And here we are, the #1 most popular bootleg post. When I started this blog I had no idea how long it would last. When I first started posting bootlegs it was really just one more thing in the big pop cultural potpourri that I was posting to my little plot of webspace. I couldn’t have guessed they would completely take over the blog within a few years and that I’d still be plugging away ten years later. I have no complaints, this blog has brought me a lot of joy. I’ve met some pretty cool people and listened to and learned a lot about some really great music. So once again to all of you, thanks for making The Midnight Cafe such a great place, it wouldn’t exist without you.
Ten Years of Bootlegs #1: Bob Dylan – 1974 Soundboard Collection
Of course, this is the biggest bootlegs on my site. It is Dylan, It is the Band, and it’s all from glorious soundboards.
First posted on September 2, 2015
Total number of hits: 4367
I don’t know about you all, but I’ve had a lot of fun trolling through these old posts and see what’s most popular. It has been really interesting to watch all the numbers go way up after I write a new Ten Years post and see everybody flock to the old post. I’m thinking about doing a regular post where I highlight some old shows I posted ages ago. Might be a fun way to remind people of something maybe they didn’t see the first time. Maybe I’ll even ask for some guest writers to pick out a favorite show or something.
Anyways thanks for hanging around.
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
#4 Bob Dylan – Santa Cruz, CA (03/15-16/00)
#3 Bob Dylan A Couple More Years
#2 The Allman Brothers Band – San Francisco, CA (12/31/73)
themidnightcafe.org 
Bit of a surprise to me that this is No 1. But we’ll worth having. Thanks Matt
Best plot twist since The Sixth Sense. My least favourite tour by some margin. I don’t even have this downloaded. Great top 10 rundown! Thank you.
Totally agree. Very seldom listen to this tour. Compared to 81, 75, 66, 00, Petty 87
Not what i would have suspected as the no. 1 pick but well worth having.
Thanks for all the wonderful work you have been doing. Please keep on offering this music. But: why does nobody seem to care that even a cursory listening will reveal that most (if not all) of this bootleg is certainly NOT a glorious soundboard ?
Cheers from Germany
Jürgen
Glorious is certainly debatable, but they do seem to be soundboards. Sure you can hear some crowd noise, and the sound isn’t pristine. Sometimes whoever was recording a show might stick an extra mike near the crowd to give the recording a more ambient sounds, make it really sound like the listener is there in the audience. Or sometimes a stage mic picks up a bit of crowd noise. I’ve heard plenty of soundboards from this time period that sound a little ragged at times.
Still loads better than a lot of audience recordings from the same period.
Just my opinion of course.