July 25th: The Day Bob Dylan Went Electric

Dylan's 1965 performance

Bob Dylan headlined the 1965 Newport Folk Festival on July 25th, but instead of performing in his adored acoustic tones, he plugged in a Fender Stratocaster and played his set. There's no way to cushion the blow, Bob, but the crowd hated it. They booed and they booed and they booed him off stage. However, the times were a-changin' and slowly but surely the world went amplified too.
   When Bob took to the stage with his electric guitar, the folk fans did not take kindly to his revolutionary move, calling him a 'Judas' to folk music...bit strong. Fellow folk performer and legend Pete Seeger despised the change so much he said through gritted teeth: "If I had an axe I'd chop off the microphone cable right now". After barely making it out alive after three songs, Mr Dylan left the stage and shortly after reappeared armed with an acoustic guitar. It seems he just wanted to please the crowd that day, and to this day he still commends their "honest" reaction to his electric performance. 
    But if those hecklers thought they'd won the battle of folk and plug, they really had another thing coming! Bob Dylan's strong switch to amplified music meant momentous things for folk music, and music in general. The way it sounds, the way it's performed and the way we play music has all changed since July 25th 1965, and I don't think I'm alone in appreciating this advancement.