Comrades From The North

Welcome to a new subscription year and many thanks to re-subscribers and first-timers alike. We hope that you enjoy this year’s issues. Dylan is still at it, of course, touring harder than ever with yet more innovation in the shows and a personnel change. After seven years on the road with Dylan, multi-instrumentalist Bucky Baxter has left the band. Charlie Sexton is the new guitarist (as from 5 June 1999) affording Larry Campbell the opportunity to display his prowess by adding mandolin and pedal steel guitar to his instrumental portfolio, along with electric and acoustic guitars, fiddle and electric bazouki. Tony Garnier and David Kemper continue to underpin it all on bass and drums respectively. Baxter’s presence in the band brought a gentler element to the music, perhaps a country tinge. After 739 shows we wish him well. There have been some very welcome changes to the set structure most significantly at the European shows when Dylan delivered full acoustic and electric halves a la 1966. The North American shows with Paul Simon have continued the trend for surprises including a regular four-song duet with Simon. These have been reportedly good shows which have perhaps become a shade predictable.

One apology for this issue - Michael Krogsgaard has had technical problems with his article, so it has been postponed until next issue. Something to look forward to!

Let’s hope that you get the chance to catch a Dylan show this year and as before we remind you that your input to The Bridge, in whatever form, is vital to our success. So please keep the flow going.

And to each of you, may you climb on every rung ..........

Mike and John

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