Bob Dylan surprises fans with performance of Positively 4th Street for fifth time in fifteen years

A performance on the Outlaw Music Festival tour from Bob Dylan has seen him introduce a song to his set for the fifth time in fifteen years.

The classic track has made a few rare appearances, with the most recent outing before a show in Alpharetta, Georgia, being in 2023. Before that, the song had not been played since 2013. Positively 4th Street was released between Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde and has since become a song of interest to Dylan historians. The song was performed most frequently of all during Dylan’s 2006 tour, though it was soon dropped from the setlist. Positively 4th Street has made rare appearances since its use for the Modern Times tour, and last night (July 25) marked its fifth appearance in fifteen years.

It also marked the appearance of Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35, a song which has featured more frequently than Positively 4th Street, but still marks a rare moment for Dylan. A full setlist for his show at the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre can be found below.

• Gotta Serve Somebody
• I Can Tell (Bo Diddley cover)
• Forgetful Heart
• Ax and the Wind (George Butler cover)
• To Ramona
• Early Roman Kings
• Under the Red Sky
• I’ll Make It All Up To You (Charlie Rich cover)
• All Along the Watchtower
• ‘Til I Fell in Love With You
• Desolation Row
• Love Sick
• Share Your Love With Me (Bobby Bland cover)
• Positively 4th Street
• Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35
• Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35 was last played in 2024, with nine performances of the Blonde on Blonde track that year. Before that, though, there were just three outings of the hit song in 2016.

It is not the first song surprise from Dylan on this Outlaw Music Festival tour, with the veteran performer introducing The Times They Are A-Changin’ to his setlist for the first time in fifteen years.

Dylan played the song just once in 2010, at a performance held at the White House. The last public performance of the song was given in Chukchansi Park, Fresno, in August 2009. A full setlist for the Outlaw Music Festival show in Franklin, Tennessee can be found below.

• Gotta Serve Somebody
• The Times They Are A-Changin’ (First performance since 2010)
• Forgetful Heart
• Axe and the Wind (George Butler cover)
• To Ramona
• Early Roman Kings
• Under the Red Sky
• I’ll Make It All Up To You (Charlie Rich cover)
• All Along the Watchtower
• ‘Til I Fell in Love With You
• Desolation Row
• Love Sick
• Share Your Love With Me (Bobby Bland cover)
• Blind Willie McTell
• Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

The setlist thrilled fans when the Outlaw Music Festival began earlier this year, with listeners initially unsure of which song Axe and the Wind was. The first performance of the show had dedicated Dylan fans spend hours working out what the song was. They eventually discovered it was a cover of the Butler number.