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Free Trade Hall
17th May 1966

This is the 17th May 1966 page from Manchester’s Free Trade Hall booking diary - the night when Bob Dylan and The Band played their glorious but at the time controversial electric gig at that venue. Sections of the Mancunian audience protested that by having the temerity to ‘go electric’, Dylan had sold out! The first half of the concert saw him play a magnificent and sublime solo acoustic set. However, it was after a stormy electric second half of the gig, when things came to a head. Just before the final song ('Like A Rolling Stone'), one angry chappy gave vent to his outrage by famously heckling, "Judas". Bob's response? "I don't believe you. You're a liar." Then turning to the band, he instructed them to, "Play fucking loud." An historic night that can now be heard in beautifully clear sound on Bob’s officially released CD, ‘Bootleg Series Volume 4: 1966’. Bob has since commented on the night: ‘Judas. The most hated name in human history! If you think you’ve been called a bad name, try to work your way out from under that. Yeah, and for what? For playing an electric guitar?!’

The diary entry reads: 'Large Hall. Concert. Bob Dylan. 6.30 to 10.30pm. Tito Burns Productions Ltd, 3 Vere St, London, W1. Grand Piano.’ Little did the person writing this entry know what a tumultuous event this would turn out to be – one that has now become a very (in)famous part of rock ‘n’ roll history!