Evening Standard/Getty Images
Evening Standard/Getty Images
loading...
On July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan performed his first electric concert at The Newport Folk Festival. Some sections of the audience booed his performance. Leading members of the folk movement criticized Dylan for moving away from political songwriting and for performing with an electric band.
"In documentary footage, both boos and cheers are heard a few bars into Dylan's first song, 'Maggie's Farm,' and continue throughout his second, 'Like a Rolling Stone,'" according to Wikipedia. Here is video of Dylan live at Newport performing "Maggie's Farm."
"Dylan and his band then performed 'Phantom Engineer,' an early version of 'It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.' Dylan was said to have 'electrified one half of his audience and electrocuted the other.'"
"After 'Phantom Engineer,' Dylan and the band left the stage. Booing and clapping are in the background. When Peter Yarrow returned to the microphone, he begged Dylan to continue performing. According to Robert Shelton, when Dylan returned to the stage, he discovered he did not have the right harmonica and said to Yarrow, 'What are you doing to me?' Dylan then asked the audience for 'an E harmonica.' Within a few moments, a clatter of harmonicas hit the stage. Dylan performed two songs on acoustic guitar for the audience: 'Mr. Tambourine Man,' and then as his farewell to Newport, 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue.' The crowd exploded with applause, calling for more. Dylan did not return to the Newport festival for 37 years. In an enigmatic gesture, Dylan performed at Newport in 2002, sporting a wig and fake beard."

More From US 103.1 FM