He not busy being born is busy dying. And he not busy going to Lola’s Saloon on Sunday is busy missing out on a hell of a show. Singer-songwriter Scott Copeland is hosting his fifth annual Bob Dylan Birthday Tribute Show, which Copeland calls his “favorite gig of the year.”
Seven performers will sing more than 50 different Dylan ditties, some so obscure that Dylan has forgotten writing them. Don’t worry, Bob. Fort Worth’s acoustic guitar slingers will keep your songs bouncing off barroom walls for eternity.
“Oh, shit, Dylan’s my hero,” Copeland said. “He’s the best.”
The first time Copeland hosted this event he asked the performers to submit their set lists. He didn’t want artists repeating songs. He was amazed when he scrutinized the lists.
“There was not a single repeat out of 45 songs,” Copeland said. “That’s crazy. That shows you what kind of a songwriter Dylan is.”
If he were afraid to discover all seven performers planning to do “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding),” he worried for nothing.
“I think everybody was trying to out-obscure each other a little bit,” he said.
This year’s event features Carey Wolff and the Morning After, Thomas Flynn, Jake Robison, Derek Larsen, Luke McGlathery, Nick Tittle, Jerry Elmore, Ryan Elmore, and Copeland.
“Each year it gets better and better,” Copeland said. “We had more than 300 people come last year.”
Dylan is about to turn 75. Copeland is fully aware that the legendary folk singer’s birthday is on May 24 but “that is a Tuesday, and no one goes out on a Tuesday.”
Bob Dylan Tribute Show, Sunday, May 22, at 7 p.m. at Lola’s Saloon, 2736 W 6th St, Fort Worth. Cover $7. 817-877-0666
