29 March 2011 - 0 Comments

Mr Bob Dylan – celebrated poet, artist, singer, writer, actor and radio announcer – has just confirmed Mr Tim Finn as the man to open the stage on his much anticipated return to New Zealand in April 2011.  One of New Zealand’s greatest songwriters and considered a national treasure by many, Finn has been confirmed as the special guest to open for this very special event on Saturday 30^th April at Vector Arena.

This Bob Dylan concert with Tim Finn as special guest will be a stunning evening of grace and greatness featuring live renditions of some of the finest works penned by both artists.  Make sure you secure your tickets as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this songwriting master-class!

Tim Finn career highlights

Finn, the iconic singer-songwriter has enjoyed a unique and remarkable career.  From his time with pop pioneers Split Enz (which he co-founded) and Crowded House to a successful solo career, Finn has penned such classics as Six Months In A Leaky Boat, I See Red, Weather With You (with brother Neil Finn) and Persuasion (with Richard Thompson).  Even the recently released Anthology album (North, South, East, West) featured new material and collaborations as well as re-workings of classic Finn songs.

Tim Finn still has a need to be creative and inspired.  It’s also transferred to the stage where in recent times he’s delivered career defining performances at festivals such as Homebake and Bluesfest.  Last year, Finn sold out shows in LA, New York and London.  It’s no wonder then, that artists Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, pop culture author Bret Easton Ellis and members of Radiohead all have nothing but respect for Tim Finn.

Finn has released eight solo albums in a career that has spanned almost forty years.  His solo debut (Escapade) was released in 1983 to critical acclaim in Australia and New Zealand, with his most recent studio album being 2008’s The Conversation.  Alongside his brother, Neil, The Finn Brothers also released two albums as a duo, achieving consistent success on the UK charts.

In 2011, Tim Finn will release his ninth studio album (as yet untitled) which was recorded at Roundhead Studios, Auckland with Grammy Award winning producer Jacquire King (Kings Of Leon, Norah Jones, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse). Finn assembled a cast of amazing musicians for the recording including Joey Waronker (Beck, REM), Zac Rae (Macy Gray, Janes Addiction), Brett Adams (The Bads), Tony Buchen and Mara TK.

Bob Dylan career highlights

The man with more than 50 recorded albums, a career spanning six decades, listed in Time Magazine’s ‘100 Most Important People of the Century’, Grammy award winner, and Academy award winner – presents a deceptively simple proposition.  To keep performing where he is most comfortable: on stage year after year on his ‘Never Ending Tour’.

In fact, Mr Dylan turns 70 years of age shortly after he leaves our shores next year.  Not bad for a gent who has played roughly 100 shows a year for the last 22 years – never quite the same. But some clues: Speaking about a 2010 concert, influential music journalist Jim DeRogatis said in the Chicago Sun Times, “Among the standout high points: a revved-up "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum"; "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again," which was turned inside out and upside down; a rollicking and rambunctious "Highway 61 Revisited," and a tense and dramatic "Ain't Talkin'.”

Meanwhile Irish music staple Hot Press reported after a July 2010 Dylan show that, “He sang passionately and buoyantly… generous guitar riffs and exuberant keyboard playing set the bar for what was to be a first-rate concert. ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’, a frequent inclusion in live shows, was as heavily rearranged as ‘Lay Lady Lay’ and ‘Just Like A Woman’, much to the crowd’s enjoyment… the gruff lyrics of ‘Ballad Of a Thin Man’, were as raw and pertinent now as they were in ‘65.”

With landmark recent albums like Together Through Life (2009), Time Out Of Mind (1997), Love and Theft (2001) and Modern Times (2006) – not forgetting the charming 2009 album of popular Christmas songs, Christmas in the Heart – Dylan’s legacy only seems to grow.  His ever popular Bootleg series of rare recordings have also cemented the legacy – the latest being another revelation of very early material: The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 – The Witmark Demos: 1962–1964.

Martin Scorsese’s penetrating and brilliant 2005 documentary No Direction Home no doubt also helped fuel a popular resurgence that shows no signs of slowing down and deftly crosses each and every generation. For many, Dylan's mid-'60s trilogy of albums — Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde — represents one of the great cultural achievements of the 20th century. 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

For more information go to:

www.bobdylan.com

www.chuggentertainment.com

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