If there were ever a gig that could truly be described as “once-in-a-lifetime” it was the night 20 years ago that Bob Dylan played Aberdeen for the first and, so far, only time.
On September 16 2000, the bona fide music legend took to the stage of the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, ending a 40-year wait for his north-east fans to see the troubadour in person.
It was a concert that bosses at the AECC had fought tooth and nail to make a reality.
In fact, when managing director of the AECC, Clarke Milloy, announced the date three months before, he said the centre was more than a little excited after a 12-year struggle to bring this star to the fans of the north-east.
And, according to reviews and fan reaction of the day, the hard work of the venue and the patience of Dylan devotees was worth it.
The gig saw a sell-out audience of 6,500 – teenagers mingling with grandparents – thrilled by Dylan’s set. Little wonder as it saw the relaxed – if not overly chatty – singer-songwriter performing a 19-song set of numbers that spanned his then 40-year-career.
From The Times They Are A-Changing to Things Have Changed (the song Dylan wrote for the film The Wonder Boys) the audience lapped it up.
It was an ever-shifting banquet of mood and rhythm, from ballads like Boots Of Spanish Leather to blistering blues numbers like Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat. All of it kept the audience rapt and shouting for more.
One fan, Douglas Forrest, from Huntly, was quoted by the P&J as saying: “It was a fantastic performance and everyone here tonight seemed to be impressed.”
Aberdeen fan Gavin Craig told the paper: “A top-class performance from the main man.
“He’s still out there doing his thing and he always puts a new twist on old songs.”
Ken Dickson, from Perth, added his praise, saying: “He was in great voice and seemed to be really enjoying himself – definitely a night to remember.”
Meanwhile, IP Newton of Tillydrone proved himself to be a superfan by writing to the Evening Express a few days later to add his accolades.
”When he played Aberdeen for the first time … Bob Dylan showed us all why he is unparalleled in rock with a blistering, rip-roaring performance which left a packed arena screaming and stomping for more.
“A glance around the crowd at the AECC was proof of his wide-ranging popularity.
“There were the die-hard Dylanologists who follow him everywhere; teenagers who danced the night away; their parents and grandparents and the ageing hippies who have hung on his every word since the early 60s.
“He gave rock music a voice and here he was nearly four decades later rocking with the energy and passion of a man half his age.
“The crowd loved it and Dylan knew it. Come back again Bob, only this time, don’t leave it so long.”
Which was pretty good going for a man who was then almost in his 60s and had recently faced more than his fair share of heart problems.
It wasn’t just the fans who raved about the gig, 20 years ago.
P&J reviewer Nathaniel Anderson wrote: “The Aberdeen concert proved that over a decade of constant performing which started with the Never Ending Tour, in 1988, had not diminished his energy or desire for live performance – he certainly looked to be enjoying the gig.”
And he added: “Now almost 60, the shakes and shifts of the great man as he stood almost to attention in his riverboat gambler suit during the lengthy ovation at the concert’s end, as if loosening the stiffness of tired limbs, were the only visible sign that he was feeling his years.”
Meanwhile, Evening Express reviewer Chris O’Reilly was equally enthusiastic.
“Dressed like a latter-day Hank Williams, Bob, cool as you like, meandered through the back pages of his 40-year career without breaking sweat, pausing only to introduce his side men and murmuring the occasional thank you.
“A capacity crowd lapped it up as the old troubadour, switching between acoustic and electric guitars, took us all on a journey from the stark Desolation Row to the mighty Highway 61 Revisited.
“Recent heart surgery may have left him a little fragile, but this was a powerful show nonetheless.”
Still rolling after all these years
Dylan’s 2020 gig was part of what is dubbed The Never Ending Tour, so called because of his endless touring schedule that began on June 7 1988.
Over the years various band members and musicians have come and gone, but Dylan has been a constant. His life on the road was only interrupted by his heart scare in 1997 and this year saw him cancel dates in the Japan and US due to the coronavirus pandemic.
His is an astonishing musical career, starting with his first album in 1962, of traditional folk songs. His breakthrough came the following year with The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, including Blowin’ In The Wind and A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall, the first of many tunes to become anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements of the period.
But 55 years ago he went down in cultural and social history when he played his first electrified performance at the Newport Folk Festival, breaking away from his acoustic roots. When he took to the stage and played Like A Rolling Stone with a Fender Stratocaster, he was booed and heckled and greeted with derision.
Many historians have argued the moment Dylan switched from folk to rock ‘n’ roll represents a bigger cultural transformation of the mid-60s Americas away from the more innocent days towards the decade’s more decadent and troubled end.
But by the time he reached Aberdeen, all was forgiven and Dylan had taken on the mantle of a legendary musician.
He is, of course, still building that legacy.
His 39th album Rough And Rowdy Ways, was released in June and went to the top of the chart after being greeted with critical praise, including calling it a “masterpiece”.
And, with Dylan still on his Never Ending Tour – hopefully resuming once Covid-19 is over – there is still a chance the plea in IP Newton’s letter of 20 years ago could be eventually answered.
The music stays the same…
Here’s what Bob Dylan played at that memorable gig at the AECC 20 years ago.
Hallelujah I’m Ready
The Times They Are A-Changin’
Desolation Row
Boots of Spanish Leather
Tangled Up in Blue
Searching for a Soldier’s Grave (The Anglin Twins (Jack and Jim) cover) (Acoustic)
Country Pie
Under the Red Sky
All Along the Watchtower
Not Dark Yet
Cold Irons Bound
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
Encore:
Things Have Changed
Like a Rolling Stone
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
Highway 61 Revisited
Blowin’ in the Wind
Cat’s in the Well
Forever Young
