An entry in the Treasure Ark series, which selects quality live recordings. This captures a show from June 30, 1988, the first year of Bob Dylan's so-called Never Ending Tour, at Wantagh, New York. A superbly solid, rocking Dylan can be heard on this excellent release. From the 1988 shows that marked the start of Dylan's Never Ending Tour, this captures the performance on June 30 at the Jones Beach Theater, an outdoor amphitheater in Wantagh, Long Island, New York. The lineup features G.E. Smith (guitar) and Chris Parker (drums), both renowned players who were members of the house band for the TV program "Saturday Night Live," along with Kenny Aaronson, who was part of the earliest lineup before Tony Garnier, who has remained in the band for 37 years to this day, joined on bass. The tour began right after the release of the new album "Down in the Groove," so one might expect a typical album promotion tour, but only one song from the new album, "Silvio," is played. The rest of the set is a very accessible list of career-spanning favorites, and combined with the straightforward rock arrangements, this is an unusually easy-to-enjoy show for an artist like Dylan, who does not always give listeners such an easy time. The mid-set acoustic segment, featuring just Dylan and Smith performing together, is also a rarity, and the traditional songs "Lakes of Pontchartrain" and "Eileen Aroon" are rare parts of the repertoire, performed only a dozen or so times between 1988 and 1990. Dylan's sales were fairly weak in the late 1980s, and his work was not always highly rated at the time, but his live performances told a completely different story, and a Dylan this solidly rocking is a rarity, making for a fairly aggressive show. Since the tour with this lineup had been underway for less than a month at this point, the playing has a slight roughness in places, but the backing from these consummate musicians offers a great deal to enjoy. The sound quality is also excellent, good enough that one wishes it could be an official release.