Bob Dylan And The Band / 69 - 70

Sorry, this certainly doesn't earn its five stars on the strength of the musical quantity or quality we get from Bob. I give it five stars because it is an historic Dylan document that really fills a rather large hole in his musical timeline. The thing is, sure, he's had a few extra hours of sleep the night before this show compared to the '66 tour, and he doesn't look quite so near the edge (ledge?), but this is still Bob. And I am not merely referring to the fact that it is the same human being. Look closely at the mannerisms on stage at IOW. Especially when he cups his hands around the mic on Highway 61, this is the same guy - still reflecting as accurately as he knows how, through his music, exactly where he is at that moment. Sure the music is not as edgy, propulsive, cohesive, as when these men set up onstage three years ago - but to expect it to have been given the different circumstances would be silly. Think of the contast between Bob walking through the airport with his entourage in Don't Look Back vs the news reel of him escorting his pregnant wife down that same walkway this go round. Nuff said.

On a side note it is interesting to watch how much farther the band sail as a unit on the subsequent 1970 songs when they are a single democratic entity as compared to 1969 when they were there primarily to back the man who showed up for one last encore to tip his hat to the lost legions of the '60's whom he had led out past Desolation Row in search of those Visions of Johanna...

Thanks for your generosity Marc.

Don't be fooled by the rating, I'd have given this 5* even if the cameraman had used a beer bottle for a lens. But no, it's a bit better than that, though not the film I was hoping for/expecting.
We've been teased these last 30 odd years with the snippets released on the couple of newsreel shots, the "Made in Sweden" one even shows a second camera filming it. But surprise, this is a pro-shot from a third camera on the other side of the stage, still B&W and a bit dodgy sound, but if you ignore the less than perfect picture(a fair bit less) absolutely essential.
Essential, maybe more from the date/context rather than the performance. It's never been of my favourite Bob sets. My cousin gave a tape copy of Led Zeppelin III just right after it came out. My first L.Zep. But his LP had a scratch on side 2, Immigrant Song was badly shortened; "I come from the land of ice & snow, where the midnight sszzzzzzzuuuummmm", and out to the end.
I've never been able to listen to that track since without feeling that somethings 'wrong', it's too long, too many words...
Maybe Bob's IOW is like that, it was one of my early boots on tape, a dull, whiney sounding performance, and though I've collected countless upgrades since, that first introduction still sits there in the back of my mind, colours my perception of the concert. This video does sorta redress the balance a bit, seeing it maybe Bob wasn't as bored/going through the motions as I'd always assumed. well OK, "I pity the poor immigrant" is still dire, but the other cuts are not too bad at all.
The fillers ? The J. Cash show is is excellent quality, but we've seen it all many many times before, you'll soon hit the Skip button.
The Band at the Syria Mosque, a nice Pro-shot, but I suppose it's down to whether you like Band or not. I don't, they do nothing for me. Doubt if I'd have any of their stuff if it wasn't for the Bob connection. In a sense like the G.D. not 'bad' but just leave me cold. (I can hear the Lynch-mob gathering now, maybe if I form the half doz. G.D. albums I do possess in the shape of a cross.....)
If I do survive the night, let's hope I don't have to wait another 30 odd years for the rest of this or the other Pro-Shot IOW films to surface. Must be out there somewhere.