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QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you think would have happened to Dylan’s reputation, had he wowed everyone at Live Aid?

Live Aid took place on this day 27 years ago. And what a wild day at JFK Stadium in Philly it was. Packed solid with music from morning to late night. Many of us pulled all-nighters in the parking lot partying as we waited to enter the stadium shortly after sunrise. Some dude playing guitar was pulled from the parking lot by Bill Graham to open up for 80,000 folks before 9 am. Joan Baez came on and an endless day of music under the sun unfolded. Everything from a Black Sabbath / Ozzie reunion to play a morning rendition of Children of the Grave to Tina Turner humping Mick Jagger's leg on stage later that night. Neil young, Clapton, a Zeppelin reunion sans Bonzo, of course. Loads more. And all topped off by Bob, Keith and Ronnie. Here's today's article.

What if … Live Aid Had Been a Screaming Triumph for Bob Dylan?
On July 13, 1985, you might conclude that Bob Dylan reached bottom during the disappointing decade of the Eighties.

It was the occasion of the historic Live Aid Concert, in which MTV viewers in the United States and people all over the world got to watch two epic concerts unfold in Philadelphia and London. The shows took place simultaneously, on top of the star power present. The reason for this mammoth benefit was to raise money and hopefully help to feed the starving people of Africa, carrying out musician Bob Geldof’s ambitious vision.

The performances were mostly incredible throughout that memorable Saturday. Elvis Costello, bearded, appeared as a soloist and sang a wonderful singalong version of The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.” U2 electrified the scene. Dire Straits and Sting, newly freed from The Police, collaborated on a terrific version of “Money for Nothing.” Phil Collins played at BOTH shows. Led Zeppelin got back together. Elton John, David Bowie, Queen, The Cars and many others were first-rate. Mick Jagger teamed with Tina Turner. Paul McCartney closed the London portion of the festivities by singing “Let It Be.”

Then it was Dylan’s moment to turn out the lights in Philly. There had been speculation before the show as to whether Bruce Springsteen (who didn’t appear at all) would have the honor — or Bob Dylan. “Don’t be silly,” said Eric Clapton, who played a good set of his own, a few years later. Of course, it had to be Dylan because of all that he stood for.

But his performance wasn’t remembered as a triumph. Anything but. He sang the appropriate songs — “When the Ship Comes In,” for the first time in two decades; “The Ballad of “Hollis Brown,” a moving song about an American farmer who can’t care for his starving family and goes insane (its first performance since Tour ’74) and, naturally, Dylan’s first and greatest anthem of all, “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

Dylan didn’t help himself by electing to go on stage with Keith Richards and Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones, albeit two accomplished guitarists and good friends. But they blew it. They seemed to be standing on another planet that day and the sound suffered greatly. Dylan would have been better off, in hindsight, going on alone.

Plus, an orchestra was tuning up right behind him for its rendition of “We Are the World,” the theme song to the concerts. Dylan couldn’t hear himself well on stage and this detracted from his performance as well.

Finally, many critics were aghast when Dylan suggested, from the stage, that the promoters should siphon off a few million bucks from the proceeds to help the disadvantaged farmers in the United States. The remark, though heartfelt, came off as inappropriate and ill-timed to some people. Dylan, who hailed form the Midwest, was probably proud to stick up for the people of his area in the U.S.

The critics’ accusations, in hindsight, now seem unfair — especially since Dylan’s comment seemed to lead directly to Farm Aid, an enduring series of annual concerts in the U.S.

Live Aid now stands as one of those times to forget for Dylan, an occasion that the naysayers like to seize on. I remember watching the concert on TV at home and thinking, “What is Dylan doing out there? It’s not working.”

I wasn’t alone.

But what if … Dylan had done things differently and flourished on the big stage?

Imagine what might have taken place if Dylan had sensibly appeared without those jokers in The Stones, and if the sound system hadn’t betrayed him. Dylan, it should be noted, as the closing act had to wait around to go on stage.

What if he moved the giant football-stadium crowd by singing those evocative songs in a clear, confident manner and a strong, powerful voice? By 1985, Dylan was accustomed to performing with a rock and roll band, not as a soloist. It must have seemed weird for him to play his acoustic guitar in front of all those people in Philadelphia that day.

Dylan might have turned around the public’s perception of him in the 1980s. He developed a reputation as someone who was an anachronism. He was only 44 years old, but seemed somehow older. His 1980s material was less consistently brilliant than it had been in the ’60s and ’70s. The norm had now become to look for a diamond in the rough, such as “Jokerman,” “Every Grain of Sand” and “Lenny Bruce,” among others.

If Dylan had dazzled the audience in Philly and the folks looking in on TV, people suddenly would have re-discovered the great Bob Dylan the hero of the 1960s and the 1970s, and he would have easily achieved a renewed relevance in the Eighties. TV influences someone’s image dramatically of a subject. Dylan could have gone a long way to proving that he was every bit as vital as ever.

What if … It’s a fascinating question to ponder — especially when the topic happens to be Bob Dylan.


http://jonfriedman.net/notes/what-if-li ... __pWGt5mK0

JFK Stadium Performers and Set Lists
Bernard Watson – "All I Really Want to Do", "Interview" (JFK 13:51);
Joan Baez (introduced by Jack Nicholson) – "Amazing Grace"/"We Are the World" (JFK 14:02);
The Hooters – "And We Danced", "All You Zombies" (JFK 14:12);
Four Tops – "Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)", "Bernadette", "It's The Same Old Song", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" (JFK 14:33);
Billy Ocean – "Caribbean Queen", "Loverboy" (JFK 14:45);
Black Sabbath (introduced by Chevy Chase) – "Children of the Grave", "Iron Man", "Paranoid" (JFK 14:52);
Run–D.M.C. – "Jam Master Jay", "King Of Rock" (JFK 15:12);
Rick Springfield – "Love Somebody", "State of the Heart", "Human Touch" (JFK 15:30);
REO Speedwagon – "Can't Fight This Feeling", "Roll With The Changes" (JFK 15:47);
Crosby, Stills and Nash – "Southern Cross", "Teach Your Children", "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (JFK 16:15);
Judas Priest – "Living After Midnight", "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)", "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (JFK 16:26);
Bryan Adams (introduced by Jack Nicholson) – "Kids Wanna Rock", "Summer Of '69", "Tears Are Not Enough", "Cuts Like a Knife" (JFK 17:02);
The Beach Boys (introduced by Marilyn McCoo) – "California Girls", "Help Me, Rhonda", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Good Vibrations", "Surfin' USA" (JFK 17:40);
George Thorogood and the Destroyers – "Who Do You Love" (with Bo Diddley), "The Sky Is Crying", "Madison Blues" (with Albert Collins) (JFK 18:26);
Simple Minds – "Ghost Dancing", "Don't You (Forget About Me)", "Promised You A Miracle" (JFK 19:07);
The Pretenders – "Time The Avenger", "Message Of Love", "Stop Your Sobbing", "Back On The Chain Gang", "Middle of the Road" (JFK 19:41);
Santana and Pat Metheny – "Brotherhood", "Primera Invasion", "Open Invitation", "By The Pool"/"Right Now" (JFK 20:21);
Ashford & Simpson – "Solid", "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" (with Teddy Pendergrass) (JFK 20:57);
Madonna (introduced by Bette Midler) – "Holiday", "Into The Groove", "Love Makes The World Go Round" (JFK 21:27);
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (introduced by Don Johnson) – "American Girl", "The Waiting", "Rebels", "Refugee" (JFK 22:14);
Kenny Loggins – "Footloose" (JFK 22:30);
The Cars – "You Might Think", "Drive", "Just What I Needed", "Heartbeat City" (JFK 22:49);
Neil Young – "Sugar Mountain", "The Needle and the Damage Done", "Helpless", "Nothing Is Perfect (In God's Perfect Plan)", "Powderfinger" (JFK 23:07);
Power Station – "Murderess", "Get It On" (JFK 23:43);
Thompson Twins – "Hold Me Now", "Revolution" (with Madonna, Steve Stevens and Nile Rodgers) (JFK 00:21);
Eric Clapton (with Phil Collins) – "White Room", "She's Waiting", "Layla" (JFK 00:39);
Phil Collins (having flown Concorde from UK to US) – "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)", "In The Air Tonight" (JFK 01:04);
Led Zeppelin Reunion – (with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Tony Thompson, Paul Martinez, and Phil Collins) – "Rock and Roll", "Whole Lotta Love", "Stairway To Heaven" (JFK 01:10);
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", "Daylight Again/Find The Cost of Freedom" (JFK 01:40);
Duran Duran – "A View to a Kill", "Union Of The Snake", "Save A Prayer", "The Reflex" (JFK 01:45);
Patti LaBelle – "New Attitude", "Imagine", "Forever Young", "Stir It Up", "Over The Rainbow", "Why Can't I Get It Over" (JFK 02:20);
Hall & Oates – "Out Of Touch", "Maneater", "Get Ready" (with Eddie Kendricks), "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" (with David Ruffin), "The Way You Do The Things You Do", "My Girl" (with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin) (JFK 02:50);
Mick Jagger (with Hall & Oates / Eddie Kendricks / David Ruffin) – "Lonely At The Top", "Just Another Night", "Miss You", "State Of Shock"/"It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It) (reprise)" (with Tina Turner) (JFK 03:15);
Finale at JFK Stadium:
a) Bob Dylan, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood – "Ballad of Hollis Brown", "When the Ship Comes In", Blowin' In The Wind" (JFK 03:39),
b) USA for Africa (led by Lionel Richie) – "We Are the World" (JFK 3:55)

I guess every Dylan fan has a memory of Live Aid. I was a student at the time working in a dairy. I raved about Bob to all my co- workers, most of whom only had a vague idea about he was. Let's face it - he was awful, a joke, forget the excuses. Returning to work on the Monday morning I faced a barage of jeers and taunting about how bad he was. For about two days I maintained a staunch defence telling them they were all idiotswho were deaf and probably thought U2 and Queen were something special. I was forced to admit in the end that he was really bad though.

I know what most of you on the board will say - it won't change history though. He was shite. He could have been so much better.

I do not regard it as a failure

My recollection of the Bob an Keef an Ron show that night is much as Mr precarious says. It was so bad it was embarassing. The Quo wuz good though (London, 12 noon).

A reunion with The Band woulda been fitting. Of course, had he killed, then he would've gained MANY more fans but also might've seen that triumph as the perfect ending to his career...leaving us without WGW, TOOM, etc. Besides, he got another chance at the 91 grammies performing Masters of War during the Gulf War and....well, blew that too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7R6GXfJ ... re=related

I love this performance of When the Ship Comes In

....Blowin in the Wind...Hollis Brown...what's not to like?

During the rehearsals with Ron and Keith they attempt Dark Eyes and come up with a tune called 'Careless Ethiopians'. It woulda gone down a lot worse if they'd played that number!!

Wouldn't argue with song choice. Performance was the problem. Apparently Ron Wood said " I thought Hollis Brown was a type of sauce!"

...That must explain why Hollis Brown always puts me to sleep...

But i did like the other two performances...of course, they could've been better....but
Bob is only human! Everyone always expects so much of him...i don't think it's realistic
to expect him to always put on an earth-moving show.

Really? They rehearsed 'Dark Eyes'? Has to be a joke.

I was hoping that Bob would perform 'Dark Eyes.' If he had been sober, performed alone and played that, it might have been one of his greatest triumphs.

Too bad it was......to quote someone else......total shite.

Who cares really?

It was a blip on the radar of Dylan's career.

It was all over from the moment Jack Nicholson shrieked out The TRANSCENDENT BOB DYLAN!!!

Bob was going to ruin it, even he hadn't been four sheets to the wind.

i actually really liked the performance the first time i saw it. but everytime i've watched it since then i thought it sucked haha

Freddie Mercury > You.

During Blowin' Dylan breaks a string. Ronnie gives Bob his guitar and Bob doesn't really miss a beat. Ronnie takes off to get another guitar which finally arrives. The best part is Ronnie's highest priority is to fix his hair after strapping on the new guitar. Then opening the curtain is a bit much, but probably couldn't have been avoided. The least the guitar technician could've done is to bring the Stones boys another ciggie as well.

What if…LIVE AID Had Been a Screaming Triumph for Dylan?

It wasn't?

..Anywhere i can hear that? Sounds innarestin'
- i have an Imaginary Friend who always says,
'He's gone Egyptian.' - when we hear a Guitar
go Zoooooooming off into Psychelic-Sands ....

Ron, Keith and Bob had been drinking for a while and supposedly their mointors were not functioning. I wouldn't go so far as to say the performance was total shite... It isn't a favorite but its still enjoyable enough for me.

I know that Toots and the Maytalls did this with Keith on an early 2000's album, True Love, as a guest artist, but I'd never heard of the Dylan, Richards, Wood version. As Grumps says, I'd like to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWJSSgvh ... ata_player

So much careless Ethiopians
Have gone astray
So much careless Ethiopians
Have gone away
Hey Hey

They calling up an anti Christ each night and day
Pray for a god to come from outer space

So much careless Ethiopians
Have gone astray
So much careless Ethiopians
Have lost their way

Are you coming my way?
I said I wonder what you do
You gotta come my way
Come my way

Is they know not where they're going?
They've gone astray

It's called Voices of Freedom...the rehearsals and show Rattlesnake boot.

Link?

^
Why Dylan is still drawing an audience on his current European tour.


The drunken, sweaty, slovenly Live Aid performance was appalling.

LIVE AID was viewed by 1.5 billion people on tv simulcast. Dylan would never have a bigger live audience in his life and he was, as the most important artist on the telecast, scheduled to be the final performer.

And incredibly, he apparently decided it was okay to get drunk. With Woody and Keef. And then go onstage drunk, after many people had been waiting hours for his performance (1.5 billion!!!) and screw around with his buddies. It probably was not the greatest example of rock-star self-indulgence - I'm sure there are many many others that were worse - but it probably had the distinction of being the one seen by the largest audience.

Don't know if they "decided" to get drunk. Sometimes it just happens. Self-indulgence? Not sure about that. Maybe he was using the event to continue to try and throw the public off his trail? I thought that Hollis Brown actually went well, myself. They fell apart a bit after that, but it really didn't matter. The audience was fully saturated with incredible music and several reunions/combinations after sitting in the sun partying ALL DAY AND NIGHT. At that point they could've done Mary Had a Little Lamb and Row Your Boat and few would've really cared. Lookit the audience response. It didn't matter. Bob's performances when sharing the stage with other known performers have usually been sub par anyhow, while the audience awes in the fact that they are simply on stage together. For Bob to choose to go acoustic before a crowd of 80,000 after all that amazing and continuous high energy was pretty bold in itself. The comraderie felt inside the stadium that day is something I've not felt at a concert or such a large gathering since, except maybe Bethel '94, maybe.