Bob Dylan fans were split on whether the Spring 2026 tour is any good as attendees of a recent show say they “didn’t recognise” anything he performed.
The veteran songwriter, 84, confirmed tour dates for spring and summer earlier this year. But those who have attended the shows were left wondering if the tour was up to scratch. Dylan had previously been criticised by some attendees for forgetting the words to one of his most recent songs, while a show at the La Crosse Center in Wisconsin had irked some dedicated listeners. A post to the r/BobDylan subreddit had fans argue over the quality of the recent shows, which featured rarities the performer last played in 2013, and a selection of Rough and Rowdy Ways songs.
A fan asked: “Did anyone go to the Bob Dylan concert Friday night? We went to the concert at the La Crosse center Friday night. Things started with having to put all cell phones in magnetically locked pouches you held onto. The set was six 100-watt bulbs on a stage. No lights, no camera, no monitors, FFS, I couldn’t tell which one was Bob. Couldn’t understand a word he said or sang. Didn’t recognise a single song. Left after 90 minutes.”
Other fans were not as surprised as the original poster, with one replying: “Sounds like a Dylan concert. The guy is 84 years old & was difficult to understand in his prime.” Another added: “He has always been completely unintelligible, lol. Great songwriter though. If it wasn’t for the Grateful Dead, no one would know who Bob Dylan is. I also saw him with the Tom Petty Band, but that was years later.”
Others disagreed about the quality of the Spring 2026 tour, with one fan suggesting it was “more like an old blues concert” than a rock and roll experience. “I actually thought it was pretty good,” they wrote. “More like an old blues concert. He played All Along the Watchtower which was cool. He has a great band and I thought his voice was actually decent. It was more like a living room show for a large audience.”
Another agreed, adding: “I was not on the main floor, sound wasn’t bad. Not very loud, and that was an issue, sadly. I could understand him and what songs he was doing, but a lot of people were intent on talking throughout the songs, just chattering away with no interest that Bob Dylan, a national legend, at 84 years old, had come to their town to do a set.
“It made it difficult to hear the performance. I was more frustrated with the lack of common decency people had, for God’s sake, it was 90 minutes, and you can’t stop yapping and enjoy something/someone who might not ever be back again?”
A third wrote: “I had a great time! He opened with To Be Alone With You, which was the song where my wife and I had our first dance many years ago. Loved it. Bob always sounds like that nowadays… I’m surprised people buy tickets without knowing who they are seeing.”
An aggregated setlist of Dylan’s Spring 2026 tour can be found below.
- To Be Alone With You
- Man in the Long Black Coat
- All Along the Watchtower
- I Contain Multitudes
- False Prophet
- Black Rider
- Love Sick
- Goodbye Jimmy Reed
- I Can Tell (Bo Diddley cover)
- I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
- Crossing the Rubicon
- When I Paint My Masterpiece
- Forgetful Heart
- Soon After Midnight
- Nervous Breakdown (Eddie Cochran cover)
- Every Grain of Sand
