After 7 years off (the song was played last in 1991) Bob brought the great song "GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY" back
Location - BOTANIC GARDENS, BELFAST,NORTHERN IRELAND
Date - JUNE 19, 1998
Below are performances dates and comments on the song starting in 1998. The comments are mainly from concert-goers and therefore reviewers
(taken from Bob Dates and Bob discussion boards)...
As you read along, it will become apparent that whenever Bob pulls this song out, it can be a memorable experience to the listener!
1998
BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, JUNE 19, 1998
NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND, JUNE 20, 1998
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, JUNE 20, 1998
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, JUNE 23, 1998
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, JUNE 24, 1998
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, JUNE 25, 1998
ROSKILDE, DENMARK, JUNE 26, 1998
LONDON, ENGLAND, JUNE 27, 1998
MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND, JULY 3, 1998
ROME, ITALY, JULY 5, 1998
"Gotta Serve Somebody: A good opener, which Bob likes very much I guess,.."
"Gotta Serve Somebody - Not quite as overwhelming as in Rome, as both Bob and Bucky didn't strike any funny poses tonight, but still pretty good. One of the best openers Bob had over the last few years."
TORINO, ITALY, JULY 9, 1998
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, AUGUST 21, 1998
CONCORD, CALIFORNIA, SEPTEMBER 25, 1998
"Gotta Serve Somebody- opened with the fierce guitar sound of Larry Cambell. I wasn't really expecting this one, and was quite delighted at it's apperance. This was a great performance of a great song."
RENO, NEVADA, SEPTEMBER 27, 1998
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA, OCTOBER 16, 1998
"Bob brought a sense of humour to this song. The band were singing the background line "gotta serve somebody..." during the chorus. One time as they sang this, Bob growled "What??" into the mike, turning it into a dialogue song."
SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA, OCTOBER 18, 1998
"Gotta Serve Somebody - I was delighted to hear this song..."
"Bob sings some new words in "Gotta Serve Somebody" -- I couldn't make them all out, but one addition is: "You might be a woman, you might be a man" And the chorus gets a new twist. No longer preachy, Bob now sings "We ALL got to serve somebody"
REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA, OCTOBER 20, 1998
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA, OCTOBER 21, 1998
DULUTH, MINNESOTA, OCTOBER 22, 1998
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, OCTOBER 23, 1998
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 25, 1998
"Ever since he first used it for an opener earlier this year I've been hoping to see this one. So when Bob and the band came out and broke into "Gotta Serve Somebody" a sly smile of satisfaction came across my face."
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, OCTOBER 26, 1998
AUBURN HILLS, MICHIGAN, OCTOBER 28, 1998
"Serve Somebody: A great opener, the sound was prettty good right from the start, especially for the large venue. Bob seemed to be in to each line. Not much of an instrumental, the song just kind of stopped."
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, OCTOBER 29, 1998
KANATA, OTTAWA, ONTARIO, OCTOBER 30, 1998
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 1, 1998
"Serve Somebody was riff heavy and to the point, with the first glimpses of the shuffling dance steps and long two step strides, like Gregory Peck playing guitar in The Gunfighter."
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 2, 1998
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 3, 1998
COLLEGE PARK, MARYLAND, NOVEMBER 5, 1998
"Serve Somebody was a show stopper and it set the tone for the night."
"At 10:05 PM Bob Dylan came out and opened his set with a great version of "Gotta Serve Somebody." After saying a quick thank you to the crowd he and the band began to play "I'll Remember You"."
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 7, 1998
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA, JANUARY 26, 1999
"Serve Somebody opened. Bob played a very even guitar on Serve Somebody; excellent performance here."
SUNRISE, FLORIDA, JANUARY 28, 1999
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, JANUARY 29, 1999
"The opener for this tour, "Gotta Serve Somebody", was served up as a straight-ahead blues, with a simplified 1-4-5 arrangement. He went nowhere near the name-calling verse, of course. (I wouldn't call him Zimmy, even if he said I could anyway.) Very powerful. Other highlights..."
TAMPA, FLORIDA, JANUARY 30, 1999
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 1, 1999
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 2, 1999
"Gotta Serve Somebody opened. Pretty good version. Bucky and Larry did some nice back up vocals."
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, FEBRUARY 3, 1999
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, FEBRUARY 5, 1999
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, FEBRUARY 6, 1999
"Bob came on a few minutes after nine. He opened with "Gotta Serve Somebody" and right away it was apparent that something extra was there tonight."
"Clad in black pants, suit jacket and funky white and black cowboy boots, Bob launched into the expected "Gotta Serve Somebody." I was really looking forward to this one and it was terrific. It was evident from Bob's demeanor that he was in a good mood, with a variety of funny facial expressions. I love the groove that Larry gets going on this one and Bob's vocals were clear and crisp. A great start."
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, FEBRUARY 7, 1999
DAYTON, OHIO, FEBRUARY 9, 1999
COLUMBUS, OHIO, FEBRUARY 10, 1999
"Gotta Serve Somebody: I notice right away that there is something different about his presentation. I can't put my finger on it at the moment, but later on it occurs to me: he is delivering this song with a sense of CONFIDENCE, or at least, this is my perception."
CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 12, 1999
NORMAL, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 13, 1999
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, FEBRUARY 14, 1999
"Bob opened the night with a clean, tight version of Gotta Serve Somebody. The harmonies were pretty good and it set the tone for what was to become the best Dylan concert of the three I have seen."
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, FEBRUARY 15, 1999
"They of course opened with Gotta Serve Somebody, which I've really grown to like. I think it's a great song and I'd like to delve more into his Christian-years work."
CLEVELAND, OHIO, FEBRUARY 17, 1999
"Gotta Serve Somebody- It was evident that Dylan was here to rock from the first chords. He stretched out the phrases and really leaned into the guitar passages. His vocals were strong and true on this song and would remain so throughout the show. Bucky Baxter and Larry Campbell added good back up vocals. This ending seemed different than other recent shows."
BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, FEBRUARY 18, 1999
BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 19, 1999
"Gotta Serve Somebody: The band came out strong on this number. The rhythm section sounded great and Bob's vocals were potent from the opening line."
LAKE PLACID, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 20, 1999
TROY, NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 22, 1999
AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS, FEBRUARY 24, 1999
"Gotta Serve Somebody - It was actually done quite well. Bob seemed to be very much into it. Always a good sign of course."
PORTLAND, MAINE, FEBRUARY 25, 1999
"Gotta Serve Somebody - this first song already indicated that Bob was 'on' tonight. You always know it'll be a good show if she sings "you gotta serve somebody [very loud] YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH you gotta serrrrrve somebodyyyyy"...
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, MARCH 2, 1999
SANTANDER, SPAIN, APRIL 13, 1999
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, APRIL 3, 2000
HORSENS, DENMARK, MAY 21, 2000
"And then Bob strapped on his Fender, and we were on for some really dirty, low-down bluesy version of "Gotta Serve Somebody", one of the best versions I've ever heard - the audience rocked, and it's funny to see that the prologue from the gospel tours this time get the same treatment and reception as a classic Dylan song. Bob really was on fire on this, his left foot was more in the air than on the floor! Really, really great, and another one of the highlights of the evening."
"Gotta Serve Somebody that really did the job. Now things were rocking. Everybody seemed to like this. And everybody stayed put and enjoyed a good show. Just as things was rocking we got another slow song (or beautiful heartfelt ballad, depending on how you look at it, right?)"
"Gotta Serve Somebody was not only a nice alternative to “Country Pie” which was dropped from the setlist for the first time in Europe, but it was also a new arrangement. Yet another one! The band must’ve spend a whole lot of time rehearsing lately! It lacked the cool “female” backing vocals that made the 1998/99 version so special, and instead it had similar start and stop parts like the newly arrangend “Cold Irons Bound” debuted in Germany and Scandinavia last week. Cool stuff!"
BERLIN, GERMANY, MAY 23, 2000
"Gotta Serve Somebody -Country Pie was listed as the alternate choice on the cuesheet, but this was a very welcome alternative and it was every bit as good as the Horsens version, where they debuted this new somewhat cut-up arrangement. Bob’s singing (or may I call it shouting?) was pretty good as well. Larry played a mean little rock ‘n’ roll riff too."
"The electric set opened with ´Gotta Serve Somebody´ which was done the raw way - a bit like the new version ´Drifter´s Escape´ (that he performed later). To me it sounded great and it was also a nice alternative for ´Country Pie´. I think that there is no need to explain why ´Serve Somebody´ is the superior to ´Country Pie´."
"´Gotta Serve Somebody´ doesn´t refer to the experience of been new born and doesn´t tell us about God´s love or about love at all. It confronts us with a kind of decision between black and white or darkness and light - or (as another interpretation) with the fact that there´s no choice at all."
MODENA, ITALY, MAY 27, 2000
"Serve Somebody I really like the 1998 touring version and his big band version at the Grammy Awards in the early '80s, but the boys steamed into a pounding, hard rock version tonight that was as tight as any one could ever want."
RENO, NEVADA, JUNE 25, 2000
"Highlights were the hard rocking "Gotta Serve Somebody" and Dylan's harmonica on "Drifter's Escape"."
"AND IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR SERVE SOMEBODY WITH THE BONO,MADONNA AND CHER REFERENCES."
"Serve Somebody's new arrangement was cool. At first I thought it may have been a re-worked man of peace...".
TORONTO, CANADA, JULY 18, 2000
"Then came "Gotta Serve Somebody". I couldn't make out all the lyrics but Madonna and Cher made the fourth or fifth verse. I think that a few other new lyrics appeared..."
"Gotta Serve Somebody was another treat, less soaring and more punchy than previous performances I've seen. The band seemed to be snatching at the chord changes and coming up with fistfuls as Bob pocketed the words."
"GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY: was kicked off with a big hit on the drums and nice bass line from Tony. This was really heavy, and featured a nasty Bob growl on "Yeah . . . ." Great lyrical games here. "Might call you Madonna, Might call you Cher." Great! Then my favorite new line of the night, "Might be in the corner eating from a garbage pale." Very nice."
"He then did an excellent rendition of Gotta Serve Somebody. I think this was one of his best of the night."
"Big surprise with "Gotta Serve Somebody", which sounded substantially different then the version he was opening with in 1998. A heavy, funky, bass line throughout the song. And the lyrics! New lines - "eating from a garbage pail" - perhaps a reference to Toronto's persistent homeless problem? And the incredible mention of two celebrities "you may be Madonna, you may even be Cher"!!!"!!! I am not 100% sure about these lyrics, since I did not make notes, but I am sure tapers will have posted the exact versions by now. We had a good laugh over it though - it was a funny line, and a very surprising reference. It amazes me that Bob can sing wonderful spiritual music, to rousing ovations in our very non-sectarian world. Most Christian singers are preaching to the converted - playing primarily to audiences who share their beliefs. As far as I know, only Bob gets atheists like me up there dancing, clapping, and thrilled to hear lines like "we alllll got to serve some-bodeee" A great perfomance which I will never forget."
PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND, SEPTEMBER 24, 2000
"My favourite addition and probably the peak of our ten-gig-journey (if he doesn't pull out "EVERY GRAIN OF SAND" tonight, before we had home to Ireland tomorrow), was a superb, magnificent and rocking "GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY" at the ninth song of the night, which even surprised me, as I was expecting it to replace "COUNTRY PIE", which it didn't. We were hoping to see it but once on this tour, flashing our cloth sign between songs whenever we stood close to the stage. (My wife had never witnessed Bob performing this gem, and I had not seen it since 1991), Bob performed it for the seventh time this year and he performed it well. ("You might be Bono, you might be Sting") Whoever we are, Bob Dylan still seems to believe that we all are created to serve the Lord; the Lord, whose hand keeps touching him, while he is praying, and whose nail scarred hand alone imparts lasting glory." (my husband's review on Bob Dates)
"The menacing strut of the next song, 'Gotta Serve Somebody' - featuring an intense, preaching vocal - keeps the energy level high before the gentle coming down of a country strumalong on 'If Not For You'."
Personal note - I was - of course - hoping that Bob would eventually do Gotta Serve Somebody, but when they actually did start playing it, I was not only stunned but also absolutely happy and almost couldn't believe it!!
After this song had taken a rest for nine months, Bob pulled out "GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY" during his second European show in 2001, in Bergen, Norway.
One reviewer on Bob Dates commented: "... then something happened. Dylan caught fire. Or something. Gotta serve somebody was wonderfully played in the later rocking arrangement. Dylan was definitely ON, and now he seemed to enjoy being on the stage, and playing this peculiar song."
BERGEN, NORWAY, JUNE 26, 2001
"Then he played a nicely arranged, but not that well played, version of Maggie's farm. It seemed like I would have to accept a rather mediocre show this sunny evening, even though a quite good You ain't goin' nowhere did lift the show somewhat. But then something happened. Dylan caught fire. Or something. Gotta serve somebody was wonderfully played in the later rocking arrangement. Dylan was definitely ON, and now he seemed to enjoy being on the stage, and playing this peculiar song."
"Among twenty highlights, I point to three: Gotta Serve Somebody, It's Alright, Ma and The Wicked Messenger."
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN, JUNE 29, 2001
"The first electric song was "Serve Sombody" which was great and his guitar playing came through even better here."
"As expected, an electric set followed, and it started with one of best post-81 versions of "Gotta Serve Somebody" I have heard. Bob seemed to be making up new lyrics on the spot, and the version rocked hard."
"The first electric song was Serve somebody and now Bob was really on fire. His eyes shone bright. He sang "..Lord but You gotta You You gotta serve somebody" . He also played THE best solo of the evening (his career). I could hardly believe my ears."
STIRLING, SCOTLAND, JULY 13, 2001
"Gotta Serve Somebody is not one of my favourite songs, but it was great to have a bit of non-60s stuff appearing, which always keeps the interest level of a show up."
"Gotta Serve Somebody next, again the band hit a good groove and Bob improvised lyrics. Usual themes of betrayal and infidelity, rhymed "king sized bed" with "You may look like the living dead."
"When the band kicked up a gear, Drifter's Escape and You Gotta Serve Somebody were given careful consideration to impressive effect."
LA SPEZIA, ITALY, JULY 20, 2001
It was song no. 4 there ~ amongst other songs like "Make You Feel My Love", "Masters Of War", "Wicked Messenger" and "Cats In The Well".
PERUGIA, ITALY, JULY 25, 2001
song no. 6 ~ "Masters Of War" came next, "Wicked Messenger" was no. 12, Bob started the concert with "Somebody Touched Me"
NAPLES, ITALY, JULY 26, 2001
again no. 6 here ~ "Hallelujah, I'm ready to go" came first! "Masters Of War" no. 8, "Everything Is Broken" and "Make You Feel My Love" were included too.
"Gotta Serve Somebody - strong with some new words,..."
DES MOINES, IOWA, AUGUST 10, 2001
This has been the first US-performance of "GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY" since June 2000 (and the third US-performance since March 1999, the last of 55 shows since June 1998, where it was used as the opening song).
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, AUGUST 15, 2001
PUEBLO, COLORADO, AUGUST 18, 2001
SUN CITY WEST, ARIZONA, AUGUST 23, 2001
Somebody Touched Me, Serve Somebody plus Señor!!
LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 25, 2001
Only time Bob Dylan ever played this song on an acoustic guitar!
CINCINNATI, OHIO, NOVEMBER 4, 2001
"Gotta Serve Somebody - One of the three highlights of the show. The band really rocked and the crowd really woke up to this one."
"Searching for a Soldier's Grave" and "Gotta Serve Somebody" were great additions to the setlist for me,.."
NEW HAMPSHIRE,MANCHESTER, NOVEMBER 21, 2001
Show opened with "Hallelujah, I'm ready to go" ~ like Naples in July!
"Hallelujah- Great opener , bob and the boys got into it from the start."
"Gotta Serve Somebody- Great, hard rocking version that really rocked. great vocal delivery by bob as he even fumbled some words and had to make up new verses.. he was laughing as he did it and so was charlie and larry.. great guitar from bob tonight."
"This was a great Serve Somebody with some funky new seemingly improvised lyrics and I like the rearranged chorus chord progression. Nice job."
"Interesting twists on the chorus of "Serve Somebody." At the end of the choruses on "Serve Somebody," he dragged out the last line: "But still you got to -- you got to -- serrrrve SOOOMMMEEEbody!" Every time."
SUNRISE, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 1, 2002
"WOW! I Am The Man, Thomas , Gotta Serve Somebody"
"im not gonna go over each and every song, but here....here were the best ones.... GOTTA SERVE SOMBODY: The first song he played when he went out on the stage back in 98....it was a much better rendition this time...it was well organized, sounded great and the guitar playing was just perfect....he messed up with the original lyrics, but GOTTA SERVE SOMBODY was there....it was it....yes it was...."
"Interesting that "I Am the Man Thomas" and "Serve Somebody" showed up together here."
"Realmente el show fue espectacular! Me gustaron las nuevas versiones como la de "gotta serve somebody" y "blowing in the wind", y las nuevas canciones de Love&T."
"When has this song ever sounded so good? Is this what a new drummer can do to a band?"
→ "I agree. This song at Sunrise blew me away when I heard it. It is very powerful. Much moreso than any version I had heard live before."
→ "IMHO, NEVER!! This wonderful new arrangment just blew me away. I've been listening to it (several times) over the weekend. Reminded me a bit of the 'guitar rock' 1991 version but sung with MUCH more passion."
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FEBRUARY 5, 2002
"Was very impressed to hear that he played "Gotta Serve Somebody". I've recently delved into the Born Again stuff...it's pretty fantastic."
"The show in Jacksonville was truly incredible. I'm so happy that he's added SERVE SOMEBODY to his setlists."
TAMPA, FLORIDA, JULY 30, 2003
NEW YORK CITY, NY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008
"Speaking of the venue, as many know, the theater is an old, majestic movie theater from the 1920's or so, rescued in the 1980's and turned into a church, presided over by Reverand Ike. This was not lost on Bob, who opened the show with Gotta Serve Somebody. Coincidence? I don't think so."
"Gotta Serve Somebody was a great opener -- reminiscent of those '98 shows in a way -- and Bob was really enjoying it too, out at center-stage mic with left knee bent, moving around in his unique Bob way, growling out verses and interspersing them with licks from the harp."
"Oh, and you're wondering when I'll get to the concert? To put it in a sentence, "This was a special event, even for Dylan fans." As a born-again Christian, awakened by Slow Train Coming, Dylan's Christian songs have always held a special poignancy for me. Thus, I was thrilled when Dylan opened his set with "Gotta Serve Somebody." I follow his set lists on a regular basis and can't remember the last time he's done that. Dylan was in a good mood the entire evening, and one song followed another in a kaleidoscope of feelings. In light of the first song, his second one was particularly prophetic, "The Times They Are A-Changing." I imbued this with religious connotations as well as political ones."
"It seemed no co-incidence that the show was in an old theater in Spanish Harlem, used now for services by 'United Church', and that the opener for this show was "Got to serve somebody"! This alone was worth it all to come to NY again. A sign seen earlier was forebearing: 'A star is re-born'"
"Every Dylan show has its Señor moment, where he plucks an unexpected song from the catalog and delivers it with such intensity that you'll remember it for the rest of your life. This time Dylan opened the show with that moment: he delivered You Gotta Serve Somebody from center stage in his usual opening growl, holding a mike and harmonica playing the role of front man in a white skimmer, pale green shirt & scarf under black suit with single-side-striped trousers. Bob held the mike and harp in his left hand, leaving his right hand free to gesticulate and emphasize. A bold gambit. The sound was clear and sharp; the song penetrated. Where could the night possibly go from there? Would it all seem anti-climactic?"
"Dylan opened with “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Bob hadn’t played that in awhile. It sounded great as Dylan stood and delivered from center stage swiping in nifty harmonica licks between lines."
"The fact the venue is a church apparently wasn’t lost on Bob, either, as evidenced by his opening with “Gotta Serve Somebody,” standing center-stage and blowing some killer harmonica throughout the song, punctuating some lines with short harp bursts, bringing cheers from the sold-out crowd."
While I was touring the States with my husband (a spectacular road trip from Seattle to Chicago!), Bob was busy playing Gotta Serve Somebody in Europe! There's hope he'll be playing it again in Dublin over the next days while I'm there. We'll see!
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, MARCH 29, 2009
"At this sixth concert on the tour, we got the sixth opener: A wonderful version of Gotta Serve Somebody."
"I have never enjoyed an opener as much as that, in fact rarely have I enjoyed a song anywhere on the set list as much as that."
SAARBRUECKEN, GERMANY, APRIL 5, 2009
"Gotta Serve Somebody, well, I was waiting for that since Hannover, now Bob served it. The band very tight. A brilliant opener in my opinion."
"The show starts strongly with a wonderful Gotta Serve Somebody followed by Lay,Lady, Lay, Bob on guitar doing a good work with it."
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, APRIL 12, 2009
"It was Easter - so Gotta Serve Somebody gave me a jolt."