The 1973 show Bob Dylan refused and that The Band played for just one thing: “We were in a mood”As 1971 counted down into 1972, The Band were bringing a four-night residency in New York City’s Academy of Music venue when, surely to the surprise and disbelief of everybody in the audience, they introduced an old friend to the stage: Bob Dylan. Dylan and The Band ran through an impromptu, sloppy and laid-back but rocking four-song encore, huddling together onstage between songs to decide what to play next. Of course, Dylan famously declined, just like he declined another similar offer that came along in 1973. Though none of the more-than-half-a-million people at Summer Jam that day got to see Bob Dylan, they did get to see his backing band, at least. These days, it’s much harder to get Bob Dylan offstage than it is to try and coax him onto one.