Bob Dylan has been known to split fan opinion in the past, but gig-goers were furious at his most recent show. The veteran songwriter took to Bridgeport, Connecticut, as part of his Long Hot Summer tour and performed mostly the same songs as the last few shows. But attendees have made their feelings known on the quality of the performance as Dylan listeners were upset at just that, listening but not seeing the show.
Those who have attended Dylan’s shows in the past will know the legendary musician rarely interacts with the crowd at all. This proved to be a surprise to some in attendance at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheatre show last night (July 19), where Dylan did not interact with the crowd as usual. Despite this, some attendees believe it is the worst show they have ever attended.
One furious individual took to Instagram and wrote: “The worst concert I have been to in my life. I am sorry, but the organisers should never have accepted those conditions. For whatever reason, Bob Dylan didn’t want to be seen, and he came on stage with a hoodie and no lights and no big screen. The organisers should have notified in advance that you had to pay for the ticket only to listen to him. It was not a free concert. People paid to just listen to him sing, no interaction. The most boring concert that I have been. Very disappointing.”
A separate post on the Bob Dylan subreddit reads: “Jimmy Vaughn was a great, high-energy performance. Had a great view of it on the big screens. Dylan came on 25 minutes later, screens turned off. Staged illuminated by a half dozen small lamps. Fortunately, I had brought small binoculars. (We were seated in section 307.)
“Now I had looked into recent playlists, and still I could recognise two out of around 15 songs. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a huge fan. Blood On The Tracks and Desire will never fall out of my top 10 albums. I’ve seen him before. Twice within six months, and one show was amazing and the other not so much. Tonight was a ‘not so much.'”
Another fan wrote: “Various reports say this one was a dud, unlike the reviews of the last three nights… Oh well. Maybe audience and shit venue factored in?”
Dylan performed a setlist that featured songs from the likes of Time Out of Mind and Oh Mercy. A full setlist can be found below.
- To Be Alone With You
- Man in the Long Black Coat
- It Ain’t Me, Babe
- Tryin’ to Get to Heaven
- False Prophet
- I Can Tell (Bo Diddley cover)
- Black Rider
- Share Your Love With Me (Bobby Bland cover)
- When I Paint My Masterpiece
- I’ll Make it All Up to You (Jerry Lee Lewis cover)
- Crossing the Rubicon
- Soon After Midnight
- Under the Red Sky
- I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
- Goodbye Jimmy Reed
- Every Grain of Sand
Dylan is set to continue his 2026 tour later this year with a 30-date tour of Europe. He will play five shows at the Royal Festival Hall for the first time since 1964, and also has dates scheduled for Blackpool, Sheffield, and Bournemouth.
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