Harvey Goldsmith Talks Promoting Bob Dylan Shows at Blackbushe, Real Live, and Bobfest

'Real Live' Promoter Interviews #3: Harvey Goldsmith, UK

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Harvey Goldsmith (L) and friends at Bobfest rehearsals. Photo via @BobDylanPics

I’m not sure how many concert promoters were ever named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen herself, but it has to be a short list. One is Harvey Goldsmith. Hell, the man hangs out with both types of Queen:

Photos via Harvey Goldsmith

Before all that though, Goldsmith worked with Bob Dylan, promoting many of his biggest shows in the UK. That includes the two enormous UK shows on Dylan’s giant 1984 tour with Santana, at Wembley Stadium in London and St. James Park in Newcastle, from which all but one track on Real Live was taken. So I called him up for the third and final entry in my ‘84-promoter series—find the first two here and here.

He’s worked with Dylan many other times as well, so we discussed all the rest too. That includes the mammoth Blackbushe 1978 show Goldsmith oversaw, the largest concert of Dylan’s entire career; Live Aid, which Goldsmith helped organize with Bob Geldof and where Dylan gave a famously dire performance; and the 30th anniversary celebration (aka. Bobfest), where Dylan personally asked him to help save it from disaster.

Oh, and the time Bob chewed him out for leaving a show early.

Before we get to 1984 with Santana, was Blackbushe 1978 the first time you had worked a Dylan show?

Of any scale. I did Earl’s Court before Blackbushe. We did six nights at Earl's Court, and then we did a tour of Europe, and then we did Blackbushe. Earl's Court is a huge space, 18,000 people. And we sold out six nights in a heartbeat.

What do you remember about the performances?

When we did the Earl's Court shows, every single night was stunning. Probably his best band ever. Every major person in the UK came to see it, including Princess Margaret, who came twice. The Aga Khan came. It was just one of those.

That whole run of shows was really quite incredible. He was in such top form. That's why we extended the tour to Europe and then eventually did the Blackbushe show.

That ‘78 tour was the first time he'd really toured the UK since the motorcycle crash a decade-plus prior.

Yes. He was managed by Jerry Weintraub at the time. I phoned him and said, “I'd like to come over and talk to you because it's time for Bob Dylan to go on the road.” He said, “What makes you think that?” I said, “Because it's time.”

I went over to see him. We had this meeting in Jerry's office, and in walked Dylan. I must have had a sixth sense about it. It was the right time. 

Was that the first time you’d met Bob?

I met him when I was managing Van Morrison, and he and The Band put The Last Waltz together. We hit it off. That’s kind of how it all started. Van and Robbie sat down and helped put the show together, the structure of it. It was quite carefully crafted. They worked out very carefully who should go on when, so one would not upstage the other. So I was spending quite a lot of time with that, and Dylan was dipping in and out. We just kind of got on.

I didn't realize you were managing Van. He practically steals the Last Waltz with that performance of “Caravan.”

If you look very carefully at the film, when Van goes out, you'll see a foot behind him pushing him on stage. That's my boot.

He didn't want to go on stage. He had a panic attack just before he went on. When he got out there on that stage, he just killed. I mean, he was just unbelievable. Van went on after Neil Diamond, and the audience were really revved up. By the time he got out, I think he picked up again, the vibe of the audience and just went for it.

Was stage fright typical for him?

All artists get stage fright. Some show it more than others.

So tell me about the giant Blackbushe show.