Bob Dylan Plays To An Audience of One

Earlier this week, one exasperated super fan got the show of a lifetime, when Bob Dylan and his touring band played Philadelphia’s Academy of Music for an audience of one. Fredrik Wikingsson reaped the rewards of a social experiment for an ongoing Swedish film series, called Experience Ensam (Experience Alone), which concentrates on filming individuals experiencing things typically intended for large crowds.  

Wikingsson recalls feeling faint when he took his seat two rows in, afraid sitting front would appear too ostentatious. The 41-year-old Stockholm TV personality spent the day before walking around NYC’s Greenwich Village visiting Dylan famous landmarks, and half convincing himself that the night’s show would pan out to be a cruel joke. Wikingsson’s friend and director, Anders Helgeson, put him up to the task with his extreme fandom proving him highly qualified for the series.

Playing a show later the even, Dylan took a relaxed approach to the affair – treating it almost like a sound test and paying no attention to the starry eyed man sitting below. He ditched his usual crowd pleasing set list for Buddy Holly’s Heartbeats, and Fats Domino’s Chuck Willis and Blueberry Hill. It’s rare that Dylan does covers, adding to his loose vibe of the night. The event is documented for all to see in a 15-minute video, which will hit YouTube on December 15^th.

[Via Rolling Stone]