Audio Example 12.13: "Hard Rain," live (1997, Portland; 1999, Ljubljana; 2000, Cincinnati; and 2001, Seattle)
Chapter 12
Audio Example 12.13
Page 302
"Hard Rain," live (1997, Portland; 1999, Ljubljana; 2000, Cincinnati; and 2001, Seattle)
Portland, ME; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Cincinnati, OH; Seattle, WA — 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001
Four performances from around the turn of the millennium show Dylan's evolving, post-Nara approach to the song. Note especially the restraint of the 2001 performance, his first rendition of the song after 9/11. There are no histrionics. Dylan does not overplay the song’s apocalyptic imagery or exaggerate the song-spanning build of tension, now standard from night to night. Instead, he offers a performance of comfort and determination.