After spending over a year living with the studio version of ‘Key West’, I still can’t believe that we now have 21 live versions to enjoy as well, each one slightly different from the last. When Dylan finally unveiled it live for the first time (in Milwaukee, at the first show of the Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour) there was almost a sense of relief about the performance, like someone exhaling after holding their breath for a long time. You can tell the audience felt the same way: one of my favourite things about the recording is that you can hear a collective gasp sweep through the crowd as Bob sings “McKinley hollered…”.
As beautiful as the live debut of ‘Key West’ is (and it’s still the version that moves me the most), I’ve become even more partial to the performance of the song Dylan gave a day later in Chicago. While this version is a departure from Milwaukee, it’s also very different from the new arrangement that began to take shape at the following show in Cleveland. It occupies its own little island, which I guess is appropriate for a song called 'Key West.'
Where the drums, pedal steel and Dylan’s piano were the most prominent instruments in Milwaukee’s ‘Key West’, in Chicago the dynamic gets reversed - it’s all about the guitars, played by Bob Britt and Doug Lancio. Britt, on lead guitar, is particularly impressive, playing the same role Charlie Sexton specialised in during his years in the Dylan band, conjuring an atmosphere that serves as a backdrop for Dylan’s singing.
And the atmosphere is worth talking about, because – in sharp contrast to the celebratory debut a day earlier, and the ‘dreamier’ versions that followed – this ‘Key West’ is positively menacing. Some of more sinister lines in the song suddenly come into sharp focus: “China blossoms of a toxic plant/ They can make you dizzy, I’d like to help you but I can’t”, “The fishtail ponds and the orchid trees/ They can give you that bleedin’ heart disease”, “Walkin’ in the shadows after dark”, “It’s hot down here”. Even the refrain about “looking for immortality” suddenly seems shrouded in darkness.
The role of the narrator in the Chicago 'Key West' is also different from the other versions. Rather than being a benevolent guide to this wonderland, here he comes across as more of a snake-oil salesman, trying to tempt us down a wrong path - not unlike the 'Black Rider' Dylan sings about earlier in the song cycle.
That’s the musical side of things, but thanks to a YouTube channel called Bird that Flew on the Avenue, we also have a video of this performance. A key part of Dylan’s live shows that often gets overlooked is the visuals, and how the very deliberate choices of lighting and the positioning of the band can often be a key part of the performance. For Chicago's 'Key West', the stage is in almost total darkness, with the lighting – all from below – giving Bob and the band a strange and otherworldly appearance. Everyone (besides Bob) is wearing black, which makes the band look like disembodied faces looming out of the shadows. The final dramatic device is Bob’s new smoke machine, which by the end of the song has nearly consumed the whole stage in fog. All of this ties in with the new, darker interpretation of the song: a literal Shadow Kingdom.
After this performance, Bob took ‘Key West’ in a new direction. Donnie Herron switched to the accordion he had played on the album, the foreboding tumble into the chorus became a heavenly ascent, and the chord sequence for the chorus itself was altered. There’s a lot to recommend about the subsequent ‘Key West’ performances, but Chicago is the one I keep coming back to.
I do want to say a few words about one of the other versions, though: the performance from 21st November at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. This is the only other ‘Key West’ that we have a complete video of (so far), and, once again, it really underlines just how much the visual drama playing out onstage can add to a performance. This time around, a lot of the intrigue is provided by new guitarist Doug Lancio. Doug has a music stand positioned at the back of the stage; at first I thought it might be sheet music or chord charts, but on closer inspection it appears to be lyric sheets for ‘Key West’. During the verses, Doug hovers over the music stand, spider-like, studying the lyrics intently. As the music shifts into the chorus, Doug moves centre stage to face fellow guitarist Bob Britt, and gives a nod in the direction of drummer Charley Drayton (presumably to cue him into the chorus). When the chorus ends, Doug drifts back to his position over the music stand, and the whole process repeats itself throughout the song. I don’t know exactly what's going on here, but as a visual device I find it weirdly fascinating, especially combined with the hypnotic guitar riff that runs through the song.
Where will Dylan take 'Key West' next? Will the arrangement stay the same, or perhaps revert back to something more like Milwaukee or Chicago? Maybe it will become something completely different again, or maybe (and this is an absolute worst case scenario) it will simply disappear. Whatever happens, the fact that this remarkable song has been performed at all is nothing less than a gift.
Wonderfully written, as ever. Now to listen & watch!!
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