Rolling Thunder Revue
The Rolling Thunder Revue - named after the Indians Rolling Thunder - was a concert tour of a group of musicians that was initiated and led by Bob Dylan. It took place in the fall of 1975 and spring of 1976, interrupted by a winter break in the Dylan brought out his previously produced album Desire. Sections of the tour were used for Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara..
Besides Dylan included Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Kinky Friedman, T -Bone Burnett, Mick Ronson, David Mansfield, Scarlet Rivera, Rob Stoner, Howie Wyeth, Ramblin 'Jack Elliott and Bob Neuwirth to the musicians.
Preparations
After he had produced Desire, Bob Dylan began in October 1975 in New York rehearsing for a new tour. In addition to the Desire musicians Rob Stoner ( bass), Howie Wyeth ( drums) and Scarlet Rivera (violin) took T -Bone Burnett, Steven Soles and David Mansfield part in the rehearsals.
Dylan asked a friend, the filmmaker Howard Alk, the tour to document on film, making this yet started during rehearsals. Likewise, Dylan contacted the actor and screenwriter Sam Shepard, to talk with him about a filmic realization, and Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg drew his first promise given back later. Over the sample asked Dylan added other musicians, especially those who should be included in his film project - Joan Baez Roger McGuinn, Emmylou Harris, Ronee Blakley or Mick Ronson.
Fall of 1975
On October 30, the first concert auditorium in Plymouth, Massachusetts took place in the War Memorial. This was followed by 29 concerts, exclusively on the northeast coast of the USA and Canada. The first leg of the tour ended with a benefit concert in front of 14,000 spectators at Madison Square Garden with the participation of Muhammad Ali and Roberta Flack in favor of the boxer Rubin Carter. On January 25, 1976, a further benefit concert for Rubin Carter in Houston, Texas was organized.
Spring 1976
In April rehearsed the Revue in Clearwater, Florida. The first concert took place thereafter on April 18 at the Civic Center in Lakeland, Fla., led the tour in April and May 1976 the South and Southwest, but was unable to repeat the success of previous autumn tour; some concerts had to be canceled even. The last concert of the tour took place in Salt Lake City, Utah at the half-empty Salt Palace. It was Dylan's last concert for almost two years.
Recordings / publications
As part of the so-called Bootleg Series 2002 recordings of several concerts in November and December 1975 on a double CD titled The Bootleg Series Vol 5 were: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue published.
Already in 1976, the live album Hard Rain was released as a compilation of some songs from the tour portion of 1976.