How much do you know about the most significant event in Plymouth’s long history?
I’m referring, of course, to the launch of Bob Dylan’s fabled Rolling Thunder Revue tour in October 1975. Dylan chose Plymouth for the traveling troupe’s first two dates, at Memorial Hall on Oct. 30 and 31 of that year. The tour, which relied on word of mouth for promotion, was born out of Dylan’s desire to perform in front of smaller audiences following his 1974 arena tour with The Band.
In the decades since, Rolling Thunder has taken on a mythical aura. It’s been the subject of countless articles, books, and a Martin Scorsese documentary. Some music historians place it in the top tier of Dylan’s many incarnations.
And the – gulp – 50th anniversary of those two momentous performances is nearing. In advance of the milestone, we’d like to hear from people who attended the concert or lived in town at the time and interacted with Dylan or his star-studded entourage. We’re planning a story that chronicles what happened here over those two days. If you’ve got a story to tell and are interested in participating, send me an email at mark@plymouthindependent.org.
Who knows, maybe the man himself will take time out from his current – and seemingly endless – tour schedule to reminisce about when the Rolling Thunder Revue came to “America’s Hometown” in time for Halloween, rolling down Route 3 instead of Highway 61.