Thanks very much to Joe H. for finding in Billboard Magazine (via Google Books) a review in their November 17th, 1979 issue of one of Bob Dylan’s concerts that month in San Francisco’s Warfield Theater.

The review is of the third night of Bob’s fourteen-night residency there, is written by Jack McDonough and goes in part like this:

Throughout his almost 20 year career, Bob Dylan has presented many faces to the public, but certainly none have been more confusing or problematic than his born again Christian persona as it was projected in an all-gospel show here Nov 3, one of a series of 14 dates, coproduced at the 2,200 seat theatre by Bill Graham and Jerry Weintraub.

[...]

Many of the patrons simply did not know what to make of the proceedings. There were periodic calls for older material, arguments broke out amongst various factions of the audience and at the conclusion a healthy dose of boos and catcalls accompanied the general applause.

The music was excellent throughout. At times the band plays rock’n'roll, directly reminiscent of that achieved by Dylan on the three albums of his golden age in 1965-66, and the wonderfully gifted women sang with voices that would stop an entire CB convoy. Best material was “Precious Angel” with its Dire Straits guitar hooks, and the aforementioned “Rock,” a strong piece. Dylan played harmonica only once.

The content of the songs was something else again. It is clear that the most disastrous consequence of Dylan’s conversion has been its effect on his lyrics. The best example of this is the current single (and show opener) “Gonna [sic] Serve Somebody.” It is certainly one of the most embarrassingly banal things Dylan has ever written.

Dylan never thanked his audience — in fact, he never spoke to it at all — and he never introduced his players or gave them credit for their contribution.

Most serious of all, he took the fans’ money (at the skyhigh prices of $15 and $12.50) and never gave them any of the songs they had full rights to expect to hear.

The man must decide if he is going to be an entertainer or a preacher. Like everyone else, he has a right to his own private beliefs, and if he wants to proselytize at revival concerts, that’s fine.

But he should advertise the program that way. His failure to so inform the fans who have longs supported him, and who are justified in expecting from a successful public entertainer at least a little bit of the material that made him successful, is certainly not Christian at all.

It’s interesting, because, looking back — as someone who wasn’t old enough to be interested in any of this at the time — it can sometimes seem as if Slow Train Coming was pretty well-received (good sales, a Grammy for Gotta Serve Somebody) and it wasn’t until Saved came out that people really rejected Dylan’s gospel music. Yet, in this review of one of his first shows with the material, most of the negative narrative is already in place. The lyrics are “banal”; Dylan has a right to his beliefs, but should limit his gospel music to “revival concerts.” I love the flourish at the end accusing Dylan of not behaving in a “Christian” way.

Yet, all of this is in a review that states earlier on that “the music was excellent throughout.” When that’s not enough, a musician might understandably get a little frustrated.

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