Bob Dylan performed the opening night of his 40-date North American tour at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York. He performed the first set solo, while
Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Harvey Brooks, and Al Kooper accompanied him in the second. Dylan performed an acoustic and an electric set, with the electric set also featuring the premiere of “Desolation Row”. Angry fans threw objects onto the stage, some rushed onto it and attempted to pull Al Kooper and Levon Helm from their stools. Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm appeared here for the first time as members of Dylan’s electric backing group. The hostile reaction continued the controversy that had begun at the Newport Folk Festival.
