Last month, I asked to hear from people who lived in Plymouth when Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue arrived in October 1975. The tour, which has gained almost mythic status over the years, kicked off with two performances at Memorial Hall on Oct. 30 and 31.
I wasn’t sure what the response would be, considering that a half century has passed. To my delight, dozens of readers responded. Some anecdotes were precise, others a bit hazy (those were different times). Below is a sampling of their recollections.
“I had front row seats on the first night and [also] had front row seats that I passed on to friends from Boston for the second performance. My late wife, Linda Cappannari, was working at the Discovery Book Shop across Court Street from Memorial Hall and heard about the concert right when the tickets went on sale. We marshalled up our resources and got as many tickets as we felt comfortable buying. I think it was eight. The performers and crew were invited to Plimoth Plantation (as it was called then) for a “Pilgrim village meal” prepared by her mother, Mary Cappannari (and her helpers), who was the founding food director at the Plantation. Unfortunately, the performers and crew were more interested in filming than eating. I was told they wandered around a bit and left without much interest in the meal, to the disappointment of Mary Cap, as she is remembered.”
“BTW, the concert was great.”
– John Christiansen
“I was in my 20s working at the Plymouth Five Cents Savings Bank. My husband came running in and said Bob Dylan is playing at [Memorial Hall]. He went and got tickets. We were right up front. Fabulous show. When we were leaving, I got stopped and interviewed by WBCN radio. My friend said the next day, ‘Hey, I heard you on the radio – good interview!’ My moment of fame!”
– Marcia Sykes
“I was walking to town and passed by Memorial Hall when a man out front asked me if I wanted to buy tickets to see Bob Dylan. I was 20 at the time and thought he was crazy. Bob Dylan at Memorial Hall, and Joan Baez – those things didn’t happen in Plymouth. I went home and called my sister and some friends and went down and bought tickets. It was an amazing event and one we all never forgot. I still have the playbill. “
– Candy Monteiro
“My boyfriend (now husband) Bob and I went to Memorial Hall for the inaugural weekend of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue. I’ve never forgotten how good the view and sound were from our seats, first balcony, right side of the hall, very close to the stage. We were so close to Dylan, Joan Baez, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott that it had the feel of a coffeehouse, not a music hall.”
“But in the days prior to the concert my boyfriend Bob had some even better up-close experiences. Dylan and Baez were at the Sea Crest Beach Resort in North Falmouth, and the indoor tennis court was used for their rehearsals. A buddy of Bob’s was a manager/bartender there and invited him and some others to come listen in, covertly as it turned out. When Bob got there, he walked through a room and Dylan was quietly sitting there. My Bob said hi and Dylan nodded; the only sound was from the adjacent room where mahjong players clicked tiles.”
“To listen to the rehearsal, Bob and the others crawled into an overhead air conditioning duct, where they could look down on the performers. But when the music stopped, they had to be very still, lest the metal ducts begin to moan with any movement. And their bartender friend kept sending them drinks and, well, as you can guess, that made it more challenging to be still as the evening progressed. One memory – Joan Baez sang “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” about a dozen times. Each time was great. With great performers, it doesn’t matter if you’re in a concert hall or an air conditioning duct, the music is what matters.”
– Darice Wareham
I think [there] was an ad in the Old Colony for Joan Baez coming to Memorial Hall and tickets were available at the box office. I walked down to the box office (I lived in town) and the person selling me the tickets said it was for Joan and Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Revue…yikes I ran to my friend’s house to tell him. At first Tom thought I was pulling his leg – “Ya, Dylan is going to play Plymouth…right.’”
“I believe Sam Shepard [who was on the tour] said Plymouth was a doughnut hole of a town. Can’t say he was wrong but, the Rolling Thunder Revue played here first, buddy. I let this insult slip since he was in ‘The Right Stuff” as Chuck Yeager.”
– Stephen Fox
“I was there. I worked at the Plantation [now Plimoth Patuxet Museums] where there was an after-hours party in the fort attended by many members of the entourage. Dylan made it as far as a building we used for our staff breaks. I had an outrageous conversation with the poet Alan Ginsberg. A highlight was attending the concert at Memorial Hall.
– Greta Bavelock MacRae
I heard directly from Elliot “Bunky” Bishop, who owned Driscoll’s on Middle Street at the time (now home to the British Beer Company), that when Dylan came to the bar after the first night’s show that he would not speak. His bodyguard ordered a drink for him and the bodyguard would not let anyone talk to him. Dylan finished his drink and left. Bunky thought he must not have liked the place, but Dylan showed up the next night as well and the same scenario played out.
– Tim Downie
“I just remember how dramatic it was when Dylan and Baez came out in half masks and how crazy the audience went when their identities were revealed when they started singing.”
– Lauren Melillo
“I went to both shows, and from the audience I fell, deeply, madly, and hopelessly in love with Scarlet Rivera, the fiddle player. Of course, she wore bright red. Only later, and disappointingly, did I learn her real name is Donna Shea – she could be from the South Shore! (But isn’t).”
– Sam Chapin
“I remember seeing Dylan and thought I was lucky to have a good seat even though it was a small venue. It was a wonderful experience and one of only a few concerts I have ever gone to.”
– Marilyn Jackson
(For more on the Rolling Thunder Revue in Plymouth, including an interview with the tour’s director, Rob Stoner, go here.)