Concert for Bangladesh Revisited

An excerpt from Dylan and the Grateful Dead: A Tale of Twisted Fate on Amazon 
 August 1, 1971
In the early ’70s, the parade of iconic albums continued unabated. Abraxas, Santana; Bitches Brew, Miles Davis; Live at the Fillmore East, Allman Brothers; Tapestry, Carole King; Blue, Joni Mitchell; Who’s Next, The Who; What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye; Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones; Moondance, Van Morrison. The individual who kicked off the golden age of album making, Bob Dylan, was no longer a force, or so it seemed. He wasn’t writing or recording anything monumental, and he wasn’t touring. Separating himself from his past accomplishments seemed to be his professional priority, but Dylan Nation held out hope that their hero still had something to say. On Sunday August 1, 1971, in Madison Square Garden, Dylan put on two brilliant performances, and proved that the old inspiration still burned within.
 

Spurred on by Indian musician and renowned sitar player Ravi Shanker, George Harrison arranged a benefit concert for the newly formed nation of Bangladesh, which was suffering a humanitarian crisis brought on by natural disasters and a brutal civil war. Enjoying life as an ex-Beatle with a chart-topping album and the number one hit “My Sweet Lord,” Harrison arranged for a star-studded benefit show at Madison Square Garden. He recruited Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russel, Badfinger, and possibly Dylan. Bob showed up for the practice sessions, but he was still indecisive about stepping out and performing on the Madison Square Garden stage. The benefit concert quickly sold out and a second show was added to the bill. To raise further proceeds for the people in need, this show would be made into a movie and a double album titled Concert for Bangladesh.

The afternoon show commenced with Ravi Shanker’s Indian music, followed by performances from the all-star troupe. After Harrison played “Here Comes the Sun” live for the first time, he looked to the side of the stage, where he saw Dylan pacing around nervously. The decisive moment had arrived, and Harrison was still not sure what Dylan was going to do. Wearing a denim jacket, shades, a harmonica rack, and carrying an acoustic guitar, Dylan swiftly moved towards the microphone at center stage as a rapturous roar filled Madison Square Garden. Dylan opened with “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna-Fall,” and followed that with “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “It Takes a lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” “Love Minus Zero,” and “Just Like a Woman.” Dylan, Harrison, and Madison Square Garden were ecstatic. Dylan’s evening set, which was used on the album, was even better.

“Like to bring on a friend of us all, Mr. Bob Dylan.” With that intro from George, Dylan kicked off the evening show with “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna-Fall.” Dylan’s voice is smooth, with the same tonality displayed on Nashville Skyline. There’s some tentativeness early, but by the second verse Dylan’s cadence is mesmerizing, and the tension builds precisely throughout. Backed by George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Leon Russel, there’s great excitement because Dylan’s playing “Hard Rain” with two ex-Beatles. As Dylan brings “Hard Rain” to a perfectly pitched climax, the audience explodes. Already, this is a historic Madison Square Garden moment.

Dylan switches up the order of the set by playing “It Takes a lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” before “Blowin’ in the Wind.” The fact that he’s played two of his Freewheelin’ anthems sends waves of optimism through Madison Square Garden. Dylan’s growth as a performer is obvious—his voice is seductively smooth, yet still emotional. It sounds as if he’s been playing these tunes on a regular basis. For the late show, Dylan replaces “Love Minus Zero” with a stunning “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The enthused crowd claps along hastily, and Dylan coolly delivers a harp solo for the third consecutive tune.

Making his debut in the “World’s most famous arena,” in the city that gave birth to his legend, with two Beatles by his side and 20,000 fans feeling the love, Dylan closes the set with “Just Like a Woman.” This is one of those extraordinary performances that stops time in its tracks. Dylan teases the sublime melody as he blows into his harmonica and tunes his guitar. He creates a vacuum of anticipation for those in the Garden, and those listening decades into the future. Dylan’s sincere voice unveils one of the great opening lines of modern song, “Nobody feels any pain.” Those four words never sounded better. As the song shifts into the chorus, Harrison and Russel sing the title with Dylan. The wonderful harmonies are filled with tenderness that makes the song sound fresh. Dylan adlibs, “and she bakes, just like a woman.” As was the case with every song in this set, the momentum rises as the music pulses forward. 

 Dylan finished to one of the great crowd eruptions in Madison Square Garden history. It would have been louder if it were not for the silence of those choked up by tears of joy. It was the type of triumph the Beatles never got to experience due to screaming fans rendering their performances meaningless. The lights came on and it appeared every person in the arena was clapping and howling as one. Dylan won an unanimous decision and pumped his arms above his head in victory. In addition to adding a legendary performance to their resumes, Dylan, Harrison, and friends raised $12 million for Bangladesh. The Concert for Bangladesh was the model for future benefits like Live Aid and Farm Aid. In the aftermath of his majestic showing, Dylan returned to hibernation.

Dylan and the Grateful Dead: A Tale of Twisted Fate on Amazon