The following was posted on Facebook the other day and I responded as I saw Dylan at the Isle Of Wight. I’m going to be in the book apparently! Neil Cossar has done a similar book on Bowie which was quite well received.
Did you see Bob Dylan in the 60s or 70s? We are working on our new book Bob Dylan – I Was There. We would love to include your memory in the book, if you did please email neil@thisdayinmusic.com
For some reason the image link hasn’t worked…grrrrr! Anyone know why?
Saw him not long after Street Legal came out at Blackbushe in 1978. Along with about 20,000 other people! Not sure what I could add to what will be a tsunami of recollections, and my account of the day is in this blog somewhere or other from a couple of years back. Why don’t they just plough through our posts – I’m sure they’ll find something from somebody that’s worth repeating.
Don’t you mean 200,000 other people ?
I was there too, foxy. I didn’t spot you.
We were sat near the wavers of the red, gold and green stripy flag, just about in the middle, no more than 75 yards from the stage. Great view and decent sound, but a bladder busting distance from the bogs. Couldn’t miss us, we were enveloped in Lebanese smoke for much of the afternoon.
I was there too, Foxy and Tigger. I didn’t spot you…
Talking about the bogs at Blackbushe, the toilet facilities at the said festival were (surprise, surprise) woefully inadequate. I seem to remember that, for 250,000 people, the organisers had provided about 4 portaloos and a huge latrine trench that quickly filled up so that it was the size of Lake Superior. Nice.
That’s why empty beer cans were used. The combination of bellies full of beer and cans full of urine led to mischief. I imagine that flag was a good target, foxy.
I saw him at my peak age of delinquency when he played 6 nights at Earls Court in June 1978. I wasn’t even a fan, though had no problem with his songs. I was walking past the stadium having visited the library and saw a crowd of people listening outside. I joined them listening. Some people booted a fire-door open and said “come in”. we rushed in, and security came running over. They lay in to some of the people but I ran up a down escalator and ducked into the auditorium about 20 mins into the gig, and sat in an empty seat high in the balcony. Security came looking but didn’t want to go into a steeply raked seating block so high up. Dylan played his hits up to 1978 fairly straight (as per the Budokan album). I enjoyed it, and told my flatmates about the adventure. So the following day we all went there. they formed a human pyramid and got into the auditorium via a window about 15 feet up, and claimed that as they walked through various gantries they ended up on the walkway across the arena. i followed the lads booting the fire door trick again, and followed the same modus operandi as before, with similar success. the gig was almost exactly the same. I paid to go to Blackbushe, though, which i enjoyed. My back was photographed for “Sounds”: wish i had kept the picture (if anyone has the cutting of it’s review of the festival, the pic could illustrate my story).
As another at Blackbushe, and remembering when this has come up before, there are a number more of “us” who went. Amazed we didn’t think to have a mingle. My recall is encumbered by too much refreshment, but I remember fighting through to the front for the peculiar horn led Rolling Stone, with sax and trumpet replicating Al Koopers organ on the original. I have a boot on CD, and i don’t listen much. Or twice, in truth.
I went to all 6 nights at Earl’s Court. We had to queue all night for tickets outside a record shop in Stoke On Trent. No sleeping bags or any sensible preparations of course – only booze and dope. When the shop opened we blew every cent we had on tickets for every night so had to hitch-hike home.
The shows were great I thought. One night I got to the rail and saw Dylan in gold lame turn his back to the audience and do an Elvis hip shake. Those were the days.
I had to miss Blackbushe as it was on the day of my graduation ceremony. I was heartbroken.
Mr Concheroo, formerly of this parish, put me in touch with this guy a few months ago and I gave him my 2d worth about Albert Hall ’66.
I was at Earls Court ’78, but he didn’t actually ask about that at the time. But the image you posted doesn’t mention 70s anyway. ?
The FB post, which I’ve copied in the OP, says 60s and 70s.
You’re charmingly modest about your time in Lubbock teaching him some Woody Guthrie songs, Mike.
I have much to be modest about.
What were Bob and Mike doing in Texas?
Bob heard that Mike was there teaching Buddy Holly how to sing and hiccup at the same time and made the pilgrimage. Ernie Isley went, too. Do try to keep up, Lodes.
Great Uncle Norman was there too.
I saw Nanci Griffith in Lubbock once, she said hi
Same tour Melbourne , Myer Music Bowl. 3 nights, rained for 2.
Hot on heels of Japan where Budokan recorded. No internet and early in tour so flabbergasted by reworking, my pet hate a flute for FFS. Dylan in white jump suit and a Big revue that apparently he got from Neil Diamond …”he seems to be making a lot of money “. Recall him opening with R Johnson’s love her with a feeling.
An issue with Budokan is it was so early in tour. There is a boot of Brisbane “Ok I still get stoned” and the performances , even by that short time after are much better.
Relistenung – his voice was damn good 😉
I have a listener to my radio show in Oklahoma who reacted to a Dylan track I played earlier this year with a memory of seeing Dylan in Austin Texas with the Band, but she thought it was late 1966, i.e. after his motorcycle crash in July. I was fairly certain this was impossible, but after some digging I found she was a year out and had seen him with the Hawks in 1965, so I’ve contacted her about the book. I’d never realised he played this tour! She doesn’t remember any booing, although she says she preferred his folky stuff at the time.
What is your radio show Nigel ?
I do a show called ‘The Beat Goes On’ on Sunday afternoons 2-4. Fairly AW friendly (obviously). Here is a recent play list…All Change by Cast was the featured album (I’d seen them at Looe Festival)
1. Out Of Time – Chris Farlowe
2. Forever Autumn – Justin Haywood
3. New World – Robert Plant
4. Finetime – Cast
5. 50 Ways To leave Your Lover – Paul Simon
6. The Boxer – Simon And Garfunkle
7. Sounds Of Silence – Disturbed
8. Ragged Wood – Velvet And Stone
9. Music In My Life – The Barefoot Bandit
10. Sandstorm – Cast
11. He’s Going To Step On You Again – John Kongos
12. Technicolor Dreams – The Status Quo
13. Mind’s Eye – Rameses And Selket
14. Glass Onion – The Beatles
15. Boris The Spider – The Who
16. In These Shoes? – Kirsty MacColl
17. Days – Kirsty MacColl
18. No Regrets – Midge Ure
19. Walkaway – Cast
20. Carry Fire – Robert Plant
21. Driftwood – The Moody Blues
22. Loaded – Primal Scream
23. In My Life – The Beatles
24. Maggie’s Farm – The Blues Band
25. Promised Land – Cast
26. Stand By Me – John Lennon
Maggie’s Farm! That was very topical in 1980. Later dropped from the setlist when Paul Jones went over to the dark side…
Oh yes, in case anyone is vaguely interested, it’s on Bay FM Radio from Exmouth in Devon.
Is it on the internet ?
John Kongos is the outlier of that setlist. But a good outlier.
Tokoloshe Man is a cracking album.
Yes, we are on TuneIn Radio and all the streaming services as far as I know, and via the website http://www.bayfm.co.uk
Regarding John Kongos – we saw Happy Mondays at Looe and in my review the previous week I said that I would play the original of Step On the following week. The week after this one I played Tokoloshe Man – these two records are particular favourites of Mrs. T and she still has the 45s – they get dusted off occasionally!
Just remembered, the LP is called simply Kongos; had to dig out my copy. HIFLY7 Stereo it says! Great cover, and what a line up of players.