madison Square Garden

December 8: Bob Dylan – Night of The Hurricane, New York 1975

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

bob dylan night of the hurricane

The people from the Hurricane Carter movement kept calling me and writing me. And Hurricane sent me his book, which I read and which really touched me. I felt that the man was just innocent, from his writings and knowing that part of the country. So I went to visit him and was really behind him, trying to get a new trial.
~Bob Dylan (to Bill Flanagan, March 1985)

Tonight is billed as “The Night of the Hurricane,” and Dylan is in a good mood, dedicating one song to Al Grossman, who is in the audience and “‘is not running for President” (a dig at Muhammad Ali’s attempts to turn the benefit into a political rally). Baez hams it up during her set with Dylan, and Robbie Robertson joins the Revue for a great “It Takes a Lot to Laugh.” Although not as inspired a performance as Montreal, the concert ends the tour on a high note. The traditional end-of-tour party is at the Felt Forum after the show. The partying continues at a restaurant near the Westbury Hotel.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)

The last show of the 1975 tour @ Madison Square Garden, New York City – 8 December 1975.

The show was a benefit concert for the imprisoned boxer, Hurricane Carter, hence the name of the show: “The Night of the Hurricane.” Special guests for the night: Robert Flack and Muhammad Ali.

Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
8 December 1975
Night of The Hurricane

  • Bob Dylan (vocal, guitar)
  • Bob Neuwirth (guitar)
  • T-bone J. Henry Burnett (guitar)
  • Roger McGuinn (guitar)
  • Steven Soles (guitar)
  • Mick Ronson (guitar)
  • David Mansfield (steel guitar, violin, mandolin ,dobro)
  • Rob Stoner (bass)
  • Howie Wyeth (piano, drums)
  • Luther Rix (drums, percussion)
  • Ronee Blakeley (vocal)

Continue reading “December 8: Bob Dylan – Night of The Hurricane, New York 1975” →

Listen: Bob Dylan – Madison Square Garden, NY, 12/8/1975 – Rolling Thunder Revue

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

“This final night of the 1975 leg, when a huge entourage of musicians, celebrities and guests descended upon Madison Square Garden to raise awareness and funds for the defense of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, is the most monumental show of that tour.”
– Wolfgang’s Vault

This is a fantastic bootleg and a historic document, the sound is amazing. Why this wasn’t included in the official Bootleg series is a mystery to me.

“What the concert lacked in consistency it made up as a broadly inclusive compendium of musicians united in a cause. For all of the inevitable slow moments when guests shunt in and out of the spotlight, it made, for a long, relaxed yet—in Mr. Dylan’s parts, at least—zany, high‐energy, high‐intensity good time…

With this tour and with last night’s marathon concert, Mr. Dylan has reinvigorated the flagging New York folk‐rock scene, and he may well have reinvigorated the fashion of political commitment among artists. Most important of all. however, he has reinvigorated himself.”
– New York Times (Dec 9, 1975)

NYT article about the show: Continue reading “Listen: Bob Dylan – Madison Square Garden, NY, 12/8/1975 – Rolling Thunder Revue” →