Bob Dylan / The Maine Event: Definitive Dat Master: Portland 1996 3rd Night / 2CD

Bob Dylan / The Maine Event: Definitive Dat Master: Portland 1996 3rd Night / 2CD / ZION

State Theater, Portland, Maine 21st April 1996

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And it is no exaggeration to say that among Dylan’s 1996 three-day consecutive performance in Portland, maniacs all over the world were hoping for the release of the complete version… It is no exaggeration to say that the third day’s show. This day was the day when I received the most disrespectful treatment in “THE MAINE EVENT”. This is because if we go with the editorial policy of focusing on the first day and putting it on three discs, there will inevitably be fewer songs recorded on the third day due to elimination method.
In fact, only seven songs were selected for “THE MAINE EVENT” on the third day. It seems that it is also pushed to Disc-3. Most of the songs were recorded even the day before, so I think the editing concept was completely compromised. There’s no way I’d be able to grasp the full story of the third day in Portland. I think it’s fair to call the release of the third day’s complete version the highlight of this event.
Not only the set list changes, but also Dylan’s stage where the expression of the daily show changes, especially if it becomes the 1996 tour at the height of the 1990s. In fact, all of these three-day performances in Portland were really wonderful, and I was reminded that I could only get a glimpse of it from “THE MAINE EVENT”.

Needless to say, the sound quality was completely the same level as the other two days, and the audience was at the same level as the other two days, and the sense of distance and clarity shined on this day as well. In particular, regarding the degree of clarity, this is the area where I was sacrificed the most when using analog dubbing of previously released records, and I realized the listening comfort that can only be achieved with the original DAT master. You should get it. Even before the recorded content, the sound quality also surpasses the previously released editions.
What is most surprising is that not only was this the third day of performances in Portland, but it was also the middle of eight consecutive nights on this tour (!). Nowadays, when you say he’s in his mid-50s, it feels like he’s still very active, but back then he seemed more like an elderly person. The fact that Dylan was able to perform for more than a week at such a young age is astonishing. However, Dylan at that time was still energetically performing these continuous performances, and it seems that he was still young.
Not only that, but Dylan and the band are in great condition on this day, which is the third day in Portland. From the opening, they play songs that were not performed in the previous two days, such as “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” and “If Not For You”, but the third song “All Along The Watchtower”, the high tension below Dylan reached its peak. This song was performed in 1996 as a matter of course until the summer when Winston Watson left the band, but the performance here is very 1996-like, and at the same time, it was cut beautifully on the previous release. I had left it behind.

Furthermore, in the first half of the live performance, powerful and powerful performances like “This Wheel’s On Fire” continue, but from there, “Mama, You Been On My Mind”, which takes a breather, is excellent. It was really fun not knowing what would pop up at Dylan’s show every night, and this is a typical example, and the recording of his delicate performance is even better than on the previous release because it was recorded from a DAT master. There is no doubt that it stands out. Furthermore, Dylan’s energetic singing in the cheerful “When I Paint My Masterpiece” is also wonderful.
“Seven Days”, which was a rare repertoire unique to 1996, had been performed the day before, so that take was used on the previously released version, but the performance was better this time. This is also a great performance that can be heard for the first time with this release.
And on this day, the sense of presence with exquisite balance is wonderful, especially the big chorus of encore “My Back Pages” and “Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35” that even the listener becomes fun. What’s more, since the latter was cut from the previously released version, it is only possible to enjoy this happy finale for the first time with the complete recording DAT master. After all, Dylan’s live performance cannot begin without a complete set. The groundbreaking and long-awaited release of the third day of Portland is finally here!

そしてディラン1996年ポートランド三日連続公演の中でも世界中のマニアが完全版のリリースを望んでいた…と言っても過言でないのが三日目のショー。この日こそ、かの『THE MAINE EVENT』においてもっともぞんざいな扱いを受けてしまった日でした。というのも初日をメインとして三枚のディスクに収める…という編集方針でいくと、どうしても消去法から三日目の収録曲が少なくなってしまう。
実際に三日目は『THE MAINE EVENT』において採用されたのはたったの7曲。それもDisc-3に押しやられるという有様。前日ですら大半の曲が収録されていたのですから、その編集コンセプトの割りを完全に食らってしまったとしか。それではポートランド三日目の全容などつかめるはずもない。正に三日目のコンプリがリリースされることを今回の目玉だと呼んでいいのではないかと。
ましてやセットリストの変化はもちろん、毎日のショーの表情が変化を見せるディランのステージ、それが1990年代の絶頂期である96年ツアーともなればなおさら。実際これらポートランド三日間の演奏はどれも本当に素晴らしく、『THE MAINE EVENT』からはその片鱗しか伺い知れなかったことを思い知らされるのです。

言うまでもなく音質も他の二日と完全に同レベルの極上オーディエンスであり、この日も程よい距離感とクリアーさが輝きを放っている。特にクリアーさの度合いに関しては何度も繰り返すように既発盤のアナログ・ダビングを介した状態で一番犠牲になっていた個所であり、これをオリジナルのDATマスターならではの聞き心地を実感してもらえるはず。その収録内容以前に音質面でも既発盤を寄せ付けません。
何より驚かされるのは、これがポートランドにおける三日目の公演となっただけでなく、それどころかこのツアーにおける8夜連続公演の真っ最中（！）であったということ。今でこそ50代半ばと言えばまだ現役バリバリと言った感がありますが、当時はむしろ初老といった印象すらあった。そんな年齢のディランが一週間以上の連続公演をこなしていたという事実には驚きを禁じえません。しかし当時のディランはまだこうした連続公演を精力的にこなしており、まだまだ若かったということなのでしょう。
それだけでなく、ポートランド三日目となるこの日もディランとバンドは絶好調。オープニングから「Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat」に「If Not For You」と前の二日間で披露しなかった曲を立て続けに聞かせてくれますが、それよりも定位置三曲目の「All Along The Watchtower」においてディラン以下ハイテンションさがピークに。ウインストン・ワトソンが脱退する夏までの間、毎晩で当たり前のように名演が繰り広げられた96年の同曲ですが、ここでの演奏も実に96年らしいと同時に、既発盤では見事にカットされてしまっていた。

さらにライブ前半は「This Wheel’s On Fire」のようなどっしりとした迫力のある演奏が続きますが、そこから一息入れるような「Mama, You Been On My Mind」が絶品。本当にこの時代のディランは毎晩のショーで何が飛び出すか分からない楽しみがあったものですが、これこそ典型的な例であり、その繊細な演奏ぶりがDATマスターからの収録によって既発盤以上に際立っているのも間違いない。さらに陽気な「When I Paint My Masterpiece」でのディランの元気いっぱいな歌いっぷりもお見事。
96年ならではのレアなレパートリーだった「Seven Days」は前日にも披露されていたせいで既発盤にはそちらのテイクが採用されていましたが、演奏の出来はこちらの方が上でして、これもまた今回のリリースで初めて聞けるようになった名演。
そしてこの日も絶妙なバランスの臨場感が素晴らしく、特にアンコール「My Back Pages」と「Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35」での大合唱は聞いているこっちまで楽しくなってくるほど。おまけに既発盤では後者がカットされていただけに、このハッピーなフィナーレが始めて楽しめるようになったのもまた完全収録DATマスターならでは。やはりディランのライブはコンプリでなければ始まらない。そんな画期的かつマニア待望なポートランド三日目のリリースが遂に実現します！

Disc:1 (56:25)
1. Intro
2. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
3. If Not For You
4. All Along The Watchtower
5. Under The Red Sky
6. This Wheel’s On Fire
7. Silvio
8. Mama, You Been On My Mind
9. Masters Of War
10. Friend Of The Devil

Disc:2 (46:19)
1. Maggie’s Farm
2. When I Paint My Masterpiece
3. Band Introductions
4. Seven Days
5. Alabama Getaway
6. My Back Pages
7. Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35

Bob Dylan – vocal & guitar
Bucky Baxter – pedal steel guitar & electric slide guitar
John Jackson – guitar
Tony Garnier – bass
Winston Watson – drums & percussion

ZION-257