Bob Dylan Doesn’t Always Respect His Paying Audience

Where: Tempe, Arizona, 1980
Dylan Era: Born-Again Bob

The Weirdness: Deep into his three-year fire-and-brimstone fundamentalist phase, Dylan found himself confronted by a hostile crowd of University Of Arizona students. They wanted to hear the hits—but Uncle Bob wouldn’t budge. He played nothing but his brand-new, Jesus-powered material. “If you want rock ’n’ roll, you can go see Kiss and rock ’n’ roll all the way down to the pit!” Dylan snarled from on high. Gene Simmons and Satan were unavailable for comment, but one can only imagine that both parties were pleased.

The Austin A.V. Club chronicles Bob Dylan’s best (worst?) onstage meltdowns.