Dylan Context From the outside looking in, it may have seemed that Dylan was on his farewell tour in the late eighties. After an enthusiastic but erratic run of concerts with The Grateful Dead in the summer of 1987 and with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in the fall, Dylan was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in January 1988. It seemed the fitting culmination of an historic career. A subpar compilation of live tracks was released the following year as
Bravo, Graley! That was an insightful and inspiring analysis of Dylan’s 1988 show in your beloved home city. Your thoughts on “Silvio” may influence some of the naysayers. I am looking forward to the next installment and, ultimately, the entire book.
“That’s bad as hell!” What a precise evocation of a stunning set. I'm still not sold on "Silvio," but, my God, "Watchtower," "Thyme," and "Barbara Allen" are riveting. It is this kind of show that draws out the Shakespearean comparisons--gifted for nights on end with these performances (not rock concerts, but moments where the currency of common song and Dylan's incalculable restless creativity bring poetry to the crowd) is staggering to conceive.
Dylan in Cincinnati: June 1988
Bravo, Graley! That was an insightful and inspiring analysis of Dylan’s 1988 show in your beloved home city. Your thoughts on “Silvio” may influence some of the naysayers. I am looking forward to the next installment and, ultimately, the entire book.
“That’s bad as hell!” What a precise evocation of a stunning set. I'm still not sold on "Silvio," but, my God, "Watchtower," "Thyme," and "Barbara Allen" are riveting. It is this kind of show that draws out the Shakespearean comparisons--gifted for nights on end with these performances (not rock concerts, but moments where the currency of common song and Dylan's incalculable restless creativity bring poetry to the crowd) is staggering to conceive.