bob dylan

Wilcobama (photo from Brooklyn Vegan)

You might remember that I recently posted a video which featured two of my favorite bands, Wilco and Fleet Foxes, collaborating together on the Bob Dylan classic "I Shall Be Released." You might also remember that it was quite good. Wilco decided to take advantage of the mass amounts of blog hype over that video, and released a clean, crisp soundboard copy of the cover for the world to download. There is a catch though. To get the mp3, you have to hop on over to their site and pledge to vote in the upcoming Presidential election.

If you have been living in a cave for the past year, the election pits Democratic nominee Barack Obama against Republican candidate John McCain. If you pay attention to our blog, there is no question about who BOT's votes are going to, but our opinion doesn't matter in this case. What does matter is that you head on over to your local voter registration center or online resource to get yourself signed up. It will take only a few minutes, so download the free music and give it a listen while registering.

Recently, I read a pretty good article on Jambase about two of Wilco's August shows; one taking place on the east coast (8/12 in Lenox, MA), and one on the west coast (8/22 in Bend, OR). While it was a good short article featuring some nice photography, one particular passage stood out to me.

Wilco really turned up the heat late in the set with a spectacular triple threat featuring smoking versions of "Heavy Metal Drummer," "Hate It Here" and "Walken." The final encore let the crowd relax a bit as the Fleet Foxes joined in on the Dylan classic "I Shall Be Released."

After a quick Youtube search, I found a nice, high-quality capture of that said event for you all to enjoy:

I have always had much love for "I Shall Be Released," especially after first seeing the version on the seminal rock film The Last Waltz years ago which features The Band backed by a slew of guests including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Dr. John among others. With my current love for Wilco and Fleet Foxes, I think this version might trump the greatness of the one on that film (at least for now...). I can't get enough of Tweedy's attempts to go soprano. Actually, it really works for him.

In what seemed like an endless weekend of music on the east coast with All Points West in New York and the Baltimore edition of Virgin Mobile Festival, people made their decisions and ended up in one city or the other. Those that made their way to Baltimore found themselves surrounded by a headliner assault on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday found both Jack Johnson and the Foo Fighters filling the headlining spots with Wilco, Chuck Berry & The Silver Beats, The Offspring, The Swell Season, Bloc Party, Lupe Fiasco, and many more performing on the two main stages. Sunday's headlining spots were taken by Nine Inch Nails and Kanye West, with big names like Bob Dylan, Stone Temple Pilots, Iggy & The Stooges, Lil' Wayne, The Black Keys, She & Him, and more on the main stages. Virgin Mobile Festival also featured a dance stage, highlighted by sets from Underworld, Moby, Ferry Corsten, Armin Van Buuren, Chromeo, and a ton of other make-yo-ass-shake DJ's. A bunch of kind festival-goers were generous enough to tape some of their experiences to share with the world, and we've rounded up some footage for your viewing pleasure.

Check out videos from both Saturday and Sunday after the jump