Bob Dylan – The Clouds Are Turnin’ Crimson: 2002 Europe Spring Tour

Bob Dylan
The Clouds Are Turnin’ Crimson
2002 Europe Spring Tour Compilation

Bob Dylan
Charlie Sexton
Larry Campbell
Tony Garnier
George Recile*
*Replaced by Jim Keltner for second half of tour due to injury in Recile’s arm

1. When I Paint My Masterpice (4/28, CC625/26)
2. You’re A Big Girl Now (5/10, CC643/44)
3. In The Garden (4/17, LB-5296)
4. Cry A While (4/29, CC627/28)
5. I Threw It All Away (5/2, LB-10886)
6. Moonlight (4/11, CC623/24)
7. Subterranean Homesick Blues (4/29, CC627/28)
8. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (4/16, LB-0277)
9. Make You Feel My Love (4/5, CC615/16)
10. Solid Rock (4/8, CC619/20)
11. Not Dark Yet (4/30, CC629/30)
12. SeÒor (Tales Of Yankee Power) (5/9, LB-0280)
13. Man Of Constant Sorrow (4/7, CC617/18)
14. Sugar Baby (4/5, CC615/16)
15. Song To Woody (5/8, CC639/40)
16. Blind Willie McTell (5/11, CC645/46)

Compiled by Nightingale’s Code

The 2002 Spring Tour is another tour (like the ones both preceding and following it)
that often gets lumped together as the “gap” between the great Fall 2001 and Fall
2002 tour legs, which isn’t entirely false. This tour, consisting of 29 concerts
between April 5 and May 12, was a little less satisfying than the 2002 Winter Tour
right before it, in my opinion. One major problem I had with this leg was the amount
of upsinging strewn throughout the entire tour. Many great songs were ruined by the
upsinging and it got harder and harder to wade through it to find the gems. However,
this Spring Tour is notable for the high percentage of Crystal Cat recordings
(17 out of 29 dates!), so needless to say, if any of these songs compel you to
search out the entire recording, there’s a high probability it will be a terrific
capture from Crystal Cat.

Unlike the previous leg where the “Love and Theft” material was the highlight of
most shows, this tour really showcased the rarer selections and many songs were
dusted off after not being played in quite some time. Subterranean Homesick Blues
was played often during this tour (for the first time live since 1991) to varying
degrees…often times half of the lyrics were forgotten. Nevertheless, it’s still
an enjoyable song with a cool arrangement. Solid Rock was also prevalent during
this tour (it hadn’t been played since 1981), usually to great success as the band
sounded really tight. Finally, Man Of Constant Sorrow got a tremendous redux for this
tour after not being played since 1990. The electric stop-and-start rhythm is a lot
of fun and makes the song completely unrecognizable.

In addition to bringing out some songs that hadn’t been played in many years, this
tour is also notable for many songs getting an acoustic debut. SeÒor (Tales Of
Yankee Power) got the acoustic treatment and it really benefited the song. This
version from Manchester is terrific with some great vocals, and the atmosphere
created by the acoustic instrumentation is fantastic. I Threw It All Away is another
song that got an acoustic debut this tour, and it sounds very nice. You’re A Big Girl
Now got the acoustic redux as well, and this one probably benefits the most from this
instrumentation. Calling back to the original version, but that great country twang
that Charlie and George can layer on really makes for a great performance with a
couple lyric changes too (that certainly gets the audience going). Finally, When I
Paint My Masterpiece got an acoustic debut this tour (coincidentally in Brussels)
and while it’s not a particularly “great” performance, it’s certainly a lot of fun
with Bob hilariously trying his hardest to say Brussels as many times as possible
(he somehow fits it in three times, much to the crowd’s delight).

While many songs got a fresh redux, some songs saw their last performance during this
tour. The acoustic Song To Woody from Newcastle is the last performance of this song
to date, and it really goes out on a high note. Likewise, In The Garden got a
farewell this tour in a performance that showcases the band’s aptitude for creating
terrific atmosphere.

While a lot of “Love and Theft” songs were a little more stale than they were in the
previous tour, Moonlight was a great highlight throughout the entire leg, and this
version from Berlin is terrific with a great vocal. Additionally, this Cry A While
from Paris was such a barn-burner that I was forced to include it after just
including it on the previous tour’s compilation; Sugar Baby had the same fate. This
Sugar Baby from Stockholm is easily my favorite performance I’ve heard yet. Such a
great vocal that builds and builds to the last verse/chorus. The Time Out Of Mind
material was strong throughout this tour too. Not Dark Yet from Paris is a great
performance that hints at those fantastic renditions from ’97-’00, and Make You Feel
My Love is a song that I usually don’t enjoy, but this rendering from Stockholm
starts with a brilliant harp solo and really maintains its energy, leading to a
terrific performance.

Tomorrow Is A Long Time was a standout from the acoustic sets (although it was not
played very often this tour), and this version from Stuttgart is no different.
Great harmonica and beautiful backing vocals on the chorus lends itself to another
fantastic vocal performance. A highlight from this tour for sure. Lastly, Blind
Willie McTell makes for a powerful closer as this version really brings the roof
down. This London performance might be the peak for the band during this tour, and
the instrumental break in the middle is proving of that.

Overall, a slightly lesser tour than the one previous, but still chalked full of
highlights once you get past all the ravaging upsinging! If you enjoyed a certain
performance or sound of a particular recording, I urge you to seek out the entire
show as you’re bound to find more you like!

Thanks for reading/listening!