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.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
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.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Springboks reveal insights into secrets of their success
Rugby is a game of grey areas. From foul play to scrum-time skirmish, one's opinion on a particular incident can vary greatly depending on the lens through which it is viewed.
Hall could solve England's specialist left-back problem
In their last 13 matches, England have only once started with a specialist left-back. Now a specialist left-back has emerged who debuted under Thomas Tuchel and who, even before the German takes charge, can benefit from the coaching of England's most-capped full-back.
Coote's sweary Klopp rant loads pressure on referees
When the video of referee David Coote ranting about Jurgen Klopp first came to light, some of the most influential figures at Premier League clubs were excitedly sending it around on WhatsApp.
Labour looks set to smash straight into a jobs problem
Is Labour hurtling towards a jobs problem? The latest official data release does not make for happy reading for our accidentprone government.
Watchdog fines Metro Bank £16m for failing customers
A major bank has been fined millions for errors that left customers at risk. Metro Bank has been fined 16.6m by regulators for failings over money laundering controls from 2016 to 2020.
Inconvenient truth about this year's Booker winner
Samantha Harvey's ‘Orbital', a meditation on the Earth and humanity, has scooped this year's prize. But Martin Chilton is sceptical it will make readers wake up to climate change
'Male actors do get paid, more than us - that's a fact'
Sarah Greene has reunited with her 'Bad Sisters' for a second series. She tells Ellie Harrison about misogyny, donning an eyepatch, and looks back on the success of 'Normal People'
KATHMANDU CHAOS
The Nepalese capital's shambolic main airport is a perfect case study in how to deter visitors, writes Simon Calder
Fox on the box: 25 years of Lineker's Match of the Day
Gary Lineker is leaving 'MOTD' at the end of this season, after a glittering tenure as the host of the BBC's flagship football show. Nick Hilton looks back on his highs and lows
Dumping Lineker is a move the BBC will live to regret
Watching the flagship BBC News at 10 programme on Monday night, you might have been forgiven for thinking all was well in the world - that Gaza was no longer a killing field, that Ukraine was safe from Putin, that the planet had started to cool down.