Rare original 14 x 22.5 concert poster from the spring 1976 leg of Bob Dylan's legendary Rolling Thunder Revue tour, listing the supporting acts as Joan Baez, Bob Neuwirth, Roger McGuinn, and Kinky Friedman. Two nearly identical versions of this poster were produced; this is identified as coming from the second leg as it adds McGuinn and Friedman to the lineup, deleting Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Both posters were ‘tour blanks,’ with an area at the bottom for specific venue information to be written in. At the bottom is a credit for Dylan’s Zebra Concerts, Inc. Professionally flattened and in fine condition, with a professional restoration to a small area at the top center edge.
The Rolling Thunder Revue was a 1975–1976 concert tour by Bob Dylan, joined at various points by Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Neuwirth, and a band featuring musicians from the Desire sessions, including Scarlett Rivera, Rob Stoner, Howie Wyeth plus Mick Ronson on guitar.
The 57-date tour was composed of two legs—the first, in fall 1975, focused on the Northeastern United States and Canada, and the second, in spring 1976, covered the South and Southwestern states.
In contrast to Dylan’s massive 1974 tour with The Band, the first Rolling Thunder leg was mostly smaller, more intimate venues, most of which were promoted primarily via word of mouth and last-minute announcements. The tour generated tremendous interest, as Dylan was premiering new material and appearing on the same bill with Joan Baez for the first time in 10 years.
In On the Road with Bob Dylan (1978), Larry Sloman writes: 'Onstage it was like a carnival. Bobby Neuwirth and the back-up band [dubbed ‘Guam’] warmed up the audience. Next, Dylan ambled on to do about five songs. After intermission, the curtain rose to an incredible sight, Bob and Joan, together again after all these years.' Dylan and Baez usually began the second segment in the dark, duetting on ‘Blowin’ in the Wind.’ Guest artists would perform at various points, with Baez usually performing six or so songs solo, followed by Dylan, first acoustic, then joined by the band. The all-hands-on-deck finale was usually Woody Guthrie’s ‘This Land is Your Land.’
The 30-show first leg began October 30, 1975 at the Memorial Hall in Plymouth, Mass, and ended December 8 at Madison Square Garden. The 22-show second leg started April 18, 1976 at the Lakeland, Florida Civic Center. Most of the same musicians returned, with Kinky Friedman added to the lineup; the final show took place on May 25, 1976 at Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace.
The May 23 Colorado show was filmed and recorded for a September 1976 NBC television special and live album, both titled Hard Rain. Dylan’s film Renaldo and Clara, including footage from the tour, was released in 1978. The tour was further documented with the album The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Review, and more recently in the 2019 pseudo-documentary Rolling Thunder Review: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese.
