There were many commercial boot releases based on "BobFest," the 30th anniversary tribute concert. Virtually all of these discs were taken from the pay-per-view broadcast of the event. For Dylan collectors, there are only two tracks of particular interest: "Song To Woody," omitted from the original release due to sonic problems, and "My Back Pages," where the original release includes some some later studio overdubs of Dylan vocals.
There are many variations among the circulating commercial bootlegs, and the complete broadcast has circulated freely as a fan project since the evening of the event itself. All of the commercial releases are in essence pirate recordings to be avoided, at least as commercial artifacts; for virtually all of the officially released performances, the official source recording is of superior sonic quality. The commercial releases taken from the pay-per-view broadcast also omit Dylan's encore performance of "Girl From The North Country." The official video release also includes some significant performances (though not by Dylan) which were not heard on the original broadcast.
Because the official release does not include all of the broadcast material, and because the official release is not at this time consistently available in all markets, some collectors are seeking out alternative sources. The most comprehensive sources are, of course, the noncommercial fan projects. Except as noted, all the commercial releases include "Song To Woody" and the original vocals for "My Back Pages." These other variations from the official release should be noted among the commercial projects:
The Anniversary Concert. Imtrat, 2CD. Companion discs to "Tribute To Bob Dylan"; covers roughly the second half of the concert. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Includes Love Minus Zero (Clapton); If Not For You (Harrison).
Best Of Bob Dylan's Anniversary Concert. Imtrat, 1CD. Particularly undesireable. Poorly selected single-disc condensation. Omits 4 of 5 Dylan performances, includes only the officially released "It's Alright Ma." Includes Love Minus Zero (Clapton); If Not For You (Harrison).
The Bob Dylan Reference (With Friends). LSD Records, 2D. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Particularly undesireable for its many omissions: LeopardSkin PillBox Hat (Mellencamp); Foot Of Pride (Reed); Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Young); Absolutely Sweet Marie (Harrison); Don't Think Twice (Clapton); License To Kill (Petty); My Back Pages, Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Dylan w/ensemble). Includes I Want You (Hawkins).
The Bob Dylan Tribute. Rockdreams, 3CD. Omits Dylan encore. Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood), I Want You (Hawkins), War (O'Connor); Love Minus Zero (Clapton), If Not For You (Harrison).
Celebration Night. LTCD, 2CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Omits Masters Of War (Vedder/McCready); Times They Are A-Changin' (Chapman); It Ain't Me Babe (Cash/Carter); When The Ship Comes In (Clancy); You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Carpenter/Cash/Colvin); License To Kill (Petty). Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins); Love Minus Zero (Clapton).
Dylan Forver. Top, 2CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Omits Masters Of War (Vedder/McCready); Times They Are A-Changin' (Chapman); It Ain't Me Babe (Cash/Carter); When The Ship Comes In (Clancy); You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Carpenter/Cash/Colvin); If Not For You (Harrison); Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins); Love Minus Zero (Clapton).
In The Garden. Kiss The Stone, 2CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Omits When The Ship Comes In (Clancy); includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); Love Minus Zero (Clapton), If Not For You (Harrison).
This One's For You, Bob. AD, 2CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Omits When The Ship Comes In (Clancy); You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Carpenter/Cash/Colvin); Emotionally Yours (OJays). Includes Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins); Love Minus Zero (Clapton); If Not For You (Harrison).
This One's For You, Bob (The Jubilee Concert). AD, 2CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Omits When The Ship Comes In (Clancy); You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (Carpenter/Cash/Colvin); Emotionally Yours (OJays). Includes Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins); Love Minus Zero (Clapton); If Not For You (Harrison).
Tribute. Living Legend, 2CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Omits It Ain't Me Babe (Cash/Carter); When The Ship Comes In (Clancy). Includes Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins); Love Minus Zero (Clapton); If Not For You (Harrison).
Tribute To Bob Dylan. Imtrat, 1D. Companion disc to "The Anniversay Concert"; covers roughly the first half of the concert (and therefore excludes all Dylan performances). Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins).
Tribute To Bob Dylan And More. BDCD, 3CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Tracklist not completely established. Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins); Love Minus Zero (Clapton)
When Friends Are Coming. Various Artists, 2CD. Pay-per-view source; omits Dylan encore. Includes Wanted Man (Thorogood); I Want You (Hawkins); War [O'Connor]; Love Minus Zero [Clapton]; If Not For You [Harrison].
With A Little Help From My Friends. WF, 2CD. Radio broadcast source, includes Dylan encore. Reported tracklist is extremely short for a 2-disc set and may be incomplete.
