the endless and continuously changing of arrangements, timings and phrasings, the immediacy and the unique ability to surprise and overwhelm he who have ears, through more than sixty years of performing, never choosing the easy way out by just playing the “hits”, or playing them like he did before, on album, or yesterday. Never going for the endless repetitions – not even when the setlist are repeated. Never any attempt of perfection or polished delivery, but for something fresh, something never done before, in timing, phrasing or solos, with the risk of failing, then maybe failing better the next time. And then his ability to make an unknown cover an existential drama in five minutes, or to reveal another secret in a song played a thousand times before. And yes, I know, he is an acquired taste, he is not for all, and I respect that. Neither is Miles Davis or Pablo Picasso. Sometimes I think the tools for understanding, analyzing & describing the value of jazz or visual art would be as appropriate as anything else to dive into the rich world of Dylan as a performing artist, not limited to the tools of what Dylan himself once called “light entertainment”, as a term for the area he worked inside, but never was limited by. For me it always was about the sound of Bob Dylan, about the poetry for your ear – the studio albums was stepping stones into that world, but then there was a much wider ocean of listening to Bob Dylan live. This is why this night was my 200th Bob Dylan concert, not some like trophy, but because life is short and because some of the passion and excitement from Gothenburg forty years ago still remains, always did. I was surprised and overwhelmed in Paris in October, as I was yesterday in Royal Albert Hall. Was all 200 shows great – of course not, was he getting “better and better” each year – of course not – but still some of my favorites came during the last years, some in the 90’s (f.i. “It Ain’t Me Babe” at his knees with his harp in Molde 1996 or dancing in Oslo 1998), some in the 00’s (f.i. in Horsens and the two in Portsmouth, or Manchester 2002), the great shows at Terminal 5 in New York 2010, the sudden turn of form and repertoire in 2013 and so on, many beautiful shows at the Beacon the following years, the last show at the Palladium in 2022, the shows in Barcelona last year, the list is long and in no particular order. Even in most of the “weakest” shows (not all of them), in my opinion, there were some golden moments, maybe one or two songs, maybe just a cover where he gave it his all, and I was lucky to be around when it happened. I respect the ones now posting about seeing him for five, fifteen or twenty years ago, who thought it was bad and that they wouldn’t for all in the world go to another show with this artist. I can understand that, but I also think: Too bad. You might may have missed some really great and surprising experiences in your life, songs you never heard before or even a voice you never heard before. Or maybe not. We got different taste in music. We got different ears. And even we change. To each his own. Maybe that’s the real key to the kingdom, the blind horse that leads you around – your own taste & what touches your own heart – never let anyone tell you that the show or album you loved more than anything was a bad show or album – for him or her it might have been bad, but still it could be gold for you. Such is life. Such is happiness.

For me it sure has been one helluva ride. When I found my place at row four tonight I therefore was filled with gratitude, but also the blues, knowing this maybe, just maybe, would be the last time. If so, no room would be more perfect for The End, than the Royal Albert Hall. I loved the lighting those nights, maybe not so popular for the audience further away from the stage, but the way it was done made me feel we saw kind of a club stage inside this fabulous room. The artists came to the stage in the dark, picks up their instruments and starts playing “All Along The Watchtower” – but where are Bob? Oh, there he is – he comes marching in after an instrumental opening by the band, well dressed as usual, flashes of silver and gold, heading straight for the piano and starts singing with great conviction what we all sometimes feel: “There must be some way out of here”. After Watchtower he plays a few chords on the guitar before singing a great “It Ain’t Me, Babe”, followed by what I think is the best and most powerful “I Contain Multitudes” of the three nights. The audience loves it. A strong and intense “False Prophet” with a tight band and great guitars following Dylan’s piano makes it one of the highlights for me, third night in a row. “When I Paint My Masterpiece” makes the audience smile and dance in their chairs, even more because of Dylan’s movements out on the stage with the handheld microphone. It continues to have that effect everytime it happens during the night. Here comes the first fabulous harp solo, too, and the audience is fully warmed up by this first five songs. It’s a great night, close to the night before, but with some exceptions. My feeling overall is that tonight is colored blue in an even more melancholy mood than yesterday’s great show. A great “Black Rider” starts out on the stage with the handheld microphone, then continues at the piano, as we now are used to. Sometimes Dylan changes between the mike at the piano and the handheld mike faster than the soundman’s eyes, but it doesn’t matter so much. The few words spoken by Dylan is often very low and a away from the mike, a whispered thank you here, a whispered intro of one of the musicians there. Then comes a magnificent version of “My Own Version Of You” – based on Dylan’s solo project from yesterday, but now in a very quiet way bringing Tony & Keltner back into the music, combined with the guitars – but all the focus is on Dylan’s storytelling and the I in the song’s struggle to make new life. What a difference two day makes when it comes to this songs development – now a blue and sad story that moves the focus from the humorous part of the lyrics, to the deep existential content of the basis for the same lyrics. Beautiful. Standing ovations here and there. Really great stuff. Dylan smiles and throws himself and the band quickly into the rocking “To Be Alone With You”, people again can hardly sit still in their chairs, Dylan rocks, moves his hips and his shoulders in a joyful way, delivers another fabulous and loooong harp solo. One more bluesy “Crossing The Rubicon” about the hard choices of life, the audience wild about Dylan’s thunderous piano solo in the middle of the song, strongly supported by the guitars. Then maybe the people’s choice of favorite this evening, “Desolation Row”, one of the more familiar songs for people who isn’t that into the “Rough And Rowdy Ways” songs. Another majestic harp solo on this one.

All the musicians are back in the saddle on “Key West”, as opposed to last night’s version, but it is performed as an even more quiet and blue song than yesterday. Someone must have told Dylan to use even more tenderness tonight – a very beautiful and naked version – you can almost hear the melting of hearts in the room. Then comes a smoking and tight blues rock version of “Watching The River Flow”, the guitarists tonight getting closer to Dylan, both physically and musically, might be the best version of the three nights. Again a very responsive audience to an old song, a song which Jim Keltner knew from the beginning, playing drums on the original version from 1971, as he did with “When I Paint My Masterpiece” the same sessions in March that year.

A deeply heartfelt performance of “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” again makes the audience throw out their sighs and approval. There are sadness and sorrow in every line of it, as well as beauty in every one of the high notes Dylan uses to make things right for this occasion, the end of the Rough And Rowdy Ways Tour, and maybe even more.

Then comes what might be the most moving version of “I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You”, also because of the audience’s immediate response when Dylan first sings the refrain and title of the song, just like they all know what he means, and that he sings this song to them, and that they thanks him for that. Dylan let them believe it, and delivers the rest of the song in the most beautiful way, as touching it always was.

“Mother of Muses” is sung with more than a little tenderness, also includes some very fine piano solos, before another blues jump comes along with “Goodbye, Jimmy Reed”, the rhythm is contagious and makes people wanna dance, one man on first row even does just that. The Rough And Rowdy Ways Tour 2021 – 2024 then ends with another beautiful rendition of “Every Grain of Sand” – confession, mystery, hope & faith combined with melancholic hindsight & the grand tour of human nature, just like the “Rough And Rowdy Ways” songs as a whole – Dylan then ends it all with an intense harp solo, before receiving the standing ovations from the floor and up to the gallery, and then quickly disappearing into the night.

Yes, it was one more great night in Royal Albert Hall, and what seemed to be a very lucky and joyful audience left the building, most of them smiling and knowing they witnessed something special this evening, even if they didn’t know all the songs from before. They witnessed greatness.

Was it the last time we saw Dylan in concert? Who knows? The eagerness with which he performed those three days, makes it difficult to believe that. On the other side, it would be a perfect last memory of being present on a live concert with this very unique performing artist. Thanks again, Bob.

Johnny Borgan