Bob Dylan's Late-'70s Turmoil Makes 'The Rolling Thunder Revue' Triumphant in Its Own Right │ Exclaim!

A new live collection of Bob Dylan material from the 1976 leg of the Rolling Thunder Revue challenges the idea that the second run was a dour failure. The article argues that The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1976 Live Recordings presents 25 professionally recorded shows from 1976, packaged across 39CD/3LP formats, as a triumphant counterpoint to narratives around Dylan’s troubled period. It contrasts the 1975 tour—small venues with last-minute promotion and a star-filled band, featuring guests like Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott—with reports that Dylan was more disengaged in 1976, despite continuing to reshape songs and arrangements night to night. The piece also references how earlier concert projects faced backlash and limitations.