Bob Dylan’s most iconic performances

On 24 May Bob Dylan turns 80 and that gives fans like me the perfect excuse to celebrate our love of the great man (not that we ever really need one, of course). As well as regularly listening to the records, I spend far more time than is probably healthy trawling YouTube for videos of Dylan in action. So, if you fancy joining me down a freewheelin’ wormhole, here is a small sample of my favourite live performances from across his career.

Boots of Spanish Leather, 1963

This is a YouTube video to listen to rather than watch. It’s an absolute wonder, not only because it is a lovely version of one of Dylan’s great ballads, but also because we hear him at ease, perhaps even enjoying himself, in an interview that bookends the performance. Often in this period, interviewers would irritate Dylan by asking him to speak as the voice of his generation, but as he chats to Studs Terkel, he seems relaxed, offering to play the song almost as an afterthought.