Seven Days: June 17 – 23, 2024

June 17 - 23, 2024

The Week in Bob Dylan

This is Seven Days, a weekly summary of the best Bob Dylan news and links and everything new. You're seeing the free public edition.

Premium Members get an Extended Edition which includes 10-40 more links every week including lists of New Articles, Blog Posts, Reviews & Releases plus some extra videos.

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Tour Details

The Latest on Bob's Live Concerts

Dylan On Tour
- 26 Shows (June 21 - Sept 17)
- Dates/Setlists | Details | BobServe.com | Setlist Summary
Past Week: Alpharetta GA, Charlotte NC, Raleigh NC,
- Musicians: Jim Keltner joins on drums. Donnie Heron gone after 19 years
- GA Videos: Things Have Changed, Long & Wasted Years, Simple Twist of Fate, Early Roman Kings, Things Have Changed, Little Queenie, Cold Cold Heart
Next Week: Virginia Beach VA, Syracuse NY, Wantagh NY
Press:
- Bob Dylan Stuns Fans With New Set, Surprise Covers on Outlaw Festival Launch (Rolling Stone) [5]
  - "Nobody was prepared for the remarkable show that followed, which was one of the most surreal and unpredictable nights in the 36-year history of the Never Ending Tour."
- Dylan Mostly Played Recent Songs And ’50s Covers At Outlaw Tour Opener (Stereogum) [3]
  - "Jim Keltner joined on drums and Donnie Herron was out after playing pedal steel for 19 years in the band. His setlist at the Outlaw Music Festival was laden with five ’50s covers performed for the first time, and tracks from his 2012 LP Tempest."
- Dylan Radically Overhauls Set List for Outlaw Festival (Uncut) [3]
  - "Night 2 saw a revised set list, with Dylan swapped out eight songs from the previous show, adding in three classics including “Highway 61 Revisited“, “Ballad Of A Thin Man” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight“."
- Dylan Plays New Set of ‘50s Covers and Deep Cuts at Outlaw Fest (Consequence of Sound) [3]
  - "Dylan opened Friday’s show with a cover of Willie Dixon’s blues standard, “My Babe,” followed by renditions of Chuck Berry’s “Little Queenie,” The Fleetwoods’ “Mr. Blue,” Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart,” and Sanford Clarck’s “The Fool.”
- Dylan Plays Set of Surprise ’50s Covers and Deep Cuts (NME) [3]
  - "The curious inclusion of songs from the ‘Tempest’ album was further highlighted after fans spotted T-shirts promoting the album’s 2012 tour on sale at the festival’s merch booth."
- Dylan Fans Hope for Changes (Express) [1]
  - "Bob Dylan fans remain hopeful of hearing songs from his lesser-known album, Street Legal."
- Last Night in Alpharetta (Flagging Down) [8]
  - "But here’s the thing. The actual setlist, while bearing no relation to my joke one, was almost as insane. Although in entirely different ways."
- Last Night in Charlotte (Flagging Down) [8]
  - "The sun went mercifully below the tree line just as Dylan and the band came on, Dylan with the sleeves rolled up on his mostly-unbuttoned shirt, without so much as a “please welcome Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan” they were into a rocking opener that sure wasn’t “My Babe.” Buckle up, kids - it wasn’t the same set! "

Top News & Links

Our favorite Dylan-related stories and links

Portrait of the Artist as Not Such a Young Man (1981) [10]
- "The fact that Dylan returned to straight ahead rock 'n' roll about the same time he found Christ is an ironic twist of fate, especially for the fans who have waited since Blonde On Blonde for him to resume rocking."
Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson: A Musical Timeline (Flagging Down The Double E's) [8]
- "Below, find an annotated timeline of their many collaborations. I’m limiting it to them actually working together, as opposed to covering each other or otherwise interacting from a distance."
Bob Dylan Appeared on the Gerde's Scene (Folk City) [3]
- "On the 6th or 7th or 9th of April 1961, Bob Dylan was probably doing a rehearsal for his first ever pro event. Quite possibly, he was with MIKE PORCO at the Local Union hall paying his dues and getting his NYC Cabaret card to perform professionally. Only Bob knows, now."
Hearts of Fire Review (Cult Following) [3]
- "One of the worst listening opportunities out there if you can piece together all the clips on YouTube, and Dylan is a main player in it. He instigates an awful series of tracks and covers for the sake of massaging this rockstar appearance which he would ditch shortly after this release."
This Place Don’t Make Sense To Me No More: Bob Dylan’s “Street-Legal” (Aquarium Drunkard) PAYWALL

Special Announcement

There are no special announcements this week.

New Articles

Stories from the press

Artworks by Music Legend Bob Dylan Featured This Summer at the Fenimore (All Otsego) [3]
- "Bob Dylan Remastered: Drawings from the Road” features 92 unique, original signed works. The exhibition is on view through September 15.
Paul McCartney Picks His All-Time Favorite Bob Dylan Song (Forbes) [3]
- "The former Beatle chose Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and yes, he’s aware that some people might think it’s not the coolest choice…but he doesn’t seem to care."
Heaven’s Door Cues Up ‘Great State Bourbon Debate’ (Fred Minnick) [3]
- "Heaven’s Door Spirits, Bob Dylan’s collection of American whiskeys, is turning up the heat on the age-old debate of which state, Tennessee or Kentucky, makes the best bourbon."
The Gristmill: Dylan at the Workout Track (East Hampton Star) [1]

New Blog Posts

New from fans and other writers

Portrait of the Artist as Not Such a Young Man (1981) [10]
- "The fact that Dylan returned to straight ahead rock 'n' roll about the same time he found Christ is an ironic twist of fate, especially for the fans who have waited since Blonde On Blonde for him to resume rocking."
Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson: A Musical Timeline (Flagging Down The Double E's) [8]
- "Below, find an annotated timeline of their many collaborations. I’m limiting it to them actually working together, as opposed to covering each other or otherwise interacting from a distance."
Bob Dylan Appeared on the Gerde's Scene (Folk City) [3]
- "On the 6th or 7th or 9th of April 1961, Bob Dylan was probably doing a rehearsal for his first ever pro event. Quite possibly, he was with MIKE PORCO at the Local Union hall paying his dues and getting his NYC Cabaret card to perform professionally. Only Bob knows, now."
Bob Dylan's Pirate Philosophy (I Don't Love Nobody) [3]
- "Dylan has a storied history of hijacking interviews for his own purposes; he speaks like his hero, Ali, once fought: ducking and weaving, evading, and sometimes striking out with a sudden jab."
Covers: All I Really Want To Do (Untold Dylan) [3]
- "Sussan Deyhim’s cover was originally a part of the Amnesty International release Chimes of Freedom, an album in celebration of Bob Dylan’s 70th Birthday."
Dylan Revisited: Highway 61 Revisited (1965) (Dylan.FM) [8]
- "Never mind the bile-soaked lyrics, Like a Rolling Stone is six minutes long – twice the length of the typical radio hit. Dylan’s record label Columbia refused to even countenance releasing it as a single."
Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (John's Substack) [3]
- "He wanted us to hear it and think about our country, our lives, our future. And then go out and do something about it. Like he did."
When I Paint My Masterpiece (1971) Pt.13 (Untold Dylan) [5]
- "He stood up, and he took my hand to say goodbye, he said: [growling imitation of Dylan’s voice] ‘The weather, the weather.’ [audience laughter] [Smiling proudly]: I spent time with Bob. Got two words. It’s good enough for me.”
Bob Dylan's Senor: Can You Tell Me Where We're Heading? (Chris Gregory) [3]
- "Senor (subtitled Tales of Yankee Power) is one of Bob Dylan’s most celebrated songs of the 1970s. Its mysterious dream narrative is extremely beguiling."

New Releases & Reviews

News about new music or reviews

Hearts of Fire Review (Cult Following) [3]
- "One of the worst listening opportunities out there if you can piece together all the clips on YouTube, and Dylan is a main player in it. He instigates an awful series of tracks and covers for the sake of massaging this rockstar appearance which he would ditch shortly after this release."
Mixing Up the Medicine Review (Cult Following) [3]
- "Mixing Up the Medicine may be nothing more than a compilation of Bob Dylan hits but the break it gives to those in the trenches of bootleg material is refreshing."
Voices in the Night Review (Cult Following) [3]
- "Friend of the Devil may be the finest offering from this set. A wonderful surge of instrumental fury paired with an on-point and rigorous Dylan vocal accompaniment. What a treat for the ears."
Better Days: Unreleased Recordings Vol. 1 Review (Cult Following [3]
- "A man whose disinterest in television (as evidenced by a performance on David Letterman) and a frank disregard for moments in life which do not seem to benefit him, has kindled a rarity in his performances."
Better Days: Unreleased Recordings Vol. 2 Review (Cult Following) [3]
- "The point for many of these unreleased sessions is to prove, to himself more than anyone, that Dylan can still toy and meddle with his oldest, best works."
Screaming at the Moon (Live 1988) Vol. 2 Review (Cult Following) [3]
- "Nowhere can it be heard better than in the Screaming at the Moon trilogy. An insightful listen, to say the least."
Reborn in Time Vol. 2: Unreleased Recordings Review (Cult Following) [3]
- "There are shocks littered throughout Reborn in Time which just cannot be found elsewhere. Money Honey is another of those wonderful covers Dylan could lend his voice to now it had matured."
Behind the Album: Bob Dylan Finds His Religion on 'Slow Train Coming' (American Songwriter) [5]
- "But Dylan singing with such force and fervor at times, and at other times with such touching vulnerability, seems to indicate a guy who truly believed in what he was singing."
Broadway in Portland: ‘Girl From The North Country’ reimagines Bob Dylan’s music (KOIN) [3]
- "“I knew about him, and in high school I had a Dylan phase with ‘Blood on the Tracks,’ I listened to it over and over again when I was 17."
Behind the Album: Bob Dylan Finds His Religion on 'Slow Train Coming' (American Songwriter) [5]
- "But Dylan singing with such force and fervor at times, and at other times with such touching vulnerability, seems to indicate a guy who truly believed in what he was singing."
50 Years Ago Today - Bob Dylan & The Band Release Live Album 'Before the Flood' (Glide) [1]
This Place Don’t Make Sense To Me No More: Bob Dylan’s “Street-Legal” (Aquarium Drunkard) PAYWALL
Why ‘Blood on the Tracks’ Is Bob Dylan’s Greatest Album of All Time (American Songwriter) [1]
Time Capsule: Bob Dylan and The Band, Before the Flood (Paste)
50 Years Ago Today - Bob Dylan & The Band Release Live Album 'Before the Flood' (Glide)