Bob Dylan is back touring the United States, “Truckin’” through the Midwest this week with shows in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Grand Rapids, MI. The legendary singer-songwriter’s show at The Riverside Theater in Milwaukee on Thursday saw him cover the Grateful Dead classic, further cementing the song in his catalog after he introduced it overseas earlier this year.
Thursday’s performance marked Dylan’s second-ever domestic take on “Truckin’”, following a rendition on Saturday in Chicago. The Nobel Prize-winning songwriter debuted the American Beauty track in Japan in April, along with a cover of “Brokedown Palace” that took a couple attempts for him to really nail down. He also added covers of Dead-adjacent songs “Only A River” by Bob Weir and the Dead’s oft-covered Crickets song “Not Fade Away”. Then a couple months later, while playing in Barcelona, Dylan debuted a cover of “Stella Blue”, furthering anticipation for Bob’s return by domestic Deadheads back home.
It appears the Dead covers are sticking in the rotation, with each play deepening Dylan’s level of comfort with the source material. At one point on Thursday, Dylan threw in some hot piano licks, with his sing-talking vocal style lending itself perfectly to the wistful reflection “What a long, strange trip it’s been,” which you know is as true for him as it was for Weir, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart et al.
Of course, Dylan has a long history with the Grateful Dead. The psychedelic forefathers frequently covered an array of Dylan songs throughout their 30-year run, including “Queen Jane Approximately”, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”, and “When I Paint My Masterpiece”. The two parties even toured stadiums together in 1987, with the Dead backing up Dylan in addition to playing a set of their own. Dylan has shown a mutual appreciation over the years, playing such Grateful Dead songs as “Friend of the Devil”, “Alabama Getaway”, “West L.A. Fadeaway”, and “Black Muddy River”.
In his 2022 book Philosophy of Modern Song, Dylan expressed his appreciation for “Truckin’”.
Medium tempo, but it seems to just keep picking up speed. It’s got a fantastic first verse…and every verse that follows could actually be a first verse. Arrows of neon, flashing marquees, Dallas and a soft machine, Sweet Jane, vitamin C, Bourbon Street, bowling pins, hotel windows, and the classic line, ‘What a long strange trip it’s been.’ A thought that anybody can relate to.
Watch Bob Dylan cover “Truckin’” by the Grateful Dead in Milwaukee. The North American leg of Dylan’s Rough And Rowdy Ways Tour continues on Saturday in Grand Rapids. For tickets and a complete list of tour dates head here.
Bob Dylan – “Truckin’” (Grateful Dead) – 10/12/23
[Video: Nunupics Zomot]
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