On Friday night, Bob Dylan arrived at ACL Live at The Moody Theatre in Austin, Texas, for the first of two nights at the choice Lone Star State location. Both evenings, April 5 and 6, were embellished with sonic perks that frayed from the consistency of the artist’s regulatory shows, which remain primarily fixed to the same batch of songs. Rather than go with the expected, Dylan leaned into serendipity, inviting blue rock legend and regional favorite Jimmie Vaughan up to the stage to assist with a sizeable portion of Saturday’s material.
The first of two nights in Austin, Texas, saw a similar flow to prior Rough and Rowdy Ways tour stops, as the musical bard pulled heavily from the tour’s namesake album, flanked by choice selects from across his beloved discography. During the later portion of Friday’s concert, Dylan pulled an unexpected move and dusted off Ry Cooder’s “Across the Borderline” for the first time since Nov. 3, 1998. Notably, Dylan had only covered Get Rhythm originator seven times prior, performing it most frequently, with a mere three run-throughs in 1990.
In continuation of Dylan’s Texas romp, he returned to the Austin venue on Saturday night. What began as standard soon became extraordinary with the arrival of guest Vaughan. The pair’s stage time started with a joint delivery of the 1967 John Wesley Harding cut, “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” followed by “My Own Version of You.” The pair continued to build off each other’s strengths on “Crossing the Rubicon” and “To Be Alone With You.”
Next, Vaughan left Dylan and his band to deliver “Key West (Philosopher Pirate).” The night’s guest returned, adding to Slow Train Coming number “Gotta Serve Somebody.” An interesting moment occurred next and perhaps invited Dylan’s admirers to look back and consider tour patterns that could have alluded to the sit-in. Previously, during 2024 stops, Dylan performed Vaughan’s “Walking By Myself” seven times (before Saturday’s display), debuting the number just last month in Florida: Perhaps a more decisive move than what one might expect.
Vaughan and additional guest guitarist Doug Lancio remained ready to assist, included on Cash’s “Big River” and remaining tracks, “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” and “Every Grain of Sand.” Following the completion of Dyaln’s Texas appearances, the musician will take a break from touring, only to return with the emergence of June dates in the Southern and East Coast regions of the U.S. Tickets remain on sale.
Bob Dylan
ACL Live at The Moody Theatre – Austin, Texas
April 5, 2024
Set: Watching the River Flow, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine, I Contain Multitudes, False Prophet, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Black Rider, I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, My Own Version of You, Crossing the Rubicon, To Be Alone With You, Key West (Philosopher Pirate), Gotta Serve Somebody, Across the Borderline (Ry Cooder)+, I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You, Big River (Johnny Cash), Mother of Muses, Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Every Grain of Sand
Notes:
+ Bust out last played on Nov. 3, 1998
Bob Dylan
ACL Live at The Moody Theatre – Austin, Texas
April 6, 2024
Set: Watching the River Flow, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine, I Contain Multitudes, False Prophet, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Black Rider, I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight#, My Own Version of You#, Crossing the Rubicon#, To Be Alone With You#, Key West (Philosopher Pirate)#, Gotta Serve Somebody#, Walking by Myself#, I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You, Big River (Johnny Cash)#, Mother of Muses, Goodbye Jimmy Reed#, Every Grain of Sand#
Notes:
# with Jimmie Vaughan
The post Texas Weekend: Bob Dylan Busts Out Ry Cooder Cover for First-Time Since 1998, Welcomes Jimmie Vaughan Sit-in appeared first on Relix Media.
