Happy 75th Birthday Bob Dylan: Performing Live Through The Decades

One of the truly transcendent artists in American history, today Bob Dylan celebrates his 75th birthday. Born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota in 1941, he revolutionized popular music in the early 1960s with a signature folk style and incredible talent for songwriting. Dylan’s music is known the world over and his long and storied career continues with a newly released album of standards coming days ago and a tour with Mavis Staples on the horizon.

For Bob’s 75th birthday today, here’s a look back his career on stage from the 1960s through each decade leading up to an appearance just last year. The first clip comes from the Newport Folk Festival in 1964. Filmed a year prior to his notorious “going electric” performance at Newport, this video shows a young Dylan introduced by Pete Seeger and playing acoustic guitar and harmonica on his original “Mr. Tambourine Man,” watch:

Another solo acoustic guitar and harmonica appearance, this version of “Tangled Up In Blue” from his 15th studio album Blood On The Tracks was recorded at Boston Music Hall on November 21, 1975. The clip comes from the 1978 Dylan-directed film Renaldo And Clara and watch it here:

In the summer of 1987 Dylan toured with the Grateful Dead, sharing the stage with the iconic rock band at a number of shows. The band’s set with Dylan on July 12, 1987 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey featured “Chimes Of Freedom” off the 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan followed by “Joey” from the 1975 album Desire. Both songs can be viewed in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOICI9jiNLs

Dylan issued Time Out Of Mind – his 30th studio LP – in 1997. The record went on to be awarded the Grammy for Album Of The Year in 1998. Dylan appeared at the awards ceremony and performed the album’s track “Love Sick.” Here’s official footage from the Grammys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abbu5hcH0kk

Playing electric guitar, the audience-shot video below from woolhall comes from a Nevering Ending Tour run through Europe in 2002. The video captured the encore on May 4, 2002 at Brighton Centre in Brighton, England featuring a performance of Dylan’s his well-known song “All Along The Watchtower.” See it here:

This video posted by 4musiclovers captures Dylan’s performance at the Lucca Summer Festival held at Piazza Napoleone in Lucca, Italy. Playing piano, Dylan delivered this arrangement of “Blowin’ In The Wind” as the encore, watch it below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvhgC2bH0z8