Six years ago, as Bob Dylan was approaching his 60th birthday, I thought it might be awesome to wrangle a few musicians and friends and put on a little gig on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. So about eight of us — known as the Subterranean Homesick Blues Band — worked our asses off and learned the parts. It went suprisingly well: It’s been a while, but I recall hearing people say things like “Omigod! You guys aren’t a real band?” and “Holy fuck!” as we barreled through some our favorite Dylan cuts. When Bob Dylan turned sixty-five last year, we did the same thing, and got even a little more fanfare.
Tomorrow, on May 24th, Bob Dylan turns sixty-six. As his birthday approached, we decided to raise the stakes: Bigger venue, bigger crowd, more rehearsals, more talent. Actual musicians like guitarist Marc Eskenazi and drummer Matt Romano, who play in Albert Hammond Jr.’s band came on board, along with Sammy James, Jr., and Reno Bo from the Mooney Suzuki. Monumentally talented singer/violinist Tracy Bonham stepped in to cover parts on Desire songs like “Hurricane” and “Isis”. Singer-songwriter David Mead agreed to do “Rainy Day Women”. We got the hottest gals in NYC, The Pierces, to sing a handful of tunes. Grant Maxwell from the Morning Pages said he would sing “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” and “If You Gotta Go”. And holding it down behind the drums would be the thunderous Russell Simmons of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Rounding out the band was Alex Levy, Evan Schlansky, Kevin Blackler, Harper Simon and Josh Lattanzi. Collectively, we were the Rolling Thunder Reborn Band. Praise Bob!
It all went down at a place called Midway, down on Avenue B last Friday. Friends packed the joint - including the actor Mickey Rourke, who none of us had ever met before. It was good times. We played about thirty songs - highlights including “Isis”, “Quinn the Eskimo”, “Sooner or Later”, “Changing of the Guards,” “Just Like A Woman”, “I Want You”, “Queen Jane Approximately”, “Someday Baby” and “Meet Me In the Morning.” With Bob still alive at 66, we thought we’d dip into Live in ‘66, with covers of “I Don’t Believe You”, “One Too Many Mornings” and “Baby Let Me Follow You Down.” If you were there, you’ll never forget it. All praise to Bob!
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