The Salt Lake City Setlist Curiosity
Among the dozens of setlists from Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, one song stands out for both its literary sprawl and its singular mystery: "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts." According to several reliable sources, this epic track was performed only once on the entire tour — on May 25, 1976, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
That performance, if it happened, would be the only known live rendition of the song by Dylan in any full concert context. And yet, no recording is known to exist. No audio. No audience tape. Nothing on the bootleg circuit. Not even a snippet. For a song that spans nearly nine minutes on record and boasts one of Dylan’s most complex narratives, its one-night stand with the stage has taken on near-mythical status.
The Known: Rehearsals and Setlist Records
What we do have is a short, partial video clip — likely from a rehearsal — of Dylan and Joan Baez running through the opening of the song. Baez can be seen gently harmonizing in the background while Dylan strums and delivers the early verses. The setting appears casual, backstage or in a small venue during soundcheck. No full performance footage has surfaced.
The May 25 Salt Lake City setlist, often sourced from tour notes and road crew documentation, lists the song among the entries. But without a recording, the performance remains impossible to verify. It’s worth noting that other setlists from this date are remarkably consistent with available recordings, suggesting that these notes were not fabricated retroactively.
The Rumors
Some collectors whisper that a tape exists — passed quietly among a tightly held inner circle, never digitized or leaked. If so, it remains one of the best-kept secrets in Dylan bootleg history. As with many RTR curiosities, secrecy, ego, and myth-making swirl together.
Could the performance have been dropped last minute? Could the song have been only partially played? Could it have simply been intended but never sung? All are valid questions. Given the absence of corroborating evidence, it's not unreasonable to treat the claim with a dose of respectful skepticism.
A Story Too Big for the Stage?
"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" is a cinematic, multi-character ballad — a song that demands the listener’s full attention and stamina. It's possible that Dylan realized mid-tour that the piece, for all its brilliance, didn’t quite fit the raw and communal vibe of the Rolling Thunder shows. Or maybe it was a one-off gamble, tried in Salt Lake City and abandoned forever.
We may never know. But as long as the setlist says it happened, the door remains cracked open. Until a tape emerges (if one exists at all), “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts” in Salt Lake City will remain one of the most compelling unanswered questions of the Rolling Thunder Revue.