Fiddle & Bow: On Tour ­ Spring 2005

Absolutely Sweet Marie ­ Live ­ Detroit ­ April 12, 2005
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 8, 2005
Stuck Inside Of Mobile ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 7, 2005
Hazel ­ Live ­ Mashantucket ­ April 22, 2005
Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee ­ Live ­ March 14, 2005
Senor ­ Live ­ Chicago ­ April 3, 2005
Under The Red Sky ­ Live ­ Detroit ­ April 12, 2005
I'll Remember You ­ Live ­ Detroit ­ April 12, 2005
Cat's In The Well ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 8, 2005
Moonlight ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 7, 2005
Honest With Me ­ Live ­ Reno ­ March 18, 2005
Mississippi ­ Live ­ Reno ­ March 18, 2005
All Along The Watchtower ­ Live ­ Seattle ­ March 7, 2005

This is a truly superlative set of songs. In the Spring of 2005, violinist Elana Fremerman had joined Bob Dylan's band for a tour of the United States, and she contributed significantly to the overall sound of the band. At the same time, recording technology had progressed to the point of capturing audience recordings that often surpassed the soundboard tapes of previous decades. These factors combined to offer one of the most coherent, compelling compilations yet offered on T he Thousand Highways Collection.
Highlights include the best renditions of "Absolutely Sweet Marie," "Honest With Me," and "Mississippi" ever played outside of a studio setting. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is played with a vocal unrivaled since it had been played in the mid­1990s. The collection also includes a rare outing of "Hazel," including a pleasant violin interlude. Outside of these highlights, the remainder of the songs prove quite strong as well ­ "Stuck Inside of Mobile," "Moonlight," and "Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee" are enhanced not by violin solos, but rather by the presence of a violin on their rhythmic sections, propelling the tracks along delightfully.
A handful of tracks didn't make it past the cutting room floor. "Folsom Prison Blues" was played to great acclaim in Reno, but I didn't think the vocals measured up to past outings of this classic. Similarly, "Sing Me Back Home" is an extraordinary song, but I didn't think it quite came together in the performances. I hope you'll forgive these omissions.
While Fremerman would depart the band at the end of this brief tour, the violin sound lingered on, thanks to the presence of multi­instrumentalist Donnie Herron. Never again, though, would it have such a prominent role. Luckily, due to our community's generous tapers, we've been left with extraordinary documentation of this unique period in Bob Dylan's performance career.
Thanks for listening,
CS

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