This past week I started looking through some really old bootleg posts. Well, in fact, I went back to the very beginning. I’ve been slowly working my way through those posts systematically from oldest to newest. The idea is to update the links, update the photos, properly label everything and generally get everything looking uniform. This is all part of my larger organizational blog project. It is quite tedious but also kind of fun. Some of you are aware of this already as apparently the blog automatically posts these old blog posts to Facebook whenever I go back in and make changes. It is likely annoying as many of those posts no longer have good links (and I no longer have the shows to update those links with).
Some of you have already sent me some new links and I am grateful. I’ll eventually make a big master list of everything I’m missing and send out a request for them. In truth, a lot of the shows are things I’m not actually all that interested in. When I first discovered bootleg blogs I went a little mad and downloaded everything. Then when I started this blog I just uploaded everything to this space, regardless of quality, bit rate, or if I really even liked the artist very much.
This organizational project continues to grow. What I’d really like to do is have all the old posts cleaned up, have a master list of all the shows I own and where they are located, and make everything perfectly organized with the blog easily accessible and complete. I’m working on it, but every time I make a process I think of something else that needs to be cleaned up. I’ll still continue to post shows, but it will continue to be a little unorganized for a while longer.
The Fourth Most Downloaded Show Of All Time:
Bob Dyan – Santa Cruz, CA (03/15-16/00)
Total Number of Download: 2874
When I first started this little anniversary series I did not think about the fact that reposting these popular shows would only make them more popular. It took me a couple of posts to realize that the numbers were changing pretty quickly due to my linking to the popular posts. Eventually, I made a list in a notebook so that I could keep my numbers straight. I seem to have neglected this show. In my notebook, this show comes in at #9. Obviously, I posted #9 months ago and have since moved up to #4. This show isn’t really #4 but I need to mention it before I move on to #3 – #1. It currently resides at #10 so do with that what you will.
Even at #10, this is a bit of an anomaly. All the other posts in the top ten are compilations of some sort. There are entire tour collections, alt-cuts of popular albums, etc. I suppose technically this is a collection of two shows but it’s still fascinating to me that it became so popular.
I did post a whole bunch of Dylan shows from the year 2000 so I suspect that gained some traction in some other places. These two shows are extraordinarily great (both in terms of sound quality and performance) so maybe they are a fan favorite and the show got linked to some other popular Dylan sites. I have no idea. Whatever the reason you should definitely grab it if you haven’t already.
As you will see next month this is not the only time a non-compilation post makes it into the top ten. It is also the only non-Bob Dylan post in the countdown. Stay tuned.
Here at the other Ten Years of Bootlegs posts.
#10 – Bob Dylan – Abandoned Desire
#9 – Bob Dylan – 1978 Tour Collection
#8 – Bob Dylan – The Genuine Never Ending Tour Covers Collection (1988-2000)
#7 – Bob Dylan & The Grateful Dead – The Entire Tour
#6 – Bob Dylan – The Complete Supper Club Soundboards
#5 – Bob Dylan & Mark Knopfler – The Complete Recording Sessions
themidnightcafe.org 
Great shows from a wonderful era for live Dylan. I’d never have guessed it would be this high though!
So … 1-3 ? You’ve told us the non-Dylan entrant so my guesses for 1 and 2 are The ‘66 tour (Capt Acid remasters?) and some version of The Basememt Tapes (Genuine?) – both now made obselete of course….
Thank you for all you do!
Good guesses, but wrong. 😉
damnit!
I would give anything to find soundboards of Dylan during the “Christian years” my favorite Dylan. Keep up the good Work!
Sent from my iPhone
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agree…… suprised these particular shows are so high up the list. others from same peeriod are as good/ if not better. but that is the enjoyment of such threads, The Unexpected!!
keep up the terrific postings. tks
Thanks for all of your hard work, Mat! I might have enough Uncle Bob to last the rest of my life….but don’t stop!
That link seems to be MP3s only?
My apologies. When I originally posted the FLACs they were corrupted and I’ve since lost my original files. I have posted both shows from different sources links of which you can find in the original post.
Ok, great. Thanks.