This happened 50 years ago today. In fact, it was 50 years ago right now, give or take a couple hours.
Everyone knows this concert for "Judas!" and "I don't believe you..." and "You're a liar!" And the fact that—remember—all those words happened in the lead-up to Dylan's final number: "Like a Rolling Stone." A song perhaps (without exaggeration) the most miraculous and powerfully incisive artistic creation of our lifetimes. And one written directly at the Liars. Because the world is shaped to the doings of prophets, and it shaped itself to Dylan that night.
But what should also be remembered is the magnitude of that entire world tour. Sometime in late April or early May, Dylan settled on the set list represented in the Manchester show. At that point (if not before), what he was giving out was virtually Scripture. No one completely understood what was being said—and this includes Dylan. But (if possible) that only reinforced its power: it could not be dismantled by rational analysis. It flew out into the world unhindered, because we could not catch it. And it was free to do its work.
Again, without exaggeration: The subsequent arc of history—'67–69, and everything that followed—was angled (not solely, but significantly) by these 46 shows. The world we know would not exist if not for Dylan's 1966 tour.
