Key developments
Rolling Thunder Texas dates canceled after weak sales
Ray Padgett's Flagging Down post revisits the Rolling Thunder Revue's planned Texas leg, which was supposed to include Dallas, Lubbock, Abilene, Amarillo, a second Houston show, and a second Austin date. Most of those stops were canceled after tickets went on sale, with local press blaming weak demand and poor routing; Rob Stoner told Padgett the cancellations were "kind of discouraging." For the May 8, 1976 Houston show at Hofheinz Pavilion, Dylan brought in Willie Nelson late to help fill the 10,700-seat arena, and the piece says Nelson was later served a subpoena tied to a Dallas narcotics investigation before appearing for a Fort Worth grand jury.
Why it matters
It adds fresh interview detail to a long-known Rolling Thunder low point and ties a rare Dylan-Nelson Houston appearance to the tour's fragile Texas routing.
Sources & driving stories
FLAGGING DOWN · Ray Padgett
Flagging Down coverageDylan's "Every Grain of Sand" origin retold
Far Out Magazine revisits "Every Grain of Sand" as a standout from Dylan's 1981 Shot of Love period and repeats Dylan's account that the words arrived as if from somewhere else. Producer Chuck Plotkin says Dylan suddenly moved to piano, leaving Plotkin to hold the microphone up while the performance unfolded, and that the recorded version was the first spontaneous take. The article argues later attempts never matched the force of that initial performance.
Why it matters
It preserves a detailed studio-origin story for one of Dylan's most admired early-1980s songs.
Sources & driving stories
FAR OUT MAGAZINE · Joe Taysom
Far Out Magazine coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Bootleg review revisits 2021 tour
Cult Following's review highlights winter 2021 Rough and Rowdy Ways showcase performances and tracks like "Watching the River Flow" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece."
WORTH NOTING
McCartney's Dylan lyric choice resurfaced
Far Out notes that Paul McCartney picked a line from "She Belongs to Me" as his favorite lyric, underscoring Dylan's lasting pull on Beatles-era peers.
WORTH NOTING
Cue-card video influence revisited
VICE traces the "Subterranean Homesick Blues" cue-card format from the 1965 London shoot through later homages, including INXS, Weird Al Yankovic, and Margo Price.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
What other Texas tour records survive?
The Rolling Thunder account relies on later recollections, so venue files, ticketing data, or tour paperwork could clarify why so many Texas dates were dropped.
OPEN QUESTION
How many first takes from Shot of Love remain?
Plotkin's description of "Every Grain of Sand" raises the question of whether more spontaneous Dylan performances from the era survive in archives or unreleased tapes.