Bob Dylan has performed “A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall” for the first time in seven years, just after the trailer for his biopic was released.
Trying to discern Bob Dylan’s motivations for each of his actions is a never-ending quest. He remains a person who values his privacy and loves to confound his fans with unpredictable decisions. Why did he almost stop playing guitar on stage 20 years ago? What religion does he believe in now? Was he 100% serious about his Christmas album? No idea.
The coincidence seems too great, however, when he released the song “A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall” at the Outlaw Music Festival, just 11 days after the release of the trailer for A Complete Unknown. Timothée Chalamet's performance of the song is the soundtrack and is a first for the public, who got to hear him sing Bob Dylan. It is the only song in the video, which has surpassed four million views.
James Mangold, director of A Complete Unknown, has spoken about Bob Dylan's contribution to the film. “The first time we met, Bob asked, 'What's the movie about, Jim?'” the filmmaker says. “It's about a guy who suffocates in Minnesota and leaves his friends and family behind to reinvent himself in a whole new place, make new friends, build a new family, become phenomenally successful, only to suffocate again, and run away.” Bob Dylan smiles and tells James Mangold, “I like that.”
Zim puts “A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall” in seventh place in his set at the Toyota Amphitheater in California on Sunday. He hadn’t played it since 2017, and his setlist had been largely unchanged since the second show of his tour that began in late June. Here’s an amateur video of the moment (the video leaves something to be desired. Here’s an audio version)
He also dug up “Scarlet Town” for the first time since his first tour date on June 21. In order to fit those two songs in, he removed “Can't Wait” and “I'll be Your Baby Tonight.” At another Mountain View show, he also welcomed guitarist Elvis Bishop onstage to play “Early Roman Kings” and “Can't Wait.”
The tour will then continue in the United States, before Bob Dylan returns to Europe. On this occasion, Zim will give two concerts at La Seine Musicale (Boulogne-Billancourt) on October 24 and 25.
