Watch Bob Dylan respond to heckler with ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ mash-up
Bob Dylan appeared to respond to a heckler who shouted “play something we know!” at one of his recent live shows – check out the footage below.
The legendary singer-songwriter performed at the Broward Center For The Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida last Friday (March 1) as part of his current ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ tour.
Early on in the 16-song set, however, Dylan was interrupted by a dissatisfied audience member. In a fan-shot video, a woman can be heard shouting at the musician to “play something we know!” during the introduction to a live rendition of his 1971 song ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’.
A fan on X/Twitter later shared the clip, writing: “This is WILD. At Bob Dylan’s concert in Ft Lauderdale on Friday, a woman yells ‘Play something we know!’ Dylan then launches into a new arrangement of ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ where he sings the lyrics to the tune of Irving Berlin’s ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz!’
“My brother, who was there up close, said Dylan clearly heard the woman, looked right at her and looked like he was about to say something before he began the song. It’s an absolutely incredible version!”
In a follow-up post, they added: “I’m not implying that Dylan came up with that arrangement on the spot. He and the band had clearly worked it out in advance. But it does feel as if he’s playing it directly in response to what she said. It’s the ultimate rebuttal.”
You can see those tweets and a fan-shot video of the moment below.
My brother, who was there up close, said Dylan clearly heard the woman, looked right at her and looked like he was about to say something before he began the song. It's an absolutely incredible version!
— Michael Glover Smith (@whitecitycinema) March 3, 2024
I'm not implying that Dylan came up with that arrangement on the spot. He and the band had clearly worked it out in advance. But it does feel as if he's playing it directly in response to what she said. It's the ultimate rebuttal.
— Michael Glover Smith (@whitecitycinema) March 3, 2024
As Stereogum notes, there is a discussion over whether Dylan had set his lyrics to the melody from Berlin’s ‘Puttin’ On The Ritz’ (1929) or The Four Lads’ ‘Istanbul (Not Constantinople)’ (1953).
The concert also saw Dylan cover Jimmy Rogers’ ‘Walking By Myself’ live for the first time – tune in above.
Last month Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson announced the ‘Outlaw Music Festival Tour’, their co-headlining US tour for this summer. Dylan’s current run of ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’ dates is scheduled to conclude in early April.
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Tom Skinner
NME
