Bob Dylan 2003 Never Ending Tour
Touring Band
Bob Dylan: vocal, electric keyboard (piano), harmonica
Larry Campbell: electric and acoustic guitar, fiddle, pedal steel and lap steel guitar, electric & acoustic slide guitar, dobro, bouzouki, mandolin
Bill Burnette: replaced Charlie Sexton on guitar, first leg only.
Freddy Koella: electric and acoustic guitar (April – November)
Tony Garnier: double bass and bass guitar
George Recile: drums
You love it or hate it. 2003 is one of the most controversial years of the Never Ending Tour.
A lot of discussion is going on about Koella, as guitarist replacing the bands driving force Charlie Sexton. And about the overall sound with a lot of heavy blues rearrangements, the strongly varying quality of the concerts and not at least Dylans voice. That could be tender and detailed, or howl like a ‘wolfman’. As me concerns, that last sound fits perfectly with some of the heavy blues songs and especially the apocalyptic closure All Along the Watchtower.
The solid show structure of last years with acoustic and electric sets is gone. It is electric (Dylan is still playing electric piano in all songs) with some semi acoustic brilliance in between. The main set contains 14 song, followed by 3 encores. With Like a Rolling Stone and All along the Watchtower as concert closers.
The year includes four stages, through Down Under, the US twice and Europe. During the US summer leg Dylan opens for, and plays three or four songs with, The Dead.
The undisputed highlights of the year are the last concerts, a tour of three consecutive shows in three different London theatres. In Shepherds Bush Empire, Hammersmith Apollo and Brixton Academy Dylan is in top shape and plays 16 new songs for this year. The set list is completely rearranged every night. THE highlight, in Hammersmith Apollo, is Romance In Durango, for the first time played since 1976.
Recommended bootlegs
You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine (Rattlesnake RS 156/57). Contains all songs played in the two Amsterdam concerts.
London Tour 2003 Box (Crystal Cat Records CC 721–28). Contains all four London shows.
| 2003 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 98 shows, 97 different songs played, 1 live debut (cover Easy Lovin’) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Venue | Title | No of Disks | Label/Source | Sound | Art/setlist/info |
| 2003-04-18 | Dallas, TX | Granada Theater | Flac | LB-7014 | A- | Live debut Easy Lovin'. Complete electric show. |
| 2003-04-30 | Louisville, KY | Jillian's Parking Lot | Flac/2CD | Tambourine Man Records TMR 061/62 /Aud | 8 | Bonustracks 2003-04-25, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. |
| 2003-05-17 | Jackson, MS | Jubilee! Jam | 1CDr | Tambourine Man Records 063 | A | - |
| 2003-08-06 | Columbus, OH | Germain Amphitheater | 1CDr | LB-8680 | A- | Dylan opened for The Dead. w/Joan Osborne vocals on Tears Of Rage; Tommy Morrongiello on electric guitar on My Back Pages & Summer Days. |
| 2003-08-12 | New York City, NY Hammerstein Ballroom | Guitar Boogie Shuffle | 2CD | Wild Wolf/Scorpio 81203. | 8 | Bonus track from the Hammerstein Ballroom 2003-08-20. |
| 2003-08-21 | Gilford, NH | Meadowbrook Music Arts Center Pavilion | 2CD | Unwanted Man Music LB-3178 | A- | - |
| 2003-08-23 | Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls 2003 | Flac/2CD | Crystal Cat 1160-61 | A | Last show of the US summer leg, only show in Canada. Bob Dylan's guitar roadie plays guitar. |
| 2003-10-13 | Oslo, Spektrum | Oslo 2003 | 2CD | Crystal Cat Records 716-17 | 9 | Mason Ruffner guitar in encores. |
| 2003-10-17 | Hamburg, Docks | By The Waterfront Docks | Flac | Tambourine Man Records TMR 70/71 | A | Some flaws in the recording. |
| 2003-10-17 | Hamburg, Docks | In The Club | Flac | No label (Bob Dylan)HH171003 | A | - |
| 2003-10-18 | Hamburg, Docks | By The Waterfront Docks | Flac | Tambourine Man Records TMR 72/73 | A | Another great show in Hamburg. |
| 2003-10-20 | Berlin | Man Totally Into His Music | 2CDr | Tambourine Man Records 068-69 | 9 | Bonus track: Hamburg 2003-10-18. |
| 2003-11-10 | Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall | First Night | 2CDr | - | A- | Dylans first concert in Amsterdam. |
| 2003-11-11 | Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall | Second Night | 2CDr | Cedar #1 | A | Great show with many highlights. |
| 2003-11-11 | Amsterdam Heineken Music Hall | You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine! | 2CDr | Rattlesnake 156-57 | 8-9 | Better sound than Cedar #1, apart from the two first (mono) tracks. Bonustracks: seven different songs played the previous night. |
| 2003-11-13 | Paris | Le Zénith | 2CDr | - | A | One more of that great 2003 rock/blues-concerts. |
| 2003-11-15 | London, Wembley Arena | Wembley Arena 2003 | 2CDr + Flac | Crystal Cat Records 721-22 | 9 | Released in a box set entitled London Tour 2003. |
| 2003-11-17 | Dublin, The Point Theatre | Live In Dublin 2003 | Flac | Dylanvine | A | - |
| 2003-11-21 | Birmingham, National Exhibition Centre | Bye And Bye | Flac | Doberman DBM 342/343 | A | - |
| 2003-11-23 | London Shepherds Bush Empire | Shepherds Bush Empire 2003 | 2CDr | Crystal Cat Records 723-24 | 9 | Dylan suprised with 13 new songs compared to previous concert and 8 new songs for this tour, some long time not played: Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn); Million Miles; Tough Mama; Dear Landlord; Jokerman. |
| 2003-11-24 | London Hammersmith Apollo | Hammersmith Apollo 2003 | 2CDr | Crystal Cat Records 725-26 | 9 | A must have. Includes Romance In Durango, last played in 1976. Again an almost complete rearranged setlist, with 4 new songs for this tour. |
| 2003-11-24 | London Hammersmith Apollo | Romance in Durango | Flac | Tambourine Man Records TMR 078/079 | 8 | - |
| 2003-11-25 | London Brixton Academy | Brixton Academy 2003 | 2CDr | Crystal Cat Records 727-28 | 9 | Again 4 new songs for this tour. Yea! Heavy And A Bottle Of Bread in slot two. |
| 2003-00-00 | various US | Meeting Again in 2003 | Flac/2CD | Not on label LB-5837 | B+/A- | Bob Dylan opened during the summer tour for the The Grateful Dead and played two of three song with them every night. |