Bob Dylan is on the road in support of his Never Ending Tour – a journey that began in 1988 and has been making its way around the world ever since.
The first stop on the Never Ending Tour was at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California on June 7, 1988. There, he live-debuted "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Absolutely Sweet Marie," "The Lakes of Pontchartrain" and "Driftin' Too Far From Shore," and played "You're a Big Girl Now" and "Gates of Eden" for the first time in a decade, as well as "Gotta Serve Somebody" for the first time in nine years and "Boots of Spanish Leather" for the first time since 1963.
Take a look at that setlist:
It shouldn't surprise you that some of those same songs are on his setlist now, on the umpteenth leg of the Never Ending Tour.
For reference:
This year's trek commenced October 11, at the Donald Bren Events Center in Irvine, California and is expected to wrap up November 21 at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dylan's been playing classics like "Highway 61 Revisited," "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry," "Simple Twist of Fate," "Girl From the North Country" and "Gotta Serve Somebody" as well as "newer" songs like "Early Roman Kings," "Pay in Blood" and "Honest With Me."
Dylan even surprised fans on the tour's opening night by dusting off 1981's "Lenny Bruce" for the first time since 2008 and 1997's "Not Dark Yet" for the first time since 2012!
Now, I know asking the maestro to play songs like "Going, Going, Gone" or "Mozambique" is a stretch because he hasn't played those since 1978 and 1976, respectively. But he's been pulling out some songs in recent years that we'd love to see make a permanent comeback.
Take a look at some of the songs we realistically want Bob Dylan to bring back on tour!
Track: "All Along the Watchtower"
Last time played: November 29, 2018
Track: "Tangled Up in Blue"
Last time played: August 28, 2018
Track: "Mr. Tambourine Man"
Last time played: June 28, 2010
Track: "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"
Last time played: October 12, 2013
Track: "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"
Last time played: June 17, 2017
It's still early on in the tour, so who knows... maybe Dylan will see this blog and feel inspired to play some more of our favorites! A girl can dream, right?
Check out his remaining tour dates below, and head to Live Nation to get your tickets.
Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour 2019 dates:
10/26 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin @ Eagles Ballroom
10/27 – Bloomington, Indiana @ Indiana University – Auditorium
10/29 – Normal, Illinois @ Illinois State University – Braden Auditorium
10/30 – Chicago, Illinois @ Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC
11/01 – South Bend, Indiana @ Morris Performing Arts Center
11/02 – Muncie, Indiana @ Ball State University – Emens Auditorium
11/04 – Columbus, Ohio @ Ohio State University – Mershon Auditorium
11/05 – East Lansing, Michigan @ Michigan State University – Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
11/06 – Ann Arbor, Michigan @ University of Michigan – Hill Auditorium
11/08 – Highland Heights, Kentucky@ Northern Kentucky University – BB&T Arena
11/09 – Akron, Ohio @ University of Akron – EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall
11/10 – Moon Township, PA @ Robert Morris University – UPMC Events Center
11/12 – Baltimore, Maryland @ University of Maryland Baltimore County – UMBC Event Center
11/13 – Petersburg, Virginia @ Virginia State University – Multi-Purpose Center
11/15 – University Park, Pennsylvania @ Pennsylvania State University – Eisenhower Auditorium
11/17 – Ithaca, New York @ Ithaca College – Athletics and Events Center
11/19 – Lowell, Massachusetts @ University of Massachussetts – Tsongas Arena
11/20 – Providence, Rhode Island @ Providence Performing Arts Center
11/21 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ The Met Philadelphia
