Defiant Bob

My friend, Mr. Librarian, is a Bob Dylan fan too. He lent me 4 CD's he owns of Bob Dylan stuff and it's been a lot of fun listening to them.

One CD is a live recording of a 1966 concert in Manchester England. Bob had gained popularity for his folk tunes playing solo with the acoustic guitar and the harmonica. Some of his tunes became popular in the civil rights and anti-war movements in the early 1960's.

Instead of sticking with the safe folk tunes that made him popular, Bob was playing new music with a full band, electric guitars and all. And, it was LOUD compared to the acoustic guitar. As a result, many saw him as a traitor in the folk music scene because they felt that acoustic instruments were the only things that should be played.

So, in this 1966 concert, he played the first set with his folk music and was well received by the crowd. In the second set Bob brought the band out and Bob's new music. This was not well received by the crowd. Through slow hand clapping and cat-calls many in the crowd try to disrupt the 2nd set.

Before the last song, the band is tuning their guitars. You can hear someone in the crowd yell out, "Judas" and a bunch of people clap in agreement. After a moment, Bob Dylan speaks into the microphone and says, "I don't believe you." Then, he adds, "You're a liar!"He then turns to the band and says, "Play f***ing loud!" The band cranks out a loud version of "Like a Rolling Stone." It's an electrifying moment all caught live on tape.

I appreciate Dylan's willingness to follow his own road in pursuing the music that was on his heart. He didn't sell his musical soul for the sake of popularity.