Bob Dylan once performed for just one audience member
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Bob Dylan , the American singer-songwriter and the first singer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, performed at a 'concert for just one audience' in 2014. Music blogger Ray Padgett writes about why Dylan performed at such a concert and how the audience felt, based on interviews with the audience.
The Bob Dylan Concert for Just One Person - by Ray Padgett
https://www.flaggingdown.com/p/the-bob-dylan-concert-for-just-one
In December 2014, a Finnish online gaming company released a video of Dylan performing in front of a single audience. The video was part of a series called 'Experiment Ensam,' which featured a solo performer trying out a task typically performed by a large group. The audience member chosen was Swedish TV host Fredrik Wikinson.
The concert took place in a beautiful old theater in Philadelphia, USA, and was filmed by Wilkinson and a few other cameras. Unlike a typical concert, Dylan performed four cover songs from the 1950s, including some that he had never sung anywhere else.
Padgett interviewed Wilkinson, who was actually in the audience at the concert, about the experience. The photo below shows Wilkinson sitting alone in the audience.
Wikinson was acquainted with the director of Experiment Ensam, and at a party he learned that Experiment Ensam's next project would be a Bob Dylan concert. As a huge Dylan fan, Wikinson said he couldn't imagine anyone else being the only audience member, and he was selected for the role.
However, Wilkinson said he was skeptical until the very end about whether Dylan was really performing a concert for just one person. Even while he was in meetings with various people involved, directors, and publicists, he always had a hunch that it might be a prank.
However, after Wikinson walked in, sat down, and waited, Dylan arrived and began performing. When asked why Dylan had been asked to perform such an odd concert, Wikinson said, 'He must have been paid a lot of money. Afterwards, there were little rumors flying around that it was the most expensive sound check in history. It was actually like a sound check. He's a sound check, and sometimes he plays for fun.'
Before the concert, Wikinson was worried that Dylan might feel uncomfortable or that he might ruin Dylan's day. However, once Dylan began playing, those worries quickly vanished.
Regarding Dylan's all-cover performance, Wilkinson said, 'I expected him to play three or four songs from his current set list. To me, it was an absolute pleasure to see him play songs that he's rarely played before or since. That made it even more special.'
by Wikimedia Commons
Wikinson was filled with anxiety before the concert, but the band's performance was so amazing, and it was clear to see that Dylan and the other band members were truly committed to making it a great concert. Wikinson tried to act normal in the strange circumstances by shouting, 'Everybody, this sounds great!', which made Dylan smile a little. Dylan then looked around the empty room and chuckled, eventually joking, 'Come anytime,' and laughed with the band members.
Of Dylan's reaction, Wilkinson said, 'It made my day, my week, my year. All the tension melted away. I was like, 'OK, this is it.' He loved it, in his own way.' 'I'll cherish forever the music, the whole experience, and the fact that I was able to make him laugh a little and say something.'
He said that the most memorable moment was when Dylan played the harmonica. 'If I may generalize a little, up until then I thought the lyrics were everything and maybe I underestimated the musical aspect,' he said. 'But when he played the harmonica just for me, I felt something special.' 'It may sound silly, but this experience made me realize that maybe I had underestimated how important music was to me.'
Wikinson was thinking about which album to buy in the hopes of getting Dylan's autograph through his manager, but he ended up buying a Frank Sinatra cover album that was rumored to have been recorded by Dylan.
After the concert, Dylan's manager tried to get him to sign an autograph, but the manager refused, saying, 'It's rude to sign a Sinatra album, and Bob would never do that.' So, Wilkinson ended up missing out. That night, he threw the Sinatra album into the air like a Frisbee.
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