Freddy Or Not… (BlackDog BD010)
St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL – July 30th, 2003
Introduction, Silvio, If You See Her Say Hello, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere, Highway 61 Revisited, Saving Grace, The Wicked Messenger, Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine), Honest With Me, Summer Days, Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
Freddie Or Not… on BlackDog presents a redaction of the soundboard and audience sources. The soundboard, which make up a majority of the release, is good and balanced between the different instruments and the audience reaction. It does sound a bit compressed and there is distortion in “Highway 61 Revisited” and in “Summer Days”. The audience source is used at the very end of “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” and is comprised of the post show cheer and a conversation between the tapers about whether this is truly the end of the show and not wanting to be “screwed again”. The summer 2003 was when Dylan toured with the Grateful Dead. By all accounts the previous show on July 29th in Fort Lauderdale was a disappointing, lackluster performance. This show in Tampa is in direct contrast a very energetic and powerful show. The opening three songs, “Silvio”, “If You See Her Say Hello” and especially “Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum” are great. Robert Hunter joins Dylan on stage for “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”, “Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)” (which is played in the now common rock arrangement), and the set closer “Summer Days”. Dylan rarely performs songs from his gospel period and the inclusion of “Saving Grace” is a welcome addition. Later on in the show Dylan joined The Dead and sand “Friend of the Devil”, “Gotta Serve Somebody”, and “Like A Rolling Stone”. There wasn’t space on this title, but it those three would make an excellent bonus for a future release. “Silvio”, “If You See Her Say Hello” and “Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine” were previously released as bonus tracks from the audience source on Tambourine Man Records as Still Somethin’ Going On (TMR-064/65) but it is great to hear the entire concert and this is a very good release. (GS)
