His absence was defining for both him and rock.
His return meant a rush for tickets, which were available via write-in lottery.
Tour 74 was Dylans first-ever arena toura rock commonplace by 1974 that had not even been imaginable in 1966.
Bob Dylan plays a Gibson acoustic guitar on stage in 1974.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
And plenty of songs are missingthank heavens.)
This was starting to show up, unavoidably, in the vocals.
But thats not all he did.
Dylans mood is, above everything, expansive.
The fever pitch is audible from the go, however.
Similarly, Nobody Cept You, aPlanet Wavesouttake that wasnt issued until 1991, on the firstBootleg Seriesbox.
Both songs are nakedly devotional.
They elicit fiery performances.
But songs like these just didnt jibe with the atmosphere.
At the end of the second Houston show, Dylan even starts talking a little bit on the microphone.
(On behalf of myself and the Band, we wanna thank ya, goodnight!)
And the tempos ramp up considerably, leading to the hurricane-like official souvenir.
But they are, happily, no longer the last word.
