More History: Bob Dylan in Connecticut

- June 15, 2017

When Bob Dylan makes his way to the Oakdale Theatre in Connecticut June the 19th, it won't mark the first time Bob has graced the state with his presence (for more on Bob and Wallingford, CT, see here).

Here is a quick review of Bob's memorable performances in the Nutmeg State:

May 6, 1961: Montowese Hotel Branford, CT
Bob Made first made the trip up from NYC in 1961 to play at the Indian Neck Folk Festival, held at a shore front hotel. There, he covered three Woody Guthrie songs.

Festival Poster

Indian Neck Folk Festival, Branford, CT

March 6, 1965: New Haven Arena New Haven, CT
Bob took his mid 60s tour on the road to New Haven just days
before the release of Bringing It All Back Home. This show featured Bob performing with Joan Baez.

Poster for the New Haven show, 1965

November 11, 1975, Rolling Thunder Tour, Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT
Bob preformed a great set, as Waterbury caught him right in the prime of his Rolling Thunder tour.

The Palace Theater

Bob backstage in Waterbury

November 13, 1975, Rolling Thunder Tour, New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, CT

Two days after his Waterbury show, Bob played both an afternoon and evening show at the New Haven Coliseum. By all accounts, this was an unreal show, and marked the first occasion Bob played "Tangled Up in Blue" live. Bruce Springsteen was in the audience for this one, and the two are pictured below, backstage:

Bruce & Bob in New Haven, CT

May 7-8, 1980, The Bushnell Theater, Hartford, CT
Bob brought his jumping, bouncy gospel music show to Hartford, CT, for two nights in May of 1980.
According to the record, Bob made some interesting comments that night (edited):

"It's hard to see out there. Middle of the road, east coast bondage. God is waiting to set you free".

"I don't know if any of you have seen me before or not. I know I've been here before. I think it was sometime in 1964. Anyways, I remember singing some songs back then, Desolation Row, that's right. . .you didn't know what I was singing then, I don't think I did either, haha. . .but I'm always prepared for adversity. . .hanging on to a solid rock, made before the foundation of the world. . "

Bob preforming a gospel show in Hartford, CT(full accounts of the 1980 gospel tour here)

January 12, 1990, Toad's Place, New Haven, CT

On a cold dark night in 1990, Bob played a marathon show (4 plus hours) at Toad's Place down off Broadway in New Haven, CT. This may be his best known show in CT- you can read the Rolling Stone review here.

Ticket Stub

Toad's Place

Yes, it's been bootlegged.

July 15, 2009: New Britain Stadium, New Britain, CT

In July of '09, Bob split the bill with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp for his summer tour of minor league ballparks. This was the first time I saw Bob play live. We were basically in the front row (standing room only), and had to endure an awful John Mellencamp set. It was worth it, as Bob thrilled the crowd with an excellent summer night show. Setlist here.