4 DECEMBER 1979

28 November 1979

KIVA AUDITORIUM @ CONVENTION CENTER – SAN DIEGO, CA

SETLIST:

SERVE SOMEBODY/I BELIEVE IN YOU/WHEN YOU GONNA WAKE UP?/WHEN HE RETURNS/MAN GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS/PRECIOUS ANGEL/SLOW TRAIN COMING/COVENANT WOMAN

COMMENTARY:

Dylan kicks off this concert with a spirited “Gotta Serve Somebody” which show all the hallmarks of a promising concert. Dylan and the band seem particularly in synch and Dylan delivers a wonderfully understated “I Believe In You” to follow. A superb beginning to “Covenant Woman” also suggests the unreleased songs which dominate the latter half of these concerts would be exceptional. Unfortunately, it appears no recording of the latter half of the concert exists.

ANNOTATIONS:

MONOLOGUE -

IF I'VE GOT MY TICKET, LORD

IT'S GONNA RAIN

DO LORD, REMEMBER ME

LOOK UP AND LIVE BY FAITH

OH FREEDOM

THIS TRAIN

SERVE SOMEBODY

1,2,4,guitar solo,5,keys,6,outro
(2) "drugs in your pocket”
(4) "maybe be even living in a dome" (twangs second verse as well)
(5) "maybe know how to cut . . . HAIR"
swooping chorus after (5)
(6) staccato "might like to drink milk"

?edit? – first strum appears to falter?

I BELIEVE IN YOU

very soft, tired “make it through”
“oh, when the night is disappearing” late in measure
“don’t let me drift too far/ keep me set apart” (last verse which should start “don’t let me change my heart”)

WHEN YOU GONNA WAKE UP?

1,2,3,6,organ/guitar solos,4,8,7,organ/guitar,9,outro chorus
keltner drums in on his own, rest of band catching up
(2) specific cheering for “henry Kissinger” line
(6)" to guide your every move" sung straight instead of ("ev-er-y")
dylan skips last “when you gonna wake up” following verse 8
dylan skips first and second “when you gonna wake up” following verse 7
Dylan strums next song at very end of earlier song

CROWD (near taper as Dylan begin next song) :

"He has a really soft touch on his guitar.”

“Yeah -- I was here last night ---”

WHEN HE RETURNS

Crowd holler right after “a mighty God”
Loud applause following first “when he returns”
“out in the wilder ---- neeeeessssssssssssss.”
Crowd members shouting agreement to “he is unconcerned”
Dylan picks out notes of chord, rather than blues progression

CROWD: loud applause and particularly loud yell beside taper

MAN GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS

Particularly jaunty rendition
bear/cow/bull/pig/sssssss
"leaving a muddy trail" somewhat hurried

CROWD: “Start Playing, Dylan!” (awkward applause and yells supporting follow)

PRECIOUS ANGEL

(1) “and we stiiiiillllll doonn’t believe”
first chorus Dylan: "shine your light . . . on me"
second chorus, w/ backing, Dylan:"shine your light, (skips)//shine your light, (skips)// shine your light, shine your light on me" “No, I just could not make it by myself”
third chorus Dylan: "Shine your light, shine your light on me//Shine your light, shine your light on me//Shine your light, shine your light on me"

EDIT# - cuts off during third chorus of preceding song and clips first verse of “Slow Train”

SLOW TRAIN COMING

tackett adds “groovy thing going baby” phrase in last solo
syncopated backing singers on end: "coming/coming/coming"

COVENANT WOMAN

(1) "I know I can trust you to stay the way you are."
First chorus: "And I just got to tell you, I intend, to stay closer than any friend, and I just, I got to thank you, once again"
(2) "And I know-that-ah-he will do it // he must have loved-ah-me oh so much."
Applause after “someone as fine as you”
Second chorus: "And I just, I got to tell you // and I just, I got to thank you once again"

EDIT# - END OF RECORDING – Clips “Covenant Woman” during third verse, after “intimate little girl”

PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND OF THE MAN (Performed by Regina McCrary)

GONNA CHANGE MY WAY OF THINKING

DO RIGHT TO ME BABY

SOLID ROCK

SAVING GRACE

SAVED

WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU

IN THE GARDEN

BLESSED IS THE NAME

PRESSING ON

SOURCES:

One known reference tapes circulating:

The first (281179PBM) is a dual mono audience recording which lacks the seven opening songs performed by the band, and the entire concert following “Covenant Woman.”

This recording is very high quality until a destructive edit which clips the end of “Precious Angel” and the first verse of “Slow Train coming.” Thereafter, the sound is muffled, though it recovers in time for “Covenant Woman.” Unfortunately, there is a second destructive edit clipping the third verse of “Covenant Woman” and the rest of the concert. Considering the quality of the initial recording and the quality of Dylan’s performance this evening, the loss of the remainder of this recording is tragic.