Bob Dylan
Civic Theater
Akron, Ohio
May 18, 1980

01 – Gotta Serve Somebody
02 – I Believe In You
03 – When You Gonna Wake Up
04 – Ain’t Gonna Go To Hell
05 – Cover Down, Break Through
06 – Precious Angel
07 – Man Gave Names To All The Animals
08 – Slow Train

Mary Elizabeth Bridges:
09 – Walk Around Heaven All Day (Rev. James Cleveland/Cassietta George)
Regina McCreary Havis:
10 – Ain’t No Man Righteous, No Not One

11 – When He Returns
12 – Solid Rock
13 – Saving Grace
14 – Saved (Bob Dylan/Tim Drummond)
15 – What Can I Do For You?
16 – In The Garden

    (encore)

17 – Are You Ready?
18 – Pressing On
19 – I Will Sing, I Will Sing (Max Dyer)

Concert # 27 of the Third Gospel Tour.
Gospel concert # 77. 1980 concert # 51.
Concert # 27 with the Third Gospel Band:
Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar),
Fred Tackett (guitar),
Spooner Oldham (keyboards),
Tim Drummond (bass),
Terry Young (keyboards),
Jim Keltner (drums),
Clydie King, Gwen Evans, Mary Elizabeth Bridges, Regina Havis, Mona Lisa Young (background vocals).

14 Bob Dylan (harmonica).
17 Bob Dylan (piano).

Note. Live debut of I Will Sing, I Will Sing.

BobTalk

Thank you, all right! In case you havenít guessed by now, the name of that last animal was a snake. Same snake that was in the Garden of Eden, same one. In fact in those days snakes ere walking on two legs, like the snakes today still are walking on two legs. Anyway, the same snake that deceived Eve. Who deceived Adam. Who deceived all mankind. Anyway a lot of people you know theyíre waiting, till they’re at the end of the line before they go see Jesus.
They just wait till the very last moment. They wait till they’re too old,
or too drunk, or too sick. About that time when they decide they’re about ready to go see Jesus. We are talking about that woman with the issue of blood, she spend all her money on doctors. Couldnít get no relief. And finally she went to see Jesus. Well, is sheíd had any more money to spent, sheíd have spent that too. Weíre talking about the prodigal son who went home. well, If heíd had more money
to spend, more bucks, he wouldnít have gone home either. I want to tell you something, the Devilís taken rock ëní roll and made it his music, same way heís taken free education and made it is his education, same way he’s taken medicine and made it is his medicine. He’s called the God of this world and if you look around he’s just that. Prince of the Power of the Air, that’s what he is. He prowls the airwaves. Now, I donít know if you know this or not but thatís
precisely the reason Jesus went to the Cross. You repeat that now and get it right! I’m not talking about no religion now, I’m talking about Jesus. The real Jesus. The one that’s coming back. (before Slow Train)

Thank you. (….)I’m not gonna make any altar calls, there wonít be any altar calls tonight so don’t be afraid about that. But I am gonna try and implant the word of God in you. (….) Anyway, implanting the word of God now is a tricky thing. Cause you know, you plant seeds out of …, I donít who many of you know anything about farming, I know I donít, ha-ha-ha. However you plant seeds on the wayside.
I donít know if Iím looking out on the wayside right now. Iím gonna plant seeds, but …, theyíre on the wayside, theyíre gonna be received with gladness, I know. Everybody rejoice, and youíre gonna clap out now, but as soon as you walk out the door, youíre gonna forget all about it. You know you can plant seed on a rock, and Iíve seen them grow too! They received that seed with gladness and they also
rejoiced, but you ainít gonna know yourself well enough for it to grow. But the Devilís gonna snatch it from you, I hope otherwise, but thatís the way it is sometimes. I think you know, thereís lot of thorns out there, I know that too. I’m telling you Jesus is Lord and I don’t want throw that out to the thorns. Youíre gonna receive them with gladness but you got so many cares in this world so entangled with thorns you can’t hear these words. Theyíre gonna strangle that seed and not let it grow no further. But I just as much as I know all that I also know there is fertile ground out there. Now we are in the last days, God is calling his people. Some of you don’t know you’re Godís people, some of you don’t know you got power over evil. Some of you don’t know the Devilís already defeated for you. All you got to do is accept it. And be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Iím not talking about water baptism, Iím talking about the Holy Ghost baptism. (before Solid Rock)

[lots of calls for the old songs] All right, well, others do these songs for you. I know a lot of country and western people they do that. They sing ah, sing ah, what is it? …You can put your shoes into my bed anytime….And then they turn around and sing …Oh Lord, just a closer walk with thee…. Well, I canít do that, Thatís right, you cannot serve two masters. You gotta hate one and love the other.You canít drink out of two cups. (before In The Garden)

All right. On the keyboards tonight from, give him a hand, Spooner Oldham. On the other set of keyboards, Terry Young.
Playing lead guitar tonight, Fred Tackett.On the drums tonight, Jim Keltner. On the bass guitar tonight, a man who’s been around almost as long as …. me! Actually Iíve been around a lot longer, Tim Drummond. All right, ladies and gentlemen, Miss Clydie King. Gwen Evans. Mary Bridges. Mona Lisa Young. Then the girl in the red dress. Told you the story about Jesus. Can you hear me now? Remember that name. Some of you may never hear it again. Anyway, Regina McCreary. (before Are You Ready?)

Bob Dylan
Civic Theater
Akron, Ohio
17 May 1980

Regina McCreary Havis:
00 – Monologue

Bridges-Evans-King-Havis-Young:
01 – Let It Ride (McCoy/Dennis)
02 – (You’ve Got To) Hold On (?)
03 – It’s Gonna Rain (C Johnson)
04 – Show Me The Way Lord (?)
05 – Freedom At The Wall (?)
06 – This Train Is Bound For Glory (This Train) (Big Bill Broonzy)

07 – Gotta Serve Somebody
08 – I Believe In You
09 – When You Gonna Wake Up
10 – Ain’t Gonna Go To Hell For Anybody
11 – Cover Down, Break Through
12 – Precious Angel
13 – Man Gave Names To All The Animals
14 – Slow Train

Mary Elizabeth Bridges:
15 – Walk Around Heaven All Day (Rev. James Cleveland/Cassietta George)

Mona Lisa Young;
16 – Stranger In The City (Healing) (?)

17 – Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
18 – Solid Rock
19 – Saving Grace
20 – Saved (Bob Dylan/Tim Drummond)
21 – What Can I Do For You?
22 – In The Garden

    (encore)

23 – Are You Ready?
24 – Pressing On
25 – Blessed Be The Name

Concert # 26 of the Third Gospel Tour.
Gospel concert # 76. 1980 concert # 50.
Concert # 26 with the Third Gospel Band:
Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar),
Fred Tackett (guitar),
Spooner Oldham (keyboards),
Tim Drummond (bass),
Terry Young (keyboards),
Jim Keltner (drums),
Clydie King,
Gwen Evans,
Mary Elizabeth Bridges,
Regina Havis,
Mona Lisa Young (background vocals).

21 Bob Dylan (harmonica).
24 Bob Dylan (piano).

BobTalk

Thank you. All right. Be quiet out there. (…..). Well, I know it’s not fashionable to talk about Heaven or Hell. But Godís always fashionable. And I notice at this motel…we’re staying at this motel, I guess, down the road somewhere there’s a convention down there.
They must have, there must be two thousand people just up all hours of the night. It’s hard to get any rest at all. Just carrying on, big people, little people, all sizes and shapes. Well, then they seem to have taken over the place, eating and drinking and being merry. Having a good time. I know none of those people believe in Heaven and Hell, I can just take a look at them and tell that. (after When You Gonna Wake Up)

Thank you. What a friendly crowd, ha ha. I’m not used to these friendly crowds no more. Usually the Devilís working all kinds of mischief in the crowds we visit. Just looking out at them demons. (after Ainít Gonna Go To Hell For Anybody)

Well, thank you. (…..). All right, if you havenít guessed, the name of that last animal, I know you got it, was a snake. Same snake that was in the Garden of Eden. Same snake that Lucifer put his spirit into to deceive Eve, to deceive Adam. Who gave him the keys to this world. Lucifer was a high angel of God, he’s not one of these Devils with pitchforks. (…..). Do you believe in the power of the gospel? That Jesus Christ gave…(went to) the Cross for the forgiveness of sins, but also
to destroy the works of the Devil. Now that’s something you should talk about. (after Man Gave Names To All The Animals)

All right, thank you. On the keyboards tonight, give him a warm hand, from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Spooner Oldham. On the other set of keyboards, from Birmingham, Alabama, Terry Young. Lead guitar tonight, from Little Rock, Arkansas, Fred Tackett. On the drums tonight, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jim Keltner. They canít see him. All right, on the bass guitar, from Cincinnati, graduated from High School, when was it? 1942? Anyway, he’s been around almost as long as I have, Tim Drummond. From Dallas, Texas, Clydie King. From Houston, Texas, Gwen Evans. From Cleveland, Mary Bridges. I think she’s from Cleveland. From San Francisco, California, city of brotherly love, Mona Lisa Young. Remember the girl that told you the story about Jesus? Right. Seems like I didn’t have to tell you about Jesus, seems like you knew all about him. From Nashville, Tennessee, Regina McCreary. (before Are You Ready?)

Stereo audience recording, 145 minutes.

LB-04081 ; 49min+68min ; 2CDR ; Rating: B-

5/17/80 Akron, Ohio, Civic Theater

good to very good sound [B-];

(a bittorrent from 11/08 is a close eac match on d1t2 with same gaps at beginning and end of track;
described with a generic info file and filenames like “bd80-05-17d1tr02.flac”)

has small gaps between tracks on d1t1; drop/static right channel d1t5 1:33; digipops d2t1 0:06, 0:09, 0:10, 2:56; d2t10 has a lot of very small drops