SYDNEY, Australia … April, 1th 1978
by Joel Bernstein … thx to Michl Mayr — with Bob Dylan at The Sydney Boulevard Hotel.
20th February 1978 – Bob Dylan commences his 1978 world tour with a concert at Nippon Budokan Hall, Tokyo, Japan on the Far East Leg.
The 1978 World tour saw Dylan embark on 114 dates from 20th Feb through to 18th Dec taking in North America, Europe,Oceania and Asia.
The tour saw Dylan lineup with a new band, an eight piece band that was also accompanied by three backing singers. Which led some of the press in the US to describe the look and sound of the show as a ‘Las Vegas Tour’. The tour itself grossed over $20 Million which Dylan later stated he had some debts to pay off because “I had a couple of bad years. I put a lot of money into the movie, built a big house … and it costs a lot to get divorced in California.”
The tour also saw Dylan play Blackbushe Aerodrome, supported by Eric Clapton and Band, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker and The Rumour, and Lake it was estimated that while attendance was expected at around 100,000 the actual attendance was somewhere between 200,000 and 250,000.
Full band lineup for the show tonight was Bob Dylan (vocal & guitar), Billy Cross (lead guitar), Alan Pasqua (keyboards), Steven Soles (rhythm guitar, backup vocals), David Mansfield (violin & mandolin), Steve Douglas (horns), Rob Stoner (bass), Bobbye Hall (percussion), Ian Wallace (drums), Helena Springs, Jo Ann Harris, Debbie Dye (background vocals).
Tonight’s shows included first ever live performances of the cover ‘Lonesome Bedroom’ and ‘The Man in Me’ from Dylan 1970 New Morning album.As well as the first live performance of Tomorrow Is A Long Time since Minneapolis 17th July 1963 and the first live performance of All I Really Want To Do since Newport 24 July 1965.
1.Lonesome Bedroom (Ernest “Buddy” Wilson)
2.Mr. Tambourine Man
3.I Threw It All Away
4.Love Minus Zero/No Limit
5.If You See Her, Say Hello
6.Ballad Of A Thin Man
7.Girl From The North Country
8.Something There Is About You
9.Maggie’s Farm
10.Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
11.To Ramona
12.Like A Rolling Stone
13.I Shall Be Released
14.Going, Going, Gone
15.One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
16.Blowin’ In The Wind
17.Just Like A Woman
18.Oh, Sister (Bob Dylan–Jacques Levy/Bob Dylan)
19.You’re A Big Girl Now
20.All Along The Watchtower
21.Simple Twist Of Fate
22.All I Really Want To Do
23.The Man In Me
24.Tomorrow Is A Long Time
25.Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
26.It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
27.Forever Young
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28.The Times They Are A-Changin’
Special Thanks to Uli Seitz