--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I open all my concerts with 'My…" description: "\"I open all my concerts with 'My Backpages,' written by Bob Dylan, and close them all with 'May the Road Rise to Meet You,' written by Roger McGuinn and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/roger-mcguinn-13462_bob_i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages_923877.png" --- # I open all my concerts with 'My Backpages,' written by Bob… ![“I open all my concerts with 'My Backpages,' written by Bob Dylan, and close them all with 'May the Road Rise to Meet You,' written by Roger McGuinn and Camilla McGuinn.” quote by Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/roger-mcguinn-13462_bob_i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages_923877.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/roger-mcguinn-13462_bob_i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages_923877.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/roger-mcguinn-13462_bob_i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages_923877.png) > “I open all my concerts with 'My Backpages,' written by Bob Dylan, and close them all with 'May the Road Rise to Meet You,' written by Roger McGuinn and Camilla McGuinn.” [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He frames performances with Dylan’s introspection and a hopeful Irish blessing, blending folk roots with personal gratitude. **In simple terms:** Opening and closing songs set tone and gratitude. Key Takeaway Use meaningful book to shape audience experience. Themes music ritual gratitude heritage Mood inspirational nostalgic Type artistic ritualistic When to use this quote - live shows - album releases - personal ceremonies Key Concepts songselection performanceart culturalblending Questions to Reflect On - Which songs best reflect your journey? - How does a closing song affect audience memory? A Different Perspective Choosing songs may limit spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerts/) ## Related quotes > [ Except in these latter-day songs, \[Bob\] Dylan is a grizzled old prophet who's already been to hell and back. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/except-in-these-latter-day-songs-bob-dylan-is-a-grizzled-old-prophet/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [“We’re freer now, less encumbered by plans, more overwhelmed by the range of available choices, each of us enacting that wonderful line from Bob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-noxon/we-re-freer-now-less-encumbered-by-plans-more-overwhelmed-by-the/) [Christopher Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-noxon/) > [Look at Bob Dylan: his voice is not a great sound, but it gets the idea across... and that is what's really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/look-at-bob-dylan-his-voice-is-not-a-great-sound-but-it-gets-the-idea/) [Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/) > [ “Like almost all of Beefheart's recorded work, \[Trout Mask Replica\] was not even "ahead" of its time in 1969. Then and now, it stands… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/like-almost-all-of-beefheart-s-recorded-work-trout-mask-replica-was/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [Courtney Love's name should be right next to Bob Dylan when they say best lyricist of all time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-perry/courtney-love-s-name-should-be-right-next-to-bob-dylan-when-they-say/) [Linda Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-perry/) > [I've been really, really blessed. I got to perform on stage with Bob Dylan. I've gotten to sing with Mick Jagger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-crow/i-ve-been-really-really-blessed-i-got-to-perform-on-stage-with-bob/) [Sheryl Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-crow/) > [Most of the artists were trying to make a living, trying to get laid, trying to figure out who they were. They weren't trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-geffen/most-of-the-artists-were-trying-to-make-a-living-trying-to-get-laid/) [David Geffen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-geffen/) > [ Probably the high-watermark of \[Bob\] Dylan's career came after he plugged in his guitar ("Judas!" one fan shouted during a concert) and exploded American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/probably-the-high-watermark-of-bob-dylan-s-career-came-after-he/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [I first met (Bob Dylan) in '65. We've had a friendship for a long time. He decided to play on a record I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-sahm/i-first-met-bob-dylan-in-65-we-ve-had-a-friendship-for-a-long-time-he/) [Doug Sahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-sahm/) > [Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Neil Young and Bob Dylan are my main influences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-simpson/jack-johnson-john-mayer-neil-young-and-bob-dylan-are-my-main/) [Cody Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-simpson/) > [That's who I wanted to be like was Bob Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/that-s-who-i-wanted-to-be-like-was-bob-dylan/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/i-never-could-understand-it-was-impossible-for-me-to-get-my-head/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) ## More by Roger McGuinn > [One of my favorite albums is Bob Gibson and Bob Camp, 'At the Gate of Horn.' It was a really dynamic album, almost like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/one-of-my-favorite-albums-is-bob-gibson-and-bob-camp-at-the-gate-of/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I always got a kick out of it when they called it the California Sound because it really came out of Liverpool and Greenwich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-always-got-a-kick-out-of-it-when-they-called-it-the-california/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [... Andres Segovia literally created the genre of classical guitar, which hadn't existed before around 1910. There was flamenco, which he borrowed from, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/andres-segovia-literally-created-the-genre-of-classical-guitar-which/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Now, you can just get a laptop, get some software, put a microphone on it and make a record. You have to know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/now-you-can-just-get-a-laptop-get-some-software-put-a-microphone-on/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [That's one of the things I like best about folk music is the beautiful melodies - and the harmonies - that exist in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/that-s-one-of-the-things-i-like-best-about-folk-music-is-the/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Im not attracted to expensive things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/im-not-attracted-to-expensive-things/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I think what makes the Byrds stand up all these years is the basis in folk music. Folk music, being a timeless art form,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-think-what-makes-the-byrds-stand-up-all-these-years-is-the-basis-in/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I've always loved the songs of the sea. I was first introduced to them back in 1957, at the Old Town School of Folk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-ve-always-loved-the-songs-of-the-sea-i-was-first-introduced-to-them/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I play a couple basic folks songs and break them down. I did that on a six string. I can't recall all the songs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-play-a-couple-basic-folks-songs-and-break-them-down-i-did-that-on-a/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I don't want to be an oldies act, kind of dragging around on the road just for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-don-t-want-to-be-an-oldies-act-kind-of-dragging-around-on-the-road/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [My favorite guitar now is my Martin HD-7 because it's got everything. It's got the jingle-jangle thing from the twelve string, it's got the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/my-favorite-guitar-now-is-my-martin-hd-7-because-it-s-got-everything/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I think the good thing about the Internet is to give something away and to sell something else. Get a business model like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-think-the-good-thing-about-the-internet-is-to-give-something-away/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [I'm not attracted to expensive things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-m-not-attracted-to-expensive-things/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [But in my imagination this whole thing developed and I started mixing up old folk songs with the Beatles beat and taking them down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/but-in-my-imagination-this-whole-thing-developed-and-i-started-mixing/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) > [Leadbelly's guitar is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/leadbelly-s-guitar-is-in-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/) [Roger McGuinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) [Explore all 50 Roger McGuinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/) ## More Bob quotes > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I think anyone that grew up in the '70s and '80s grew up with Bob Barker and Wink Martindale and I think that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/i-think-anyone-that-grew-up-in-the-70s-and-80s-grew-up-with-bob/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [ Except in these latter-day songs, \[Bob\] Dylan is a grizzled old prophet who's already been to hell and back. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/except-in-these-latter-day-songs-bob-dylan-is-a-grizzled-old-prophet/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Over the past 50 years Bob Hope employed 88 joke writers who supplied him with more than one million gags, and he still couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-murphy/over-the-past-50-years-bob-hope-employed-88-joke-writers-who-supplied/) [Eddie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-murphy/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Because of my tremendous respect for Bob Barker and for the show's high standards of professionalism I consider this a tremendous honor that few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-west/because-of-my-tremendous-respect-for-bob-barker-and-for-the-show-s/) [Randy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-west/) > [That's who I wanted to be like was Bob Dylan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/that-s-who-i-wanted-to-be-like-was-bob-dylan/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Everybody who I ever cared about has told me that they like my music: Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Al Green, The Spinners, Smokey Robinson.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/everybody-who-i-ever-cared-about-has-told-me-that-they-like-my-music/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [Producing Bob Dylan was pretty much a spectator sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/producing-bob-dylan-was-pretty-much-a-spectator-sport/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) > [Listen, the story of the United States is this: One kid, without anything, walks out of his house, down the road, with nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/listen-the-story-of-the-united-states-is-this-one-kid-without/) [T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/) > [I figure if I keep my health, I have no intention of retiring. I love to work. I want to be like Bob Hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-figure-if-i-keep-my-health-i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-i-love/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) Browse all 886 Bob quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I open all my concerts with 'My Backpages,' written by Bob Dylan, and close them all with 'May the Road Rise to Meet You,' written by Roger McGuinn and Camilla McGuinn.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger McGuinn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages-written-by-bob-dylan-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bob" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages-written-by-bob-dylan-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/roger-mcguinn-13462_bob_i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages_923877.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/roger-mcguinn-13462_bob_i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages_923877.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/roger-mcguinn-13462_bob_i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages_923877.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I open all my concerts with 'My Backpages,' written by Bob Dylan, and close them all with 'May the Road Rise…” — Roger McGuinn", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Roger McGuinn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcguinn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I open all my concerts with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages-written-by-bob-dylan-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcguinn/i-open-all-my-concerts-with-my-backpages-written-by-bob-dylan-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```