Mono audience recording
Concert # 62 of the 1978 US Fall Tour. 1978 concert # 111
Concert # 88 with the 1978 World Tour Band: Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar), Billy Cross (lead guitar), Alan Pasqua (keyboards), Steven Soles (rhythm guitar, backup vocals), David Mansfield (violin & mandolin), Steve Douglas (horns), Jerry Scheff (bass), Bobbye Hall (percussion), Ian Wallace (drums), Helena Springs, Jo Ann Harris, Carolyn Dennis (background vocals).
BobTalk
Remember those carnivals that they used to have, I guess they must have had them here in the 50’s. Anyway, most of the usually always had what they called a geek in them. You know what a geek is? A geek is a man who eats a live chicken. He bites the head off, eats that. Then he eats the rest of it, heart, blood, everything else but the bone. Sweeps all the feathers up with a broom. Anyway, back in those days it cost about a quarter to see him. Nowadays it’d probably be about 15 bucks, but back then you could still manage to see him for a quarter. Anyway, I was talking one day with the bearded lady, at breakfast, and she was telling me, “The geek, stay away from him. He is the pits. Awful low down, you don’t want to get near him. He’s got his own way of life, he don’t bother with nobody else.” I said, “Oh, well. Maybe you can tell me a little more about him?” She said, “Well, of all the people in the carnival, freaks and everybody, this man thinks he’s the only straight person. He look at everybody else as being freaks.” I said, “Uh-hu”. It didn’t make much sense to me at the time, but years later when I was wandering around making my rounds, all that came back to me when people started looking at me in strange ways for doing things which might not be too common. (before Ballad Of A Thin Man)
All right, thank you. I was invited to play the Newport Folk Festival in 1963. I had been invited there before and never caused too much fuzz, but I was invited 1963. I went, I played this particular song. Anyway, people booted me out of town, (…..), for playing this particular tune. It was hard to believe such a song could cause so much disturbance, but it did. Called I Ain’t Gonna Work On Maggie’s Farm No More.
Thank you. I was riding on a train one time from Durango to San Diego. Anyway, I fall asleep on this train during the days, woke up in this (…..) a place called Monterey. There was dark outside there, couldn’t see anything, but I was looking through the glass which was like a mirror, you know. And I see everybody get off the train, one old man stepped up into the train, wearing nothing but a blanket. Long, stripy kinda beard, you know. Looked like he’d been up for a long time. He came down the aisle and took a seat across the aisle from me. I just couldn’t stand it anymore, I had to turn to look at him. When I did I could see that both his eyes were burning and there was smoke coming out of his nostrils. I thought this was the man I wanted to talk to. The conversation went something like this. (before Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power))
These three girls that’s singing tonight are gonna sing a song now. It’s one I wrote. Last night they said, “Bobby, you can’t sing it anymore”. So they cornered me, so they gonna sing it now. (before Rainy Day Women #12 & 35)
Thank you. A few years ago I went to the south of France to a gypsy festival, gypsy holiday, their high holy day, which is like Christmas time. It happened to be the particular day that I was born. So I figured I must have something in common there, so I went over to check it out. Anyway, I did find the place where they all gather and managed to meet the king of the gypsies. My first day there. He was a young man, he had, what I could count, 16 wives, 125 children. He must be…he couldn’t be doing anything…he couldn’t be doing all wrong, he couldn’t be all wrong. Anyway, I stayed with him for a week. What they do every year that particular time is party for a week. So I stayed there, I did what they did. I did everything twice. It got time to go, I had stayed up there for a week. He asked me, you know, actually, when I think about this man, he was an incredible person. There are a lot of people with power that don’t deserve it and there’s a lot of people who do deserve it that don’t have it. All the people I’ve ever seen, this man did go hand in hand with power. Anyway, it was my time for me to go and he said, “Bobby, what would you like as a going away present?” I just needed to stay up just one more day to get back over the (…..). So I asked for one more cup of coffee, just for the road. Black. He put it in a bag and I headed out. Up the road.
Ladies and gentlemen, on the drums tonight, give him a warm welcome, from Kingston, Jamaica, Ian Wallace. All right, on the bass guitar, Jerry Scheff. On the keyboards, Alan Pasqua. On the lead guitar, the oldest member of this group, born in 1921. Also the shyest. Ladies and gentlemen, Billy Cross. On violin, and the mandolin, the youngest member of this group, born in, I don't know when he was born, but he's only fifteen years old. He’s been with me now for five long years. Doesn't smoke dope, drink whiskey, or chase women. I keep trying to change him, but it can't be done. David Mansfield. On the rhythm guitar, from Bogota, Colombia. A man with great renown, south of the border. Ladies and gentlemen, the former racing car driver, left that occupation to join this band, Steven Soles. On the tenor saxophone, a legend in his own lifetime. This lifetime anyway, the phenomenal Steve Douglas. On the backup vocals tonight, three young ladies I can't do without anymore. I know I don't have the greatest voice in the world, but they do make it sound a little bit better. Anyway, on the end, my ex-girlfriend, Helena Springs. In the middle, my current girlfriend, Jo Ann Harris. And on the other end, my fiancée, Carolyn Dennis. On conga drums, from Detroit, the most amazing Miss Bobbye Hall. (before It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding))
Thank you. We’d like to play all night, but we really can’t. Anyway. All right. All right, we’re gonna go now. I do hope we played something right for you tonight. Anyway, we may be back soon. I’m not ready to be put out to pasture just yet. (before Forever Young)
No new songs compared to previous concert.