Bob Dylan Returns to the Road: Set List and Video
Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour resumed last night after a nearly two-year hiatus. The singer-songwriter launched his Rough and Rowdy Ways trek at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater, marking his first live appearance since 2019.
Dylan dedicated the show the show to late guitar pioneer Les Paul. "We know he was from here," Dylan said. "And we wanna honor him tonight with this show.”
The show's set list included eight songs from Dylan's most recent album, 2020's Rough and Rowdy Ways, leaving out only “Crossing the Rubicon” and the 17-minute “Murder Most Foul,” a historical number addressing the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy.
A complete set list and video from the show are available below.
Backing Dylan was longtime bassist Tony Garnier, pedal steel player Donnie Herron and guitarist Bob Britt, but the performance also featured a couple of new lineup changes, including the return of Charley Drayton, who first toured with Dylan on bass in the early '90s but now plays drums, along with new guitarist Doug Lancio (who's played with John Hiatt and Patty Griffin, among others).
Watch Bob Dylan Introduce His Band on First Night of Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour
In June, Dylan prepped for his return to live performing with a pretaped show, Shadow Kingdom, which incorporated songs from earlier portions of the singer's catalog. In September, the latest installment of Dylan's bootleg series, Springtime in New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 (1980-1985), was released, featuring material from Shot of Love, Infidels and Empire Burlesque.
Even though the tour has been billed as "worldwide," and is presumed to stretch into 2024, currently only North American dates are listed on Dylan's website. The first leg is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 2 in Washington, D.C.
Bob Dylan, Milwaukee, Nov. 2, 2021, Set List
1. "Watching The River Flow"
2. "Most Likely You Go Your Way (and I’ll Go Mine)"
3. "I Contain Multitudes"
4. "False Prophet"
5. "Simple Twist Of Fate"
6. "My Own Version Of You"
7. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
8. "Black Rider"
9. "Melancholy Mood"
10. "Mother Of Muses"
11. "Gotta Serve Somebody"
12. "Key West (Philosopher Pirate)"
13. "Early Roman Kings"
14. "Soon After Midnight"
15. "I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You"
16. "Goodbye Jimmy Reed"
(Encore)
17. "Love Sick"
18. "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry"