Bob Dylan and Tom Petty first played together at Farm Aid in 1985, the year the benefit concert was created, to support struggling American farmers. Initially, it had been suggested that Dylan should perform with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers at Live Aid earlier that year, but Dylan was reluctant, as he wasn’t familiar with playing alongside Petty. Instead, he opted to perform with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood. Ironically, it was Dylan’s controversial comments at Live Aid that inspired the creation of Farm Aid. For the occasion, he decided to revisit the idea of working with Tom Petty.
After months of rehearsals, the two – backed by Petty’s Heartbreakers – delivered an incendiary set at Farm Aid, and the chemistry between them was immediately apparent. Dylan enjoyed the partnership so much that a world tour followed in 1986, named The True Confessions Tour, during which Dylan and Petty performed together every night with The Heartbreakers as the backing band.
The first leg of the True Confessions Tour began on 5th February 1986, with two shows in New Zealand, followed by thirteen concerts in Australia, and concluded with four performances in Japan, wrapping up on 10th March 1986. After a short break, the pair hit the road again in June for a forty-one-date second leg across the United States and Canada, which ended on 6th August. The partnership between Dylan and Petty was a resounding success, showcasing an electrifying fusion of their respective sounds. Petty & The Heartbreakers were at the peak of their powers, and the shows breathed new life into classic Dylan songs, with the duo complementing each other beautifully.
DISC 1
1 Unchain My Heart 3:32
2 Positively 4th Street 3:43
3 Clean Cut Kid 2:42
4 Emotionally yours 5:15
5 Shot Of Love 5:12
6 We Had It All 3:09
7 Masters Of War 4:20
8 To Ramona 4:04
9 One Too Many Mornings 3:16
10 It Ain’t Me Babe 5:05
11 I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know 4:50
12 I’m Moving On 2:13
13 Band Of The Hand 4:13
14 When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky 5:48
15 Just Like A Woman 4:30
16 Ballad Of A Thin Man 5:08
DISC 2
1 Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
2 Seeing The Real You At Last 3:51
3 Across The Borderline 4:15
4 I And I 5:17
5 Band Intro/Like A Rolling Stone 6:13
6 Blowin’ In The Wind 4:44
7 Shake A Hand 3:30
8 Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door 7:27
9 It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (with Grateful Dead) 6:50
10 Desolation Row (with Grateful Dead) 10:45