Key developments
New Orleans soundboard captures Rita May debut
Ray Padgett's Flagging Down the Double E's says the New Orleans Rolling Thunder Revue soundboard is one of the strongest tapes from the tour and documents the live debut, and only known live performance, of "Rita May." The post traces the song back to the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid sessions, including a 1973 copyright-collection outtake, and says Dylan later passed the unfinished song to Donna Weiss and Brenda Patterson.
Why it matters
It sharpens the archival history of a rare Dylan song and a key Rolling Thunder recording.
Sources & driving stories
FLAGGING DOWN THE DOUBLE E'S · Ray Padgett
Flagging Down the Double E's coverageEssay links handwriting to Dylan's revival
Ian Leslie's The Ruffian essay argues that Dylan's return to "When I Paint My Masterpiece" in 2018 helped kick-start his late-period resurgence. It also points to Halcyon Gallery's London exhibition of handwritten lyric sheets and drawings, and notes that Dylan played the song at all 77 concerts in 2019 before Rough and Rowdy Ways arrived in 2020.
Why it matters
It offers a concrete explanation for how Dylan's recent creative reset may have developed.
Sources & driving stories
THE RUFFIAN · Ian Leslie
The Ruffian coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Hopper read Kipling to calm crowd
The New Orleans account also preserves a vivid scene of Dennis Hopper trying to steady a restless audience after sound-system problems.
WORTH NOTING
Far Out revisits Dylan's Madonna praise
The summary-only piece says Dylan singled out Madonna as a pop artist he respected, adding context to his mixed public comments on pop music.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Did the 2018 exhibition trigger the revival?
Leslie's handwriting thesis is plausible but still circumstantial, so the causal link between the exhibition and Rough and Rowdy Ways remains unresolved.
OPEN QUESTION
Were there other one-off live debuts in New Orleans?
The tape appears to contain more archival surprises beyond "Rita May," and it is worth checking whether other rare performances remain under-discussed.