Never Ending Tour

"Never Ending" redirects here. For the Rihanna song, see Anti (album).
Never Ending Tour
World tour by Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan and his Band, Spectrum, Oslo, Norway, March 30, 2007
Location North America
Europe
South America
Australia
Asia
Central America
Start date June 7, 1988
Number of shows 2,737 (as of November 2015)

The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's endless touring schedule since June 7, 1988.[1][2]

During the course of the tour, musicians have come and gone and the band has continued to evolve. They have amassed a huge fan base; some fans have traveled around the world to attend as many Dylan shows as possible.[3]

According to the count maintained by Olof Björner's Dylan website Still On The Road,[4] Dylan played his 2,000th show of the Never Ending Tour on October 16, 2007, in Dayton, Ohio.[5] Dylan has attributed much of the versatility of his live shows to the talent of his backing band, with whom he recorded the albums Love and Theft (2001), Modern Times (2006), Together Through Life (2009), Christmas in the Heart (2009), Tempest (2012) and Shadows in the Night (2015).

Name

The tour's name was cemented when journalist Adrian Deevoy published his interview with Dylan in Q Magazine no.39, December 1989. The critic Michael Gray listened to Deevoy's interview tape, and points out in The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia that though Deevoy's article put the phrase into Dylan's mouth, in fact the label came from Deevoy in the following exchange:

Dylan has been dismissive of the Never Ending Tour tag. In the sleeve notes to his album World Gone Wrong (1993), Dylan wrote:

"Don't be bewildered by the Never Ending Tour chatter. There was a Never Ending Tour but it ended in 1991 with the departure of guitarist G. E. Smith. That one's long gone but there have been many others since then: 'The Money Never Runs Out Tour' (Fall of 1991) 'Southern Sympathizer Tour' (Early 1992) 'Why Do You Look At Me So Strangely Tour' (European Tour 1992) 'The One Sad Cry Of Pity Tour' (Australia & West Coast American Tour 1992) 'Outburst Of Consciousness Tour' (1992) 'Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Tour' (1993) and others, too many to mention each with their own character & design."

In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan queried the validity of the term Never Ending Tour, saying:

"Critics should know there is no such thing as forever. Does anybody call Henry Ford a Never Ending Car Builder? Anybody ever say that Duke Ellington was on a Never Ending Bandstand Tour? These days, people are lucky to have a job. Any job. So critics might be uncomfortable with my working so much. Anybody with a trade can work as long as they want. A carpenter, an electrician. They don't necessarily need to retire."

The tour was interrupted in 1997 when Dylan was forced to cancel dates after suffering a serious medical issue in May. CBS Records announced he was being hospitalized for a potentially fatal chest infection, histoplasmosis.[7] Since the tour began in 1988, the resulting three-month break, from May 3 to August 3, 1997, has been his longest time away from touring.

Dylan's introduction

From at least 1993 until 2002, the introduction was, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Columbia Recording artist, Bob Dylan".

From August 15, 2002 until April 19, 2012, Dylan had been introduced at the beginning of every concert with an announcement made by a member of his stage crew, the stage manager, Al Santos:

“ Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the poet laureate of rock 'n' roll. The voice of the promise of the 60s counterculture. The guy who forced folk into bed with rock. Who donned makeup in the 70s and disappeared into a haze of substance abuse. Who emerged to find Jesus. Who was written off as a has-been by the end of the '80s, and who suddenly shifted gears releasing some of the strongest music of his career beginning in the late '90s. Ladies and gentlemen — Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan![8] ”

This introduction was adapted from an article by Jeff Miers about Dylan that had appeared in a local newspaper, The Buffalo News, on August 9, 2002.[9][10]

Books, live recordings and broadcasts

(From Left to right) John "J.J." Jackson, Dylan and Tony Garnier performing in Stockholm, Sweden, July 27, 1996
Bob Dylan performing at the Air Canada Centre, Toronto, November 7, 2006

Andrew Muir published Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan and the Never Ending Tour in September 2001. The book chronicles the first fifteen years of Dylan's Never Ending Tour from the point of view of a committed fan of the Tour, analysing how Dylan varies his interpretations of his songs, and exploring Dylan's possible motivations. In July 2013, Muir updated Razor's Edge when he published One More Night: Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour: this book covers Dylan's touring activities from 1988 to 2011.

The only complete live album of material recorded with the Never Ending Tour band is MTV Unplugged, recorded in 1994 and released in 1995.

In 1994, Bob Dylan's performance of "Highway 61 Revisited" was recorded at Woodstock '94 and released on CD and VHS.

In 2001, Sony released Live 1961–2000: Thirty-Nine Years of Great Concert Performances which included six songs recorded on the Never Ending Tour between 1994 and 2000. The songs were: "Somebody Touched Me", "Dignity", "Cold Irons Bound", "Born in Time", "Country Pie" and "Things Have Changed".

Dylan's performance of "Down Along the Cove" from the Bonnaroo Music Festival 2004 was released on the Bonnaroo 2004 CD by Sanctuary Records in 2005.

Spanish TV station TVE2 broadcast three songs, "It Ain't Me Babe", "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", from the concert that Dylan performed at the Rock In Rio Festival, in Madrid on July 6, 2008.

Dylan's 2008 album, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs, included eight live performances from the Never Ending Tour, recorded between 1992 and 2004. The songs were "High Water (For Charley Patton)", "Ring Them Bells", "Cocaine Blues", "The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore", "Lonesome Day Blues", "Cold Irons Bound", "Things Have Changed", and "Tryin' to Get to Heaven".

In 2009, former Never Ending Tour drummer, Winston Watson released a DVD, Bob Dylan Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey, documenting his years touring with Dylan between 1992 and 1996.

Band

(From left to right) Stu Kimball & Bob Dylan at the Roskilde Festival, 2006.
(From left to right) Stu Kimball, Bob Dylan, Donnie Herron, George Recile, Tony Garnier and Denny Freeman performing in Bologna, Italy, November 10, 2005

For a two and a half year period, between 2003 and 2006, Dylan ceased playing guitar, and stuck to the keyboard during concerts. Various rumors circulated as to why Dylan gave up guitar during this period, none very reliable. According to David Gates, a Newsweek reporter who interviewed Dylan in 2004, "basically it has to do with his guitar not giving him quite the fullness of sound he was wanting at the bottom. He's thought of hiring a keyboard player so he doesn't have to do it himself, but hasn't been able to figure out who. Most keyboard players, he says, like to be soloists, and he wants a very basic sound."[11] Dylan's touring band has two guitarists along with a multi-instrumentalist who plays pedal & lap steel, mandolin, banjo, violin and viola. From 2002 to 2005, Dylan's keyboard had a piano sound. In 2006, this was changed to an organ sound. At the start of his Spring 2007 tour in Europe, Dylan once again began playing guitar. Currently, he plays organ and will play songs on guitar and take center-stage with just his harmonica and microphone. On June 30, 2012 Dylan incorporated an acoustic piano into his set.

Currently, Bob Dylan's band consists of the following members:

During a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan spoke about his current band: "This is the best band I've ever been in, I've ever had, man for man. When you play with guys a hundred times a year, you know what you can and can't do, what they're good at, whether you want 'em there. It takes a long time to find a band of individual players. Most bands are gangs. Whether it's a metal group or pop rock, whatever, you get that gang mentality. But for those of us who went back further, gangs were the mob. The gang was not what anybody aspired to. On this record (Modern Times) I didn't have anybody to teach. I got guys now in my band, they can whip up anything, they surprise even me."[12]

Other notable members include Denny Freeman (Guitar, Slide Guitar from 2005–2009), Larry Campbell (Guitar, Slide Guitar, Pedal Steel, Banjo, Cittern, Mandolin & Violin from 1997–2004), Freddy Koella (Guitar from 2003–2004), David Kemper (Drums from 1996–2001), Bucky Baxter (Pedal Steel from 1992–1999), John "J.J." Jackson (Guitar from 1991–1997) and G.E. Smith (Guitar from 1988–1990). Between the years 2003-2004, Tommy Morrongiello, a technician on the tour, would frequently play guitar with Dylan & his Band. Charlie Sexton, who played the guitar from 1999 until 2002, returned as the lead guitarist in Dylan's band for the fall 2009 tour, replacing Denny Freeman. Sexton was in turn replaced by Duke Robillard for the first half of 2013, before returning on July 3, 2013. Sexton was replaced for seven concerts by Colin Linden before returning once again on July 26, 2013.[13][14]

Over the years, many artists have been special guests at shows, playing songs with Dylan & his Band. Artists include Phil Lesh, Jack White, Paul Simon, Ronnie Wood, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Jimmie Vaughan, Carl Perkins, Elvis Costello, Amos Lee, Patti Smith, Van Morrison, Warren Haynes, Al Kooper, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul James, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dave Stewart, Chrissie Hynde, Nils Lofgren, Dave Matthews, Susan Tedeschi, Dave Alvin, Chuck Loeb, Dickey Betts, Bob Weir, Ian Moore, Roger McGuinn, César Díaz, Boyd Tinsley, LeRoi Moore, Doug Sahm, Aimee Mann, Liz Souissi, Ray Benson, Leon Russell, Lukas Nelson, Carlos Santana and Mark Knopfler.

Timeline

Tour dates

1980's

Tour Start date End date Shows Legs
1988 June 7
Concord, United States		 October 19
New York City, United States		 71 3
1989 May 25
Prague, Czech Republic		 November 15
Tampa, United States		 100 3

1990's

Tour Start date End date Shows Legs
1990 January 12
New Haven, United States		 November 18
Detroit, United States		 93 5
1991 January 28
Zurich, Switzerland		 November 20
Charlottesville, United States		 101 6
1992 March 18
Perth, Australia		 November 15
West Palm Beach, United States		 92 5
1993 February 5
Dublin, Ireland		 October 9
Mountain View, United States		 76 4
1994 February 5
Sendai, Japan		 November 13
New Orleans, United States		 104 4
1995 March 11
Prague, Czech Republic		 December 17
Philadelphia, United States		 115 5
1996 April 13
Madison, United States		 November 23
Akron, United States		 84 4
1997 February 9
Tokyo, Japan		 December 20
Los Angeles, United States		 93 6
1998 January 13
New London, United States		 September 12
Christchurch, New Zealand		 110 7
1999 January 26
Estero, United States		 November 20
Newark, United States		 119 5

2000's

Tour Start date End date Shows Legs
2000 March 10
Anaheim, United States		 November 19
Towson, United States		 112 5
2001 February 25
Ōmiya, Japan		 November 24
Boston, United States		 106 6
2002 January 31
Orlando, United States		 November 22
Fairfax, United States		 107 3
2003 February 6
Canberra, Australia		 November 25
London, England		 98 4
2004 February 28
Tulsa, United States		 November 27
Boston, United States		 111 5
2005 March 7
Seattle, United States		 November 27
Dublin, Ireland		 113 3
2006 April 1
Reno, United States		 November 20
New York City, United States		 99 4
2007 March 27
Stockholm, Sweden		 October 29
Chicago, United States		 98 4
2008 February 2
Dallas, United States		 November 21
New York City, United States		 97 5
2009 March 22
Stockholm, Sweden		 November 19
New York City, United States		 97 3

2010's

Tour Start date End date Shows Legs
2010 March 11
Osaka, Japan		 November 27
Ledyard, United States		 102 4
2011 April 3
Taipei, Taiwan		 November 21
London, England		 89 4
2012 April 15
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil		 November 21
New York City, United States		 86 4
2013 April 5
Buffalo, United States		 November 28
London, England		 85 3
2014 March 31
Tokyo, Japan		 December 3
New York City, United States		 92 4
2015 April 10
Atlantic City, United States		 November 22
Milan, Italy		 87 3
2016 April 4
Tokyo, Japan		 TBC
TBC		 15 1*

* Tour yet to start, or in progress.

Notes

  1. ↑ Hann, Michael (2011-06-12). "Bob Dylan begins his 'never-ending' tour". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  2. ↑ "The Evolution of Bob Dylan". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  3. ↑ "The Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan and the Neverending Tour". Good Reads. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  4. ↑ "Still On The Road". Bjorner. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  5. ↑ "Still On The Road: 2007 US Fall Tour". Bjorner. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  6. ↑ Gray, The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, 2006, pp. 173–174
  7. ↑ Lister, David (May 29, 1997). "Bob Dylan in hospital after heart scare". London: Indipendant. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  8. ↑ "Still On The Road: Concert: Grandstand - Erie County Fair - Hamburg, New York - 15 August 2002". Bjorner. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  9. ↑ "A Good Thing". Geo Cities. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  10. ↑ Miers, Jeff (January 24, 2012). "Dylan as a poet, prankster". BuffaloNews.com. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Talking About Chronicles". Right Wing Bob. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  12. ↑ "The Genius of Bob Dylan". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  13. ↑ "Bob Dylan welcomes guitarist Charlie Sexton back into his band". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-11-26.
  14. ↑ "Duke Robillard joins Bob Dylan tour". Epiphone. 26 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.

References

External links

Quotations related to Never Ending Tour at Wikiquote Media related to Never Ending Tour at Wikimedia Commons

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