Dylan on Tour: 9 February 2002: Atlanta. If you only listen to one archive concert, make it this.

Dylan on Tour: concert recordings selected by Tony Attwood

In this series, I’m searching the internet for complete, or near-complete, recordings of Dylan concerts or rehearsals.  In each case I’m not particularly concerned with the video – it is the music, and having a record of what it actually sounded like, rather than what commentators have said it sounded like or what it looked like, that interests me.

Sometimes the quality varies, although with today’s piece I think you are going to be amazed both by the performances and the quality of recording – unless of course you know this recording already.

The recordings we have had along the way in this series are

•  Bob Dylan, Little Moses and the complete March 1992 concert
• What Dylan played on 7 July 2024, and how it sounded.   
• The concert in full on 3 August 2024.
• Dylan and Petty, Australia 1986
• Manchester 1966, the full concert.
• The Carnegie Chapter Hall concert in full: 4 November 1961
• January 1976: the rehearsals
• Erfurt 8th October 2024

And now an absolute stunner – quite rightly called “Flawless Soundboard”.  But it is more than that  – the performances are utterly, utterly exquisite.  Even Watchtower at the end seems to me to add something to all the many times we’ve heard it before.

So this is one of those shows that in my house gets played and played.

But just in case you don’t have two hours 21 minutes spare may I just invite you to play the very first track and enjoy the positivity and quality of the opening song “I am the man Thomas”.     Bob only ever played it 59 times and this either was the very last performance or one of the very last ones.  (I’m not quite sure on that point – you know please do comment).   And it is so worth hearing for that reason if nothing else.

(Incidentally, if you want to know a little more about that opening track I did an article on why Dylan likes this song so much.   I wouldn’t call it essential reading, but it’s on this site if you would like to take a look).

Anyway, for me this is one of the great recordings.  If you enjoy this concert 10% as much as I do, you are in for a really good time.   A list of the songs appears at the foot of the page and if you hover your mouse pointer at the foot of the screen you can move through from song to song, if you don’t have time for all of it.  But you really should try.  This is a dream.

Atlanta 2002.  A list of all the songs performed is printed below the video.

• I am the man Thomas
• My Back Pages
• It’s all right ma
• Searching for a soldiers grave
• Lonesome Day Blues
• Lay Lady Lay
• Floater
• High Water
• It Ain’t Me Babe
• Masters of War
• Tangled up in Blue
• Summer Days
• Sugar Baby
• Drifter’s Escape
• Rainy Day Women
• Things have changed
• Like a Rolling Stone
• Forever Young
• Honest with Me
• Blowing in the Wind
• All along with watchtower