KIVA AUDITORIUM @ CONVENTION CENTER - ALBUQUERQUE, NM

Over the next several nights, Dylan will deliver a number of superb vocal performances. Dylan begins to fiddle with his own phrasing and the overall melodic tenor of a number of songs. This evening, Dylan offers different approaches to "Slow Train Coming," "Covenant Woman," and "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking."

Dylan gives "Slow Train" a more resigned feel, playing with the melodic possibilities of the otherwise generally percussive chorus. Dylan tones down "Covenant Woman," bringing out the love song qualities and using melismata to range within the expansive melodic structure of the song. Oddly, Spooner Oldham's last solo seems truncated, just as he's biting into the song.

"Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking" receives a particularly nice treatment this evening. Dylan's vocals are outstanding, avoiding the plodding monotony the rhythmic structure of the song can create by leaping at odd phrasing and off-beat cadences which have a leering, accusatory quality to them. Tackett's guitar looms, adding wiry licks around Dylan and Drummond marching rhythm, then jumping into tightly wound, tense solos. Terry Young's organ solo wails and drones in layers, then reverts to stacatto counterpoint in support of the melody. Throughout it all, Keltner's drumming is simply superb, rolling fills between stanzas, then wonderful backbeats to accent the monotonous cowbell beat which underlies this song. This segment of the tour truly deserves a high quality mix which could do justice to the wonderful instrumental interplay behind Dylan's vocals.

The band also delivers wonderful renditions of "Solid Rock" and "Saved" this evening. They assert themselves more during the open measures in "Solid Rock" where earlier in the tour, they waited for Dylan to sing. On "Saved" Drummond and Keltner step forward in the chorus, show what can be done within a two-beat stomp and nicely balancing Terry Young's romping piano.

• "Good evening, I'm going to tell you a story."

Helena Springs: "Thank you. You've been a great audience, thank you."

• 1,2,4,guitar solo,5,keys,6,outro
• (2) "drugs at your command" !!!
• (4) "maybe be even own banks"
• (5) "maybe be a city councilman taaaking briiiiiibesoooooonnnnnnnthhhhheeeeside"
• (6) "you maybe wear cotton you might like to wear silk"

• "even through the tears and the laughter" very late in measure
• microphone buffeted at "earth may shake me"

• 1,2,6,5,organ/guitar solos,4,8,7,organ/guitar,9,outro chorus
• (1) brief drop outs twice during this stanza
• (2) "Henry Kissinger" line gets applause
• (6)" to guide your every move" sung straight instead of ("ev-er-y")
• (6) "They'll give you instant inner peace"
• (4) "You got, ah, and, uh, can't hold their tongue"
• chopping second organ solo

CROWD: "Dylan!"

CROWD: "Highway 61!" "Alright!"

• very slow, deliberate rendition
• drops octave on "wilderneeeeeessssssss"
• large applause after "war won't cease until he returns"
• brief piano stumble after "before you ask"
• whistling sound like bottle rocket during "how long can you falsify"
• large applause during "coooonncceeeeeeaaaaaaallllllll"
• Dylan picks out notes of chord, rather than blues progression

CROWD: (two voices together near taper) "Isis!"

• bear/cow/bull/fox(pig)/sssssss
• "think I'll call it a fox" (pig)

• tackett hits awkward note on first "precious angel"
• first chorus Dylan: "shine your light . . . on me"
• (2) "and my so-called friends, they have fallen under a spell"
• second chorus, w/ backing, Dylan:"shine your light, (skips)//shine your light, (skips)// shine your light, shine your light on me"
• 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"

CROWD: "Praise Dylan!" "Alright Bobby!"

SLOW TRAIN COMING 

• somewhat sedate version, Dylan's elocution is particularly clear, but instrumentation without passion
• Dylan stretched meter and phrasing on third stanza on "paris" and chorus immediately following
• Tackett has particularly nice second solo, pacing beautifully
• "I don't care about a --- stronomy"
• particularly fine ending by Dylan on final "slow train coming" -- almost gentle and resigned
• syncopated backing singers on end: "coming/coming/coming"

• (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-ah-he will do it // he must have loved-ah-me oh so much."
• Second chorus: "And I just, I got to tell you // and I just, I got to thank you once again"
• Looser phrasing on second chorus, and beginning to push edges of melody
• Sudden applause after second chorus
• (3) "who shows me all the invisible things that are hidden from the world."
• Third chorus: "And I've just, I got to thank you once again"

CROWD: "Bob Dylan!" "Hey Bobby!  I love you!" "We love you, Bob!" (bass noodling) "Highway 61!"

• Dylan gives a leering second "different set of rules"
• Very strong vocal performance -- really enjoying the lyrics and phrasing
• Keltner does an interesting backbeat phrase during "mislead a man"
• Strong instrumental performance as well, Terry Young's solo has nice dissonance to it and everything very tight.

• 1,2,3,keyboards solo,4
• (2) "defend/be defended, recommend/be recommended//bury/be buried, marry/might be already married"
• (3) "seeing(?)/(?), betray/be betrayed//confuse/be confused,use/be used"
• (4) "(?)/ (?), bother(?)/written on(?)//miss/be missed, faith in nobody/not even a scientist"

(hear Drummond count in)

SOLID ROCK 

• Dylan allows extra measure before beginning first stanza, then pushes tempo
• "The whole world's expecting a false peace to come"
• Somehow they seem to lose the hook on this performance - very strong, but almost tripping over selves
• Dylan waits a two full measures after guitar solo to kick in, with nice singing by Helena in interim and bass, guitar interplay.

• (1) "I've escpaed death so many times, I guess I'm only living"
• (3) "The death of life, then cooooommmmme the resurrection."
• (4) "Now the devil's blinding light, that can be most blinding."

• Dylan strums away during applause and begins song on own
• (1) "By his mercy I've been touched, By his word I have been healed, By his light I've been delivered, by his spirit I've been sealed."
• Crowd applause grows as reaches first chorus, anticipating rave up, but then confused by theme?
• (2) "By his truth I can be upright, by his truth I do endure//By his love I have been lifted, by his power I feel secure"
• (3) "No one to rescue me, nobody would dare, by his love I have been lifted, by his mercy I've been spared."
• Band (drums and bass) really beginning to play within "so glad/thank you lord" parts of chorus

CROWD: "Blowin In The Wind!" "Play an old song!" (in response to first "what can I do for you?")

• Dylan begins singing in midst of first guitar phrase.
• (1) "opened up a door that no man could shut and you opened it up so wide/ filled up a hunger that had always been denied"
• (2) "Well, you've done it all and there's no more that's left to do."
• (3) "Well, I don't deserve it, but I sure did enough make it through."
• Very strong applause at end

• Organ makes a sudden change in tone during first stanza
• Very flat first, "when he spoke to them in the city"
• Dylan hurries our first "when he healed the blind"
• (4) "Did they, did they speak out against him, did they dare?"
• EDIT# - During applause

• strumming guitar and drumming two-beat prominent at beginning

• chorus x 3, 1, chorus x 4, 2, chorus x 3
• Regina: "there ain't nothin higher than Jesus" twice during second set of choruses
• Can hear the taper taking apart kit, lowering mike, and finally turning off machine.

 SOURCES:

One known reference tapes circulating: