Many people go to a live Dylan show and come away disappointed and confused. They expect the songs that they are familiar with and expect them to be performed in a way that they recognize from the album. But what those people don’t understand is that Dylan is a true artist. He has always delighted in rearranging and reimagining his songs into different versions of themselves. Often, he’ll even change the lyrics! For Dylan fans, this is one of the best things about Bob. His seemingly endless creativity.

This portrait came out and it’s vibe reminded me of the emotional energy in an alternate version of his song Idiot Wind that he did in New York. If you’ve never heard his song “Idiot Wind”, check it out. I hear it as a blisteringly destructive demolition of someone who ended up breaking his heart. But the New York Sessions version is the same song, but done in a truly vulnerable and quietly painful way. Heartbreaking and beautiful.