Bleeding Shadows (Crystal Cat CC-735/736)
Estadio Municipal Escribano, Motril, Spain – July 10th, 2004
Disc 1: Intro., Maggie’s Farm, Tell Me That It Isn’t True, Cry A While, Girl Of The North Country, It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding), Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, Positively 4th Street, Highway 61 Revisited, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues, A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall, If Dogs Run Free, Honest With Me
Disc 2: Not Dark Yet, Summer Days, Mr. Tambourine Man, Like A Rolling Stone, All Along The Watchtower. Bonus tracks, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL – March 6th, 2004: It Ain’t Me Babe. State Theatre, Detroit, MI – March 16th, 2004: Get Out Of Denver. State Theatre Detroit, MI – March 17th, 2004: Ball & Biscuit. 9:30 Club, Washington D.C. – April 2nd, 2004: Hazel. Warner Theater, Washington D.C. – April 4th, 2004: God Knows. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC – April 7th, 2004: Joey. The Orange Peel Asheville, NC – April 9th, 2004: Unbelievable. Warner Park, Madison, WI – August 27th, 2004: Heartland (with Willie Nelson)
Bleeding Shadows documents Dylan’s performance in the soccer stadium in Motril, in the southern part of Spain. Some have said it was an odd choice of venue for Dylan, but this is one of the things that makes him so special. His willingness to play in smaller and out-of-the-way towns that would normally not have a chance to see him. This is sourced from a very good and clear audience recording that captures the show in its entirety. One review remarks:“Dylan’s voice was good throughout. He put a lot of effort in and often-sustained notes rather than clipping them off early at the end. The piano was hardly audible in the mix but he played a good deal of harmonica… Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues was a highlight. It didn’t seem like all the harmonica solos were rehearsed as once or twice he would lift one up and show it to the rest of the band to indicate he’d decided it was time for him to play and for them to take a backseat.” Crystal Cat includes several tracks taken from his US tour the previous spring. All of the tracks are very good and come from clean sounding tapes. It might have made more sense to include tracks from Europe to keep with the theme of the main tape, but it’s all very interesting, especially “Heartland” with Willie Nelson from the Wisconsin show. The front cover is a bit unattractive, however the rest uses good photos from the tour.
