I watched Dylan make his long-awaited 1974 return
The Independent|September 22, 2024
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
Jim Farber
I watched Dylan make his long-awaited 1974 return

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.

Esta historia es de la edición September 22, 2024 de The Independent.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición September 22, 2024 de The Independent.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE INDEPENDENTVer todo
What can stop Verstappen winning fifth straight title?
The Independent

What can stop Verstappen winning fifth straight title?

It is rare that we learn fresh pieces of detail about drivers on the Formula One grid.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
Mo' money, mo' goals - why Salah is worth the gamble
The Independent

Mo' money, mo' goals - why Salah is worth the gamble

As clear and emphatic as Mohamed Salah’s words on Sunday were, something was still left unsaid.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
Guardiola: 'It will be a bad season by our standards'
The Independent

Guardiola: 'It will be a bad season by our standards'

But after five losses in a row, Man City's manager is defiant

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
West Ham hit Newcastle on counter to ease pressure
The Independent

West Ham hit Newcastle on counter to ease pressure

Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka combined to burst Newcastle’s bubble as West Ham handed under-pressure boss Julen Lopetegui breathing space with a priceless Premier League away win.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
Flood-proofing homes now will prevent future misery
The Independent

Flood-proofing homes now will prevent future misery

One thing most people would agree on: Britain urgently needs new homes.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
Chancellor has gone from cosying up to confrontation
The Independent

Chancellor has gone from cosying up to confrontation

Rachel Reeves urgently needs a new script – and some pizzazz.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
CBI boss warns Budget will mean fewer jobs are created
The Independent

CBI boss warns Budget will mean fewer jobs are created

Half of UK companies will cut jobs and two-thirds will recruit fewer staff, according to the boss of the UK's top business lobby group.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
Man who drugged wife in mass rape case should serve 20 years, say prosecutors
The Independent

Man who drugged wife in mass rape case should serve 20 years, say prosecutors

French prosecutors have sought a 20-year prison term for Dominique Pelicot, accusing him of facilitating the mass rape of his wife Gisele Pelicot by dozens of men, drugging her unconscious, and sharing pictures and videos of her sexual assault.

time-read
1 min  |
November 26, 2024
Thousands arrested at Khan protests as Pakistan capital put under police lockdown
The Independent

Thousands arrested at Khan protests as Pakistan capital put under police lockdown

Pakistani authorities arrested more than 4,000 supporters of Imran Khan, including five parliamentarians, ahead of a rally demanding the release of the former prime minister from prison, where he has been held for over a year.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 26, 2024
One dead after DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania
The Independent

One dead after DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania

A DHL cargo plane has crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, killing at least one of four people on board.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 26, 2024