Bob Dylan / Tokyo 2023 1st Night / 2CDR

Bob Dylan / Tokyo 2023 1st Night / 2CDR / Uxbridge
Tokyo Garden Theater, Tokyo, Japan 11th April 2023

Play sample :

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Bob Dylan, who not only cleared the regret of canceling his visit to Japan three years ago, but also continues to tour while his daily performances have been a great response. This time, it became a hot topic that extremely strict measures were taken against bringing in recording equipment centered on smartphones, which seems to be a new era live, but even so, the brave men of the fishing port continued to record.
The latest stage that enthusiasts in Japan and all over the world want to hear is the fastest release that makes use of the unique mobility of the UXBRIDGE label.
The first is the first day of the Tokyo performance. As a result of the exclusive acquisition of the audience master to get good sound quality (do you understand this meaning? Lol), we realized recording from a good position from the front to the fourth row.
The very mild and moist sound quality is just like reminiscent of the sound that resounded at the venue on the day. At the beginning of the recording, the new drummer Jerry Pentecost’s bass drum, who joined the Dylan band from this time, was in a reverberating recording state, so when it was released, it was suppressed by equalization, but other than that, the sound image was well-balanced on the rise. Great listening experience.

Dylan’s stage, which resumed live activities in the fall of 2021 due to the corona wreck, was basically solidified with a set list mainly composed of songs recorded in “ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS”, and although there were changes on a yearly basis, in the past There were almost no changes in the set list and repertoire like Dylan, and this time we started with a composition that followed the European pattern of the previous year.
However, as soon as the schedule of the Japanese performance moves to Tokyo, a change that has not occurred in recent years has surprised maniacs all over the world. The big change began on the second day in Tokyo, but on the first day, an attempt to call it a trailer is happening in “Goodbye Jimmy Reed”.
The live version of the song had a light performance, but on this day, it turned into a heavy arrangement. The performance that felt more rock-like strength surprised the maniacs who were present on the day.
In addition, from the next day, it returned to the conventional light performance, so it became an even rarer live version, and before the surprise new repertoire show that started the next day, it was a change in the arrangement as if Dylan had tried the band. I don’t think so.

Audience recording that captured such a sign of change literally with wonderful sound quality. Dylan’s performance in Japan, which is still continuing, is as popular as Dylan’s best performance every day, but that’s why the arrangement change was realized.
And at the moment when Dylan and the band, who had been performing at a high level since the first day of the tour, came to Tokyo and reached the next level, UXBRIDGE quickly released the ongoing legend!

★Seats are on the right side of the 4th row in the center block

三年前の来日中止の無念が見事に晴らされただけでなく、連日の公演が大反響を呼びながらツアーが現在も続いているボブ・ディラン。今回は新時代のライブらしくスマホを中心とした録音可能な機材の持ち込みに極めて厳しい対処が行われたことでも話題を呼びましたが、それでもなお漁港のおじさんばりの勇者たちが録音を敢行。
我が国はもちろん、世界中のマニアが聞きたがっている最新ステージをUXBRIDGEレーベルならではの機動力を活かした最速リリース。
その第一弾は東京公演の初日。独占入手によるオーディエンス・マスターは良い音質を得るべく奮発（この意味が解りますよね？笑）した結果、前から四列目という好ポジからの録音を実現。
非常にマイルドでしっとりとした音質は正に当日の会場に鳴り響いた音を偲ばせるかのような感触。序盤こそ今回からディラン・バンドに加入した新ドラマー、ジェリー・ペンテコストのバスドラがドコドコと響く録音状態でしたので、リリースに際しそこをイコライズにて抑えましたが、それ以外は尻上がりにバランスも音像を良くなって素晴らしい聞き心地。

コロナ禍において2021年の秋からライブ活動を再開させたディランのステージは基本『ROUGH AND ROWDY WAYS』収録曲をメインとしたセットリストに固められており、年単位での変化はあったものの、往年のディランのようなセットリストやレパートリーの変化は皆無に等しく、今回も前年のヨーロッパのパターンを踏襲した構成でスタートしていました。
ところが日本公演の日程が東京に移るやいなや、近年なかったような変化が起きて世界中のマニアを驚かせています。その大きな変化が始まったは東京二日目からでしたが、初日は正にその予告編と呼べるような試みが「Goodbye Jimmy Reed」に起きています。
同曲は軽快な演奏がライブ・バージョンの持ち味でしたが、この日は一転してヘビーなアレンジへと豹変。よりロックな力強さを感じる演奏は当日居合わせたマニアを大いに驚かせたのでした。
おまけに翌日からは従来の軽快な演奏に戻ったので、なおさらレアなライブ・バージョンとなり、なおかつ翌日から始まる驚きの新レパートリー披露を前に、まるでディランがバンドを試したかのようなアレンジの変更だったように思えてなりません。

このような文字通り変化の予兆も素晴らしい音質で捉えてくれたオーディエンス録音。現在も続いている来日公演は連日におけるディランの絶好調ぶりも評判の通りですが、だからこその余裕が実現させたアレンジの変更。
そしてツアー初日からレベルの高い演奏を繰り広げていたディランとバンドが東京に来てネクスト・レベルへと到達した瞬間、正に現在進行形の伝説をUXBRIDGEが速攻リリース！

★座席はセンターブロック4列目右寄り

Disc:1 (53:52)
1. Intro
2. Watching the River Flow
3. Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine
4. I Contain Multitudes
5. False Prophet
6. When I Paint My Masterpiece
7. Black Rider
8. My Own Version of You
9. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
10. Band introductions
11. Crossing the Rubicon

Disc:2 (49:40)
1. To Be Alone With You
2. Key West (Philosopher Pirate)
3. Gotta Serve Somebody
4. I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
5. That Old Black Magic
6. Mother of Muses
7. Goodbye Jimmy Reed
8. Every Grain of Sand

Bob Dylan – vocal, piano, harmonica
Bob Britt – guitar
Doug Lancio – guitar
Donnie Herron – violin, mandolin, pedal steel, lap steel
Tony Garnier – bass
Jerry Pentecost – drums

Uxbridge 1897