Bob Dylan is now six shows into his Lights of Autumn European fall tour, and he’s continuing to drop surprises, big and small, into every show. At Mitsubishi Electric Hall in Dusseldorf, Germany, on October 27, he broke out the Time Out of Mind classic “Not Dark Yet” for the first time in seven years.
It sounded nothing like the previous 191 live renditions of the song over the past three decades. At just four minutes and 30 seconds, it’s two minutes shorter than the 1997 studio recording even though he sang all the verses. But he added in a slight reggae touch, removed much of the somber vibe that practically defines the song, and made dark lines like “sometimes my burden is more than I can bear” and “I know it looks like I’m movin’, but I’m standin’ still” seem somehow bright and even optimistic.
Time Out of Mind is clearly on Dylan’s mind since he also introduced new arrangements of “Trying to Get to Heaven” and “Million Miles” at recent tour stops. The acclaimed LP launched an entirely new era of Dylan’s career, and earned him a Grammy for Album of the Year, but he’s never been satisfied with producer Daniel Lanois’ arrangements of the songs.
