Bob Dylan Comics, Part 4

"You guys must really like him..."

Dayton, Ohio: November 1997

In our last Bob Dylan Comics adventure, I wrote about a trip to Darien Lake in New York State to see a show in July 1997. But now the real adventures began. Because I’d just been hired as a flight attendant with Air Canada, I was able to use employee travel passes that allowed me to fly for a very low price - on standby. So the bad part was, you never really knew for sure that you’d get a seat, until they called your name at the gate. But the good news was, if you were willing to take your chances, you could travel very affordably… and you could see some Bob Dylan shows!

The first one I went to was in Dayton, Ohio. The show was on Nov. 8th.

So why do I have this photo of myself under a Bob Dylan marquee that says Nov. 7th? Was this in Columbus (where he played the night before)? I don’t think I went to that show, but maybe I did?

I do remember the Dayton show, and I remember going to a late-night restaurant after the show with a handful of fans. We’d met some of these friends at previous shows. Others, we met for the first time. Some of these folks, I stayed connected with during the 25 years since - others, I reconnected with at shows and online. This community of fellow Bob-lovers became such a big part of the fun experience of going to shows.

Los Angeles: December 1997

Our next Dylan show was in December, just one month later! When I look at this, I realize why I didn’t get to know anybody in Calgary for such a long time. My new job as a flight attendant had me travelling out of town all the time, and when I had free time, I just jumped on another airplane to follow Bob Dylan. It was years before I got to know my neighbours!

But the LA show seemed too good to miss. Bob had announced five consecutive shows in December at a club called the El Rey (capacity just under 1000 people). It seemed like the kind of gig where he’d put in some good performances. And he didn’t disappoint. We heard Blind Willie McTell! (I can’t find a recording from that night, but here’s another performance of the same song, a few months earlier.)

On the five nights, his opening acts were Beck, Jewel, Sheryl Crow (two nights), and Willie Nelson on the last night. We saw the third of the five shows, with Sheryl Crow and her band opening (and afterwards staying to watch Bob’s show).

As before, we encountered friends among the fans…

Here’s the ticket I saved from the show… a bit underwhelming, all things considered!

And that signed poster is still on my wall today.