"Tom (Petty) was at the top of his game and I was at the bottom of mine . . .My own songs had become strangers to me", Bob Dylan, 'Chronicles, Volume One'.
Phil Lesh with Warren Haynes, "Music Of Bob Dylan : Benefit for Music For Youth", recorded live at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, November 9, 2006 - probably the first cover version of a song from "Modern Times".
The influence of the Grateful Dead on Bob Dylan cannot be underestimated. In the mid-1980s, Dylan's career seemed to have no direction. His albums were less-than-inspired, and Dylan was going through the motions. When he hooked up with the Grateful Dead for six stadium shows in 1987, he was able to reconnect with his own songs, and it loosened him up when he formed his own touring band the following year. The Dead followed no rules but their own, and became one of the most successful touring acts of all time, with fans traveling around the globe to see the band play different sets each night. Inspired by the Dead, Dylan started to play radically different sets, and began touring when he felt like it, not just when he had a new album to promote, a model that continues to this very day.
Phil & Friends, "All Along The Watchtower", recorded live at the Beacon Theater in New York City, December 4, 2003
When you are Bob Dylan, where are you going to look for advice ? Dylan's friendship with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia seemed to provide the answer. The joint venture inspired Dylan, as he not only rediscovered his own catalog, but started to include cover versions of songs usually steeped deep in Americana, with the occasional Grateful Dead song thrown in for good measure.
Dylan wrote of this period in Chronicles, Volume One, with a story about seeing a jazz combo while taking a break from rehearsals with the Dead. Whether this really happened, or if it was a dramatic device (some of the other stories in the book have been discounted by people who knew Dylan in the early days), this collaboration with the Dead got Dylan back on the road, and back in touch with his music.
Phil and Friends "Buckets Of Rain", featuring Phish's Trey Anastasio. Recorded live at the Beacon Theater in New York City, February 12, 2006.
Bob Dylan toured with Phil and Friends as the headliner in 1999, and took the opening slot for the 2000 summer trek. It was some of the most inspired of the so-called "Never-Ending Tour". Meanwhile, Phil and Friends would often cover Dylan material in concert. You can see some examples above.
Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh (Part one)
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