On the morning of 2 December 1973, nearly 10 million letters started pouring through the US postal system for the same urgent purpose. Contained in each letter was a certified cheque, written with the sender’s sincere hope that it would secure them tickets for a concert that, apparently, every music fan in the world would crawl through shattered glass to see. The total dollar amount for ticket requests that started coming in that day – and which continued for the next three weeks – reportedly approached $92m, the equivalent of more than $664m today (or £488m).
What could inspire such a crushing mix of commerce and passion that it required a lottery system simply for the right to buy concert tickets? No less earth-altering an event, it seems, than the return of Bob Dylan to the touring circuit after eight endless years. To make tickets for the shows even more prized, Dylan would be joined on the tour by The Band, the foundational Americana group that had backed him on his last national jaunt in 1966 when he “went electric”, to the later-tobe-lampooned boos and cries of “Judas” from benighted folk purists.
By 1973, the absence of Dylan from the touring circuit was so achingly long, it had outlasted the entire history of The Beatles in America. Small wonder that only a reunion of the Fab Four themselves could have out-hyped it. In terms of sheer demand, Dylan’s show could be considered the “Eras Tour” of its day, if not an antecedent to the Oasis reunion, only more coveted than either since it included far fewer dates, crowded into a brisk sprint through the US between January 3 and February 14 of 1974. No UK or European dates would be added. Fans whose mailed-in requests were fortunate enough to be selected earned the right to buy specific seats in the arena of the city to which they were sent.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 22, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 22, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
I watched Dylan make his long-awaited 1974 return
After his motorcycle crash and an eight-year touring hiatus, Bob Dylan's comeback was the biggest event in music since Woodstock. And a 16-year-old Jim Farber had third-row seats
M&M's World - gaudy, soulless yet hugely popular
Tens of thousands flock each week to queue, buy overpriced sweets and take photos. But why, wonders Roisin Lanigan
Are universities too big to fail or could some go under?
As thousands of students head to campuses this weekend, there are warnings parts of the sector are close to collapse. Alastair Mc Call argues why fees can,t save the day this time
Prolific Diaz reaps rewards of Slot's quiet evolution
Liverpool are top of the league. But while that may only be for a day, more significantly, Liverpool are back on track.
Why it's solidity over style in Premier League title race
Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta no longer focus on attackfirst approaches when Manchester City and Arsenal meet
Dubois destroys Joshua in five devastating rounds.
Anthony Joshua tumbled onto the canvas in the fifth round, his world turned upside down by Daniel Dubois and his effortless power, compounding a nightmare evening to leave him with a critical decision.
Death prompts debate over 'toxic' work culture in India
Mother of woman who died within four months of joining a consulting firm says 'workload and long hours' are to blame
Bomb drones are deployed in India's forgotten civil war
As violence splitting the state of Manipur along ethnic lines escalates, families of its victims want the government to act
At least 22 dead after Israeli airstrike on school in Gaza
An Israeli strike on a school in northern Gaza yesterday killed at least 22 people, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Trump campaign fear 'Black Nazi' candidate could cost them key battleground state
Former president being 'weighed down' in North Carolina