“After learning that Bob Dylan was playing the last show of a fall tour in Amherst on Nov. 20, we approached his agent with the idea of performing a show at Harvard the following night,” he says.
To the council’s delight, the show hasn’t completely drained their resources for future concerts.
“When all is said and done, Dylan will probably have cost the UC less than $10,000, which is less than one-tenth of our Committee Fund,” said Mahan.
Prof. Thomas looks forward to the show, and notes that Dylan’s performance, similar to the oral tradition of Homeric poetry, is just as significant as his music and lyrics.
“Dylan is a classic and consummate performer,” Thomas says. “Performance is so much a part of his expression, of his song and of his essence.”
—Staff writer Akash Goel can be reached at agoel@fas.harvard.edu.