The Never Ending Tour is a popular term for Bob Dylan's apparently incessant performing schedule since June 7, 1988. During the past twenty years, musicians have come and gone and the band has continued to evolve. Dylan's touring schedule has not been diminished by his age—he turned sixty-eight in 2009 and still plays around 100 shows a year. Dylan and his band have amassed a large fanbase; some fans have travelled around the world to attend as many Dylan shows as possible.[1]
According to the count maintained by Olof Bjorner's Dylan web-site Still On The Road, Dylan played his 2000th show of the Never Ending Tour on October 16, 2007, in Dayton, Ohio.[2] Dylan has attributed much of the versatility of his live shows to the talent of his backing band, with whom he recorded the albums
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Name
The tour's name was cemented when journalist Adrian Deevoy published his interview with Dylan in Q Magazine no.39, December 1989. The critic Michael Gray listened to Deevoy's interview tape, and points out in The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia that though Deevoy's article put the phrase into Dylan's mouth, in fact the label came from Deevoy in the following exchange:
- AD: 'Tell me about this live thing. You've gone straight into this tour again — one tour virtually straight into the next one.'
- BD: 'Oh, it's all the same tour.'
- AD: 'It's the Never Ending Tour?'
- BD: (unenthusiastically) 'Yeah, yeah'.[4]
Dylan has been dismissive of the Never Ending Tour tag. In the sleeve notes to his album World Gone Wrong (1993), Dylan wrote: "don't be bewildered by the Never Ending Tour chatter. There was a Never Ending Tour but it ended in '91 with the departure of guitarist G. E. Smith. That one's long gone but there have been many others since then. The Money Never Runs Out Tour (fall of '91) Southern Sympathizer Tour (early '92) Why Do You Look At Me So Strangely Tour (European '92) The One Sad Cry Of Pity Tour (Australia & West Coast American '92) Outburst Of Consciousness Tour ('92) Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Tour ('93) & others too many to mention each with their own character & design." [sic]
In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan queried the validity of the term Never Ending Tour, saying: "Critics should know there is no such thing as forever. Does anybody call Henry Ford a Never Ending Car Builder? Anybody ever say that Duke Ellington was on a Never Ending Bandstand Tour? These days, people are lucky to have a job. Any job. So critics might be uncomfortable with my working so much. Anybody with a trade can work as long as they want. A carpenter, an electrician. They don't necessarily need to retire."[5]
The tour was interrupted in 1997 when Dylan was forced to to cancel dates after suffering a serious medical issue in May. CBS Records announced he was being hospitalized for a "potentially fatal" chest infection, histoplasmosis.[6] Since the tour began in 1988, Dylan's 1997 stay in hospital has been his longest break from touring.
Dylan's introduction
Since August 15, 2002, Dylan has been introduced at the beginning of most of his concerts with an announcement made by a member of his stage crew:
| “ | Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the poet laureate of rock 'n' roll. The voice of the promise of the '60s counterculture. The guy who forced folk into bed with rock. Who donned makeup in the '70s and disappeared into a haze of substance abuse. Who emerged to find Jesus. Who was written off as a has-been by the end of the '80s, and who suddenly shifted gears releasing some of the strongest music of his career beginning in the late '90s. Ladies and gentlemen — Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan![7] | ” |
This introduction was adapted from an article about Dylan that had appeared in a local newspaper, The Buffalo News, on August 9, 2002.[8]
Releases, broadcast, and books
The only officially-released live document from the period covered by The Never Ending Tour was a solo set for MTV Unplugged in 1995.
Amazon.com broadcast a 2005 live performance on their homepage, in celebration of the site's tenth anniversary.
Andrew Muir authored the book Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan and the Never Ending Tour in September, 2001. The book attempts to chronicle the first decade and a half, while exploring Dylan's possible motivations.
Spanish TV station TVE2 broadcasted It Ain't Me, Babe, Rollin' & Tumblin and Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues from the concert that Dylan performed at the Rock In Rio Festival, in Madrid, July 6th 2008. [[1]]
On the 2008 release, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs, live tracks from the Never Ending Tour were released spanning from 1992 to 2004. The songs included were "High Water (For Charley Patton)", "Ring Them Bells", "Cocaine Blues", "The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore", "
Band
For a two and a half year period, between 2003 and 2006, Dylan ceased playing guitar, and stuck to the keyboard during concerts. Various rumors circulated as to why Dylan gave up guitar during this period, none very reliable. According to David Gates, a Newsweek reporter who interviewed Dylan in 2004, "basically it has to do with his guitar not giving him quite the fullness of sound he was wanting at the bottom. He's thought of hiring a keyboard player so he doesn't have to do it himself, but hasn't been able to figure out who. Most keyboard players, he says, like to be soloists, and he wants a very basic sound."[9] Dylan's touring band has two guitarists along with a multi-instrumentalist who plays pedal & lap steel, mandolin, banjo, violin and viola. From 2002 to 2005, Dylan's keyboard had a piano sound. In 2006, this was changed to an organ sound. At the start of his Spring 2007 tour in Europe, Dylan played the first half of the set on electric guitar and switched to keyboard for the second half.[10] Currently, Dylan plays keyboards almost exclusively but will occasionally play a song or two on guitar or take center-stage with just his harmonica and microphone.
Since 2005, Bob Dylan's band consists of the following members:
- Bob Dylan – vocals, electric guitar, organ, harmonica
- Stu Kimball – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Donnie Herron – pedal steel, lap steel, electric mandolin, banjo, violin, viola
- Denny Freeman – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (often to perform slide)
- Tony Garnier – bass guitar, standup bass
- George Receli – drums
During a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan spoke about his current band:
This is the best band I've ever been in, I've ever had, man for man. When you play with guys a hundred times a year, you know what you can and can't do, what they're good at, whether you want 'em there. It takes a long time to find a band of individual players. Most bands are gangs. Whether it's a metal group or pop rock, whatever, you get that gang mentality. But for those of us who went back further, gangs were the mob. The gang was not what anybody aspired to. On this record (Modern Times) I didn't have anybody to teach. I got guys now in my band, they can whip up anything, they surprise even me.[11]
—Bob Dylan, August 2006, Rolling Stone
Other notable members include Larry Campbell (Guitar, Slide Guitar, Pedal Steel, Banjo, Cittern, Mandolin & Violin from 1997-2004), Freddy Koella (Guitar from 2003-2004), Charlie Sexton (Guitar from 1999-2002), David Kemper (Drums from 1996-2003). Bucky Baxter (Pedal Steel from 1992-1999), John "J.J." Jackson (Guitar from 1991-1996) and G.E. Smith (Guitar from 1988 - 1989). Between the years 2003-2004, Tommy Morrongiello, a technician on the tour would frequently play guitar with Dylan & his Band.
Over the years, many artists have been special guests at shows, playing songs with Dylan & his Band. Artists include Phil Lesh, Jack White, Paul Simon, Ronnie Wood, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Jimmie Vaughan, Elvis Costello, Amos Lee, Patti Smith, Van Morrison, Warren Haynes, Al Kooper, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul James, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dave Stewart, Chrissie Hynde, Nils Lofgren, Dave Matthews, Susan Tedeschi, Dave Alvin, Chuck Loeb, Dickey Betts, Ian Moore, Roger McGuinn, César Díaz, Boyd Tinsley, LeRoi Moore, Doug Sahm, Aimee Mann, Liz Souissi and Ray Benson.
2009 Northern American Tour
- 07/01: Marcus Amphitheater (Milwaukee, WI, USA)
- 07/02: GCS Ballpark (Sauget, IL, USA)
- 07/04: Coveleski Stadium (South Bend, IN, USA)
- 07/05: Rothbury Festival (Rothbury, MI, USA)
- 07/08: Louisville Slugger Field (Louisville, KY, USA)
- 07/10: Fifth Third Field (Eastlake, OH, USA)
- 07/11: Classic Park (Eastlake, OH, USA)
- 07/13: Consol Energy Park (Washington, PA, USA)
- 07/14: Coca-Cola Park (Allentown, PA, USA)
- 07/15: New Britain Stadium (New Britain, CT, USA)
- 07/19: Alliance Bank Stadium (Syracuse, NY, USA)
- 07/21: McCoy Stadium (Pawtucket, RI, USA)
- 07/23: FirstEnergy Park (Lakewood, NJ, USA)
- 07/24: Ripken Stadium (Aberdeen, MD, USA)
- 07/25: Harbor Park (Norfolk, VA, USA)
- 07/28: Durham Bulls Athletic Park (Durham, NC, USA)
- 07/29: Heritage Park Amphitheater (Simpsonville, SC, USA)
- 08/04: The Dell Diamond (Round Rock, TX, USA)
- 08/05: Whataburger Field (Corpus Christi, TX, USA)
- 08/07: QuikTrip Park (Grand Prairie, TX, USA)
- 08/11: Camelback Ranch (Glendale, AZ, USA)
- 08/12: Cashman Field (Las Vegas, NV, USA)
- 08/14: Chukchansi Park (Fresno, CA, USA)
- 08/15: Banner Island Ballpark (Stockton, CA, USA)
- 08/16: Harveys Lake Tahoe (Stateline, NV, USA)
Notes
- ^ This musical and social process was captured by author Andrew Muir in his book Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan & the Never Ending Tour (2001).
- ^ "Log of every Dylan performance, 1958 to Today". Bjorner's Still on the Road. 2007-10-01. http://www.bjorner.com/DSN29620%20-%202007%20US%20Fall%20Tour.htm#DSN29830.
- ^ See Dylan quote from Rolling Stone interview, August 2006, at foot of this article, including words: "This is the best band I've ever been in, I've ever had, man for man. When you play with guys a hundred times a year, you know what you can and can't do, what they're good at, whether you want 'em there... I got guys now in my band, they can whip up anything, they surprise even me."
- ^ Gray, The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, 173
- ^ Bob Dylan's America by Douglas Brinkley, Rolling Stone, Issue 1078, May 14, 2009
- ^ Lister, David (1997-05-29). "Bob Dylan in hospital after heart scare". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bob-dylan-in-hospital-after-heart-scare-1263950.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-06.
- ^ "Dylan's introduction, August 15, 2002.". Bjorner's Still On the Road. 2002-08-15. http://www.bjorner.com/DSN24040%20-%202002%20US%20Summer%20Tour.htm#DSN24130. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ "The Buffalo News, August 9, 2002". 2002-08-09. http://www.geocities.com/dragonraid/dylan/essay/hamburg.html. Retrieved on 2007-06-16.
- ^ "Talking About Chronicles, quote from David Gates". Right Wing Bob. 2004-09-30. http://www.rightwingbob.com/item/talking.htm. Retrieved on 2008-09-07.
- ^ "March 27, 2007, Stockholm, Sweden". Bob Links. http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/032707s.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-07.
- ^ Jonathan Lethem (2006-08-21). "The Genius of Bob Dylan". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/11216877/the_modern_times_of_bob_dylan_a_legend_comes_to_grips_with_his_iconic_status/print. Retrieved on 2009-04-30.
References
- Gray, Michael (2006). The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. Continuum International. ISBN 0-8264-6933-7.
- Muir, Andrew (2001). Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan & the Never Ending Tour. Helter Skelter. ISBN 1-900924-13-7.
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