Bob Dylan - 1981-07-25 - Avignon, FR (SBD/FLAC)

(Soundboard FLAC)

Palais Des Sports Avignon, France July 25, 1981
Manufacturer / Catalog No.
Moonlight 9517/18
Released:
1995
Quality: 9½ stars

lineage: trade cds > eac > flac > upload
officially released track omitted**
info from bobsboots

Fred Tackett guitar
Steve Ripley guitar
Willie Smith keyboards
Tim Drummond bass
Jim Keltner drums
Background vocals:
Clydie King
Carolyn Dennis
Madelyn Quebec
Regina McCrary

Disc one
01 - Saved
02 - I Believe In You
03 - Like A Rolling Stone
04 - 'Till I Get It Right [Regina](Lane/Henley)*
05 - Man Gave Names To All The Animals
06 - Maggie's Farm
07 - Girl Of The North Country
08 - Ballad Of A Thin Man
09 - In The Summertime
10 - Shot Of Love ** (omitted from torrent)
11 - Walk Around Heaven [Carolyn Dennis]*
12 - The Times
13 - Let's Begin (Jim Webb) [duet w/ Clydie King]
14 - Lenny Bruce

Disc two
01 - Slow Train
02 - Mr Tambourine Man not included
03 - Solid Rock
04 - Just Like A Woman
05 - Saved By Grace [Willie Smith] (Smith/Palmer)*
06 - Watered Down Love
07 - Jesus Is The One
08 - Heart Of Mine
09 - When You Gonna Wake Up?
10 - Forever Young
11 - In The Garden (w / band introduction)
12 - encore:
13 - Blowin' In The Wind
14 - It Ain't Me Babe (acoustic Dylan solo)
15 - Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Review:
Great 2 CD set from one of my favorite periods. This contains the complete circulating soundboard tape, missing some of the girls' material, and Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man, the opening Saved and an instrumental jam. This final night of the European tour was marred by tragedy. A concert goer fell into the power grid and was electrocuted. All power was lost at the end of Slow Train, and Dylan and the band improvised acoustic songs on stage until it was restored. The tragedy multiplied when, emerged into darkness, another girl died after falling from a retaining wall. The show must go on, and so it does. And what a show it is. Dylan is focused and powerful. A fantastic effort from all, and the soundboard recordings are near perfect. Bob is on fire. The old standards are attacked with the same fervor and alternate phrasing that he uses on the gospel songs, and the result is incredible. One exception is Girl Of The North Country. Bob sings it beautifully, but the band flounders like a bunch of amateurs. They should have let him do it acoustically.
* Bob doesn't sing on these.
** Used in a 1985 20/20 broadcast, and in the official 1990 video release 'John Hammond: From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen'.