TV REVIEW : Sinead Footage Highlights ‘Dylan’

Last October’s Bob Dylan tribute concert in New York--”Bob- fest ,” as the infectiously rambunctious Neil Young dubbed it during the show--had a can’t-miss premise (everybody does a Dylan song or two) that was undermined by a preponderance of dull and/or irrelevant performers. As a result, the celebration of the 30th anniversary of Dylan’s first album release failed to generate any internal drama--with one glaring exception.

At least at the Madison Square Garden event itself and on the original pay-per-view telecast, viewers were seeing it unfold live. Now that it comes to us preserved on tape--it airs tonight at 7:30 on KCET-TV Channel 28, launching the pop music series “In the Spotlight”--it’s even flatter, despite the compensation of added interview segments and unaired musical performances.

One new clip is especially valuable: rehearsal footage of Sinead O’Connor singing “I Believe in You.” That’s the song that she was prevented from performing by an audience that booed her down in the wake of her infamous papal paper-shredding on “Saturday Night Live.”

It remains as startling now as it was live, and the failure of any of her fellow artists to challenge the crowd’s bullying leaves everyone in violation of the spirit they were there to celebrate.

Things ring pretty hollow after that episode, and despite respectable performances sprinkled throughout the three-hour-plus show (notably by Young, Johnny Winter, Chrissie Hynde, Sophie B. Hawkins, Eddie Vedder and Lou Reed), the parts just don’t add up to much.

Although essentially flawed by an unimaginative roster (Hawkins and Vedder were the only really fresh faces aboard this long train), it’s probably worth hanging in there for the appearance of the guest of honor.

Dylan looks as thrilled as ever to be in front of the cameras, but he actually turns in one of his most engaged television performances in recent memory as he bites into the lyrics of “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding).”

The everyone-join-in finale of “My Back Pages” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” is spirited, spontaneous fun, and it’s nice to see O’Connor back in the fray as part of the chorus. Wonder if the audience caught that line, “Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth. . . .”

* The program also will be shown in two parts on Sunday and Monday at 7 p.m. on KPBS-TV Channel 15 and on March 9-10 at 8:30 p.m. on KVCR-TV Channel 24. It will air March 22 at 8 p.m. on KOCE-TV Channel 50.)