On my internal list of favorite Dylan live moments, this night’s surprising ending, with a deeply heartfelt and very touching version of “Lakes of Pontchartrain”, easily entered the company of so many great performances through the years. Dylan went directly from a beautiful “Every Grain of Sand” with nice harmonica ending, into searching for some chords on that baby grand piano, to what should be this beautiful song that he started singing in 1988 and several times the next years – actually 18 times from 1988 to 1991. The audience didn’t even get the time to ask for more, they just got it! The gravitas in Dylan’s voice these days made a perfect match between song, artist and performance. Even if the song’s most popularized lyrics obviously are “made in America”, maybe around the time of the Civil War, the origins of the song most likely goes further back in the folk tradition, inspired by irish immigrant roots, bringing so many songs over that lonesome ocean. Nevertheless, Bob Dylan learnt to play this one from the great irish singer/songwriter Paul Brady. Dylan also adopted Brady’s great version of “Arthur Mc Bride“, later recorded and released on “Good As I Been To You”. But tonight was the night for “Lakes of Pontchartrain”. Heartstopping version!

A beautiful ending of a great night in Gleneagle Arena in Killarney. A night that started as usual with “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”, no guitar from Dylan, but straight to the piano, made it a better start of the show. Dylan’s guitar was introduced in “It Ain’t Me, Babe”, but the real greatness came first in the delivery of the vocals, bringing back memories of the great Rolling Thunder version of the song. The first highlight tonight.

From the middle of row two I had a great view to Dylan’s eagerly foot-stomping under the baby grand piano through the night, to his face, not so much, mostly limited to when he stood up shortly after each song, besides that, some fussed hair & a clear vision of a cool breeze encircling him, an impression strengthened by an especially great sound this night, Dylan’s vocals perfectly high in the mix, loud and clear from the second line of the first song. This was, I think, one of the reasons that the audience had such a wonderful time, and that they showed it from early on, standing up after many of the songs, inspiring the artist by continuosly cheering and applauding.

“When I Paint My Masterpiece” is very popular in this year’s version, also tonight, here with Dylan on the guitar part that makes most sense of them all. The audience sighs and starts to dance in their chairs when it starts.

“Black Rider” is strong as usual, and “My Own Version of You” has grown even stronger and more powerful after I last saw great versions of the song in Paris. Now it is much more drama implemented in the delivery, both in the vocals and the march-like rhythm, strongly underlined by both piano, drums and percussion.

A spirited “Desolation Row” with great phrasings makes the audience move in their chairs, as we can see the shadows dancing and flickering by at the backdrop , shadows of the circus in town, the riot squad, Cinderella, Ophelia, The Phantom of the Opera and all the rest. Another sigh from the audience when this song starts, what must be one of this artist’s greatest work of art through all these years.

Dylan introduced the band after a great “Mother of Muses”, now with Bob Britt on some delicate steel guitar.

It was a night where the ancient footprints and footsteps where everywhere, from Cain and Abel and Julius Cæcar, to Calliope and Jimmy Reed, from Rubicon to Key West, it was the time of the artist’s confession, bringing us with him from the plains and the prairies, from the mountains to the sea, all summed up in a poetic hope of gods going easy on that last light and slow traveling home.

It was an inspiring and inspired night. Not so much about what we saw, but about what we could hear, that’s what we got. And then we, on top of it all, got this fabulous performance of “Lakes of Pontchartrain”. It became a night I’ll never forget.

Johnny Borgan