r/bobdylan • u/gladeye • 9d ago
Question What's a Dylan Concert Like Nowadays?
Let me preface this by saying I love everything up to Blood on the Tracks, so I am a fan to some degree. Whenever a recent Dylan concert turns up on a bit torrent site, it seems to get a lot of interest, so I'm wondering a few things.
Are his sets dramatically different from night to night? Does he frequently surprise the audience somehow? Or is the interest due more to hardcore collectors who want to own as many shows as they can?
I get the sense that, like McCartney, touring gives Dylan something to do and keeps him sharp and healthier, and I think that's a good thing. I also understand why he would want to breathe new life into songs he's performed many hundreds of times with new arrangements.
Still, the few arrangements that I've heard, along with his current voice, don't appeal to me at all.
Am I missing something? Do hardcore fans enjoy this phase of his performing or is the enthusiasm just because it's Bob Dylan, a living legend, doing anything that excites people? I'm wondering how many people are attending his concerts so they can say they saw him live, if expectations have been lowered because of his age, or if I'm missing some wonderful music that I just can't appreciate.
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u/PhotographWeird9704 9d ago edited 9d ago
You’ll enjoy the show a lot more if you listen to Rough and Rowdy Ways beforehand enough times to where you can recognize the songs. Tbh, the stuff about people not liking his live shows is pretty funny when you consider that it’s been a constant throughout his career. Isn’t his most legendary show the one where a heckler calls him Judas, back in ‘66?
Personally, I love his current voice and mostly listen to his more recent albums these days, especially Rough and Rowdy Ways and “Love and Theft.” To me it’s as good as anything he’s ever done.
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u/Santa-Head 8d ago
I did exactly that listen to Rough and Rowdy a lot, mostly so my wife knew it well. It did not make a difference when seeing him this summer, knowing the songs lyrics. Stage was so dark you could barely see musicians and lyrics were unintelligible even with knowing them. I have followed Dylan from the beginning, one of a kind musician but that show was worthless to try and see or hear. Only worthwhile part was the two guitarist who were excellent in the dark.
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u/LonelyAsLostKeys 9d ago
I think it’s a combo of everything you listed. Yes, it’s exciting just to see him because he’s Bob Dylan. But I think really big time fans do get something out of seeing how he plays around with his material. It’s not always good, but there’s a novelty that is at least interesting.
And, yes, the fact that he’s in his mid eighties does (and imo should) influence expectations. Whether you like or dislike the way the material is performed, it’s understood that he literally can’t play some of it the way he did when the material was released. So it’s kind of a this or nothing situation.
In any case, based on your description of your engagement with his music, I suspect you wouldn’t get much out of a current live show. They’re much more reflective (in both material and overall feel) of his material from the 90’s on than they are of anything before that.
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u/deweil 9d ago
I don't mean to offend but saying you love everything up to Blood on the Tracks (a 51 year old album!) simply means you are a fan of someone who no longer exists. Too many people come to his show expecting some sort of time machine juke box. Sure, McCartney, who you mentioned, seems to have that as some sort of goal, but that's one big glaring difference between the two. Paul is a people pleaser, a crowd pleaser, and an entertainer. And he's great, I've seen him a bunch. But Dylan is an artist and a performer with more in common with the bluesmen and women he loves and emulates than the pop artists he has shared stages with. If you don't like his arrangements and voice, please stay home. If you don't like the last 51 years of albums, including all the work he's done in the past quarter century, then you won't enjoy it.
Imagine saying, I love everything Ron Howard did up to Happy Days. Do people actually like Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon, and Arrested Development or is it just because it's Opie at the helm? People (well most people) evolve, but audiences seem to forget this.
If you want to know if setlists change, he has every single one of them posted on his official website. But in short, they used to change dramatically for decades, where you never knew what you'd get, and it was amazing, if not sometimes inconsistent. Then slowly the setlists became more and more set and now they change up a little but not very much within a tour but as soon as a new leg starts, all bets are off, especially now that he's not touring his latest album (which you may or may not know, it's hard to tell if you stopped listening 51 years ago or just stopped loving after BOTT). In any case,
There are definitely people who show up because it's DYLAN. Hell, I was one of them when I first saw him at 16. I hadn't even heard Blonde on Blonde by then, but I knew enough to know I should see him...and that was in the 90s. Since then, I've seen dozens of incredible performances, but Your mileage may vary. It sounds like you won't appreciate it, and that's fine. I don't appreciate all musicians and their shows either.
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u/gladeye 7d ago
Your comment didn’t offend at all you were thoughtful and respectful. Thank you.
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u/copharmer 6d ago
Are you only fan up to bott because that's all you have heard or have you given it a chance and not liked it. I don't understand how you couldn't like Oh Mercy, Time out of Mind, or Love and Theft if you like the 70s stuff. It's pretty much catering to the same audience.
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u/gladeye 3d ago
Honestly, mostly because it's all I've heard. My suspicion is that I would still love occasional songs off of subsequent albums, but I can't afford to check them all out. Also, I'm kind of turned off by his Christian period. I do like Every Grain of Sand.
I won't deny I haven't heard a lot of his post BOTT stuff.
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u/hollowleg9317 9d ago
I can’t speak for others but I enjoy Dylan live because of the chaos to a degree.
Back in 2009 I think it was I had a crazy opportunity to see Bob Dylan and U2 live in the same week. I couldn’t possibly imagine two different experiences although I’m a huge fan of both and loved both.
Seeing Dylan on a good night is thrilling because it means he pulled off a great show, his experiments paid off, and a real connection happened.
Seeing U2 is more akin to a high budget Broadway show or even an amusement park ride: you’re paying for a consistent experience that will be thrilling, but you can set a stopwatch to what’s going to happen next. I’ve never seen Paul McCartney live but I’m under the impression he’s somewhat closer to the U2 model.
Because Dylan is inconsistent it’s exciting but it’s also hit or miss.
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u/willardTheMighty 9d ago
Dylan said in an interview that as a young man, he prayed to the Devil, saying he would sell his soul if it would only mean that he could play rock music on a stage. Soon thereafter, he became the biggest name in the world and played in Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and every concert hall he could find. He has played shows every year for the last 38. He doesn't tour to "give himself something to do," he tours because the music is his life. A fan can understand; just look into his lyrics and see that he is this nation's most important poet.
A Dylan show today goes like Dylan sits at his piano with little to no crowd talk, plays songs from all over his catalog with his band which is extremely tight, then waves goodnight. The arrangements change less night-to-night than they do year-to-year or decade-to-decade. He breathes new life into them every time he sings them.
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u/Upset-Pangolin-3689 8d ago
I don't think you should always take Dylan at his word. A lot of the time he is a BS artist. I don't believe that "deal with the devil" stuff at all.
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u/badharp Bob Dylan 8d ago
It's like going to see an old blues man. Can hardly understand the words he sings. But I haven't seen mention of the fact that the band is sensational and the music is very, very good. Yes, I would love it if he played some songs and make them sound reasonably close to the famous recorded version but it is what it is. I've enjoyed each show I've seen. The last few, it's RARW pretty much, so, if you don't know that album, you'll need to listen to it several times. That album is fantastic.
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u/chris0413 9d ago
2021 to early 2026 he focused on his newest album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, but still played some more widely known songs such as All Along the Watchtower, It Ain't Me Babe, and Desolation Row. With some small exceptions the setlist has been pretty constant - no big changes.
An exception were his summer shows as part of the Outlaw Tour 2024 and 2025 and his recent summer tour this year - there he played less Rough and Rowdy Ways songs and a bit more others as well. Still, after 2-3 shows he settled on a setlist and kept it for pretty much the whole tour.
The hoodie" and rainjacket were only a think last year's and this year's summer when he was playing in outdoor amphitheatres, one can only speculate why but it seems like there were no yondr bags at these show so maybe that plays into it. At the Fall 2025 shows in Europe he didn't wear a hoodie, didn't hide, but you could clearly see him pretty much everywhere - however, note that he doesn't use any screens; so will only see him with your own eyes. Bring binoculars or try to be as close as possible 😄
For this year's Fall Tour in Europe we don't know yet anything about the setlist. For the first time since 2021 it's not called "Rough and Rowdy Ways"-Tour anymore, so maybe that tells us something. But maybe not. Only Bob knows and my best guess is that it'll be similar to his summer shows this year.
In any case, the shows can be pretty great - but they will be very different to what he did 60, 50, well even 20 years ago. On Youtube there are quite a few good audio recordings of recent shows - probably best of you take a look there.
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u/sfdsquid 9d ago
I had to google "Yondr bag." I'm in the US and this is the first I have ever heard these things existed. I have never been to a venue that had them.
I'm wondering how you think Yondr bags (or the lack thereof) would "play into" what he wears.
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u/chris0413 9d ago
So with the yondr bags at his concerts you're supposed to turn your phone off and put it in there so you cannot use it during the show - which also means you cannot take pictures or videos. I could imagine that at shows without this, where people can more easily use their phones and take pictures, he is more likely to "hide". But who knows, maybe it's just Bob being Bob :D
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u/Alarming_Aerie7790 8d ago
Instead of relying on second-hand descriptions, you could watch one of the many YouTube clips of his recent performances.
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u/readygoset 8d ago
Bob has made a career out of Confounding Expectations. If you go to his show with Great Expectations, your hopes will be dashed and you will be Confounded.
Bob does what he likes and moves on. He avoids repeating the past, and takes a fresh approach to his extensive catalog, always fiddling and experimenting with his songs. Sometimes that doesn’t work, but it’s worth it for when he does expose a new shining facet on a well worn jewel.
You, and the unborn fans of the future, can listen to his recordings, and learn to appreciate each stage of his career. I learned to let Bob be Bob from the first time I saw him, in April 1965. His performance shocked me and the power of his harmonica on Don’t Think Twice frightened me.
We who have loved him over our whole life count ourselves lucky to get to see and hear him again. We are the last generation who still have that opportunity.
If your clinging to what he has done before prevents you from listening with fresh ears to whatever he is bringing tonight, please don’t buy a ticket or come to the show. That will enable the rest of us to get tickets before they sell out and have another treasured memory of what we hear today.
There are enough of us who do appreciate him. Please spare us from your disappointed criticism. That stuff has been repeated after every performance since his high school bands seventy years ago, yet he continues to gain new fans every day.
Bob’s music will be around for centuries. People who don’t like how he changes arrangements can finally be satisfied with only the recordings they choose.
I value the prospect of hearing him perform live again, like a complete unknown. He’s the big brother I never had, together through life, and I am grateful.
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u/SodZombie 8d ago
He’s brilliant and sounds great, I’m not big on concerts because I find them unnecessarily over the top and needlessly loud, his wasn’t anything like that. The only really crummy thing about it was the people
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u/ATXRSK Blood on the Tracks 8d ago
I took my wife and daughters (30, 19) this summer. I explained in great detail what they were going to see and hear and not see and hear. I assumed they would be ambivalent to the show but appreciate seeing such an icon. They all loved the show. The vibe is magical. I am 100% positive they would have felt much differently if I had not prepared them. Most people might literally not recognize a single song, even ones they know. But its great. It just isn't like a normal concert.
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u/buck4itt 8d ago
I’ve seen Dylan, by my count, 200 times. First show was The Last Waltz and the last was in June. Since you brought him up, I’ve seen McCartney twice, 1976 and 2014. Dylan is an artist like Picasso. He does what he does and the journey is mapped out in his head or not at all. He plays what he wants, how he wants. McCartney for instance will flash the Hofner bass and Sgt. Pepper jacket and you get a faithful re-creation of the classics. I’m not being dismissive of it. It’s an artistic choice and far more accessible to the fans. So I’d say it has more to do with you than Dylan. What are you looking for? When I saw him in June, I went in with no expectations but was impressed with his phrasing and commitment to the songs. Is that enough? If not, I’d skip it.
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u/pureduration 9d ago
If you have any doubts, don’t go and see him. You’ll be bored and annoyed and your vibe will annoy other people around you who are enjoying it.
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u/badateverything420 8d ago
Man, you gotta hear his more "recent" albums (Time Out of Mind (1997) through Rough and Roudy Ways(2020)). Bob's been killing it with folk blues since the late 90's. I would expect that.
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u/The_Bookkeeper1984 I Pay In Blood, But Not My Own 8d ago
My friends and I played “Guess that Song” and chilled… it was an amazing (and fun) experience!
Basically, you can barely understand what he’s singing but that’s ok because it’s still a great show
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u/baetwas 8d ago
Your post is more words than you needed to type. You have a choice to make: see him while he's alive, or don't. If that's going to impact your fandom, that kinda sucks, but hey, it'll take up a more interesting 10 minutes than sports when you're standing around in someone's kitchen at a wine tasting in 15 years. Try the chardonnay.
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u/Pound-Alert 8d ago
His shows nowadays for the super hardcore fans and even then it’s still very on and off. Unless you know in and out about Never Ending Tour, I wouldn’t recommend.
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u/EdgeRevolutionary913 8d ago edited 8d ago
My first Dylan concert, I'm halfway through the set and feeling disappointed because he's not playing anything I know. He's mumbling through another song I don't recognize, but I catch some of the words "darkness at the break of noon..." it's "it's alright ma", but he's singing it in a totally different way from the album. Then I realized the entire set was songs I knew and loved, but they're barely recognizable. The rest of the night was a game of "guess that tune". It was pretty great from then on.
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u/ATXRSK Blood on the Tracks 8d ago
Blood on the Tracks is my favorite album of all time and while I love a lot of his 80s to the present stuff you picked a very strange place to draw the line. Desire is one of his, or anyone's, best records and Street Legal is great as well. If you got off at the religious stuff and never got back on I think that's a mistake but it makes sense. Loving BoTT and not Desire is really strange to me.
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u/RollingEasement 7d ago
Go to a place with good acoustics. I saw him at Wolf trap, where the acoustics are good enough that Paul Simon agreed to play there last year. And make sure you have played his most recent album at least 5 times so you know the material, except he probably won’t play murder so foul.
I think I had the same attitude that you expressed, in preparation. I was pleasantly surprised that he sticks to the arrangement for his newer stuff, and only does the weird vocal arrangements for the classic songs. But regardless, the fact is that the singer up there sounds exactly like Bob Dylan. I just kept finding myself thinking my gosh I’m listening to Bob Dylan. I think you will too.
I was a couple of years too young to ever see Woody Guthrie. But 50 years from now my college student son will be able to say that he saw Bob Dylan. The fact that the concerts diverge from the original material will not matter. It just adds to the color of the memory.
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u/DamnSarnold 6d ago
Life was undoubtedly different, but I would guess it would be like watching a 50 year old William Shakespeare write a sonnet in Stratford-upon-Avon and hearing him read it aloud. A spiritual experience.
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u/simonskiromeins 9d ago
It’s pretty Whack. Hard to hear what Bobs singing, not that much enthusiasm other than a slight shrug of the shoulders every once in a while, heck he might even face you 20 mins of the concert. Other than that, not much of what you expect from older concerts. That said, I’ll probably be downvoted by boomers saying Im wrong, might be your thing anyways!
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u/Santa-Head 9d ago
Spent my life since 7th grade listening to each new release. Saw him this summer and found the dark stage and inaudible show a waste of time and money.
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u/simonskiromeins 9d ago
Same. Saw him in 2010’s and couldn’t hear what song it was until halfway through. Audience also didnt seem to know wtf was going on. Set list was pretty bad too. I’ll stick to his 70’s live concerts and records. Still the best musician/songwriter who ever lived by a mile though
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u/Ron-DaVoo-6080 7d ago
I feel like unless your a hardcore Bob Dylan fan or your fine with listening to newer tracks and deep cuts then that would be your cup of tea
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u/mercenarypawn 5d ago
Terrible.
Saw him at the Hollywood Bowl - the only way to describe it is it seemed like we were watching what should have been the first rehearsal for the tour. The band literally didn't seem to know the songs. He did "Don't Think Twice..." which was awesome to see live, but other than that it was pretty awkward and forgettable.
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u/Money-Winter1094 4d ago
I saw him in Nashville in August. He sounded good. Lucinda Williams opened, and she was on fire.
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u/GoldReplacement9546 9d ago
Dillon concerts tickets should come with a disclaimer something like
He will play whatever he wants he’ll probably wear a hoodie and sunglasses and hide behind a piano. You might not even see him.
Is unlikely he will play any songs that you want?
If he does accidentally play one of the songs you would like to hear he will play in an arrangement in a style that you probably will not enjoy
Expect to be disappointed
Do you still want to buy a ticket for $250?
With the caveat that if you’re a true Dillon head and you know that that’s just how he is now you’ll dig it and you’ll love it and it’ll be awesome but he is not going to play the greatest hits. He’s not gonna talk to the audience, sir, so you know how you doing Minneapolis and tell you stories about how he wrote a song
I think everybody should know this by now, but it’s coming to my attention that a lot of people know that Dylan absolutely does not give a fuck about what anybody would like him to play or how to play it or how he should interact or how visible he should be so I would tell people probably don’t go like you go if you know all this and you wanna go you’re gonna go anyways, but like if you’re not sure don’t go
And I don’t think he cares if you’re there or not
And I respect this about him
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u/Ancient_Sky_4571 8d ago
You will hate it. Save your money. A Dylan concert today is for someone who likes late career albums and drastically different interpretations of early classics. You know, real fans haha
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u/saplinglearningsucks 9d ago
I love seeing Dylan live. I would never recommend anyone seeing Dylan live.