Maybe news travels slowly in Canada   

Well, it's got an awful looooong way to travel around here   :-) but my own companions, for instance, knew very well what his latest album was all about. And even though it wasn't their cup of tea they wanted to hear him anyway. It's always quite the occasion when someone of Dylan's stature plays in Toronto! They just weren't prepared for an evening of nothing but "Slow Train".

I bet I was there on the first night he performed, and you were there later LH. By that time, word would have gotten out and people knew better what to expect.

As I've stated before, if he'd have obliged his fans even just ONCE with a request at some point that evening, I doubt the reaction would have been as negative. And I'm glad to hear other people had different experiences during that tour! As it was, for someone like me who didn't have much concert-going experience at all (yet) - the unpleasantness and negativity was just a turn-off - not only re Dylan himself but about BIG concerts/audiences in general. I got over the concert thing - but I've judged Dylan way too harshly over it all these years, I see now.

Shame on me    :-)

But any audience that boos because an artist doesn't perform the songs they wanted to hear is just plain rude.

Agreed!

Dylan is different: I don't believe he thinks of the audience as an audience. I think he thinks of them as a kind of ambience. You can watch this evolve over time, but it is there from almost the beginning.

"AMBIENCE: a feeling or mood associated witha particular place, person, or thing: ATMOSPHERE"

(had to look that one up) Hmmm .. thanks Peter. Interesting! Oh and that reminds me -

I am sure that Bob is many things, but "beloved" is not one of them! (This may be the best thing about him!!)

LOL!! At the risk of sounding just as un-spiritual as I really am, I wanted to thank you for that one before!   :-)