Bob Dylan and Tracy Chapman perform Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – on this day in 1988

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A riotous show for all involved occurred on this day in 1988 when Bob Dylan brought out Tracy Chapman to perform Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. While Dylan hasn’t performed the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid soundtrack standout in years, it used to be a staple of his setlist. Dylan hasn’t touched the song since 2003 and it may never feature in his setlist again. He’s featured it enough times over the years to have more than a few worthy versions.

One such version came towards the end of his show at the Pacific Coliseum on this day in 1988. Dylan’s show in Vancouver, Canada, was the first to feature Chapman, but not the last. He also featured a cover of the traditional track, Barbara Allen. A selection of acoustic performances were also put on the setlist, including One Too Many Mornings and The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.

A full setlist for Dylan’s show at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada, can be found below.

• Subterranean Homesick Blues
• I’ll Remember You
• Masters of War
• Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
• It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
• Highway 61 Revisited
• Boots of Spanish Leather
• The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
• One Too Many Mornings
• Barbara Allen (traditional cover)
• Silvio
• In the Garden
• Like a Rolling Stone
• The Times They Are A-Changin’
• All Along the Watchtower
• Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (with Tracy Chapman)

Dylan would opt to play Boots of Spanish Leather, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll, One Too Many Mornings, and The Times They Are A-Changin’ as acoustic numbers. The final song of the night, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, featured Chapman.

Decades on from this performance and Chapman would cover two Dylan songs as part of a benefit birthday tribute in New York City on May 19, 2001. Chapman opted to perform I Threw It All Away and Gotta Serve Somebody as part of the tribute concert. Despite Dylan featuring Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door during his Vancouver show, the track had not made an appearance during the first-ever Never-Ending tour show.

Instead, Dylan opted for the likes of Maggie’s Farm, Every Grain of Sand, and Tangled Up in Blue, songs that were absent from the Chapman-featuring performance. A full setlist for the first Never-Ending Tour show, performed at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 2, can be found below.

• Subterranean Homesick Blues
• I’ll Remember You
• Tangled Up in Blue
• You’re a Big Girl Now
• Highway 61 Revisited
• Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
• Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
• A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
• Trail of the Buffalo (traditional cover)
• Boots of Spanish Leather
• Silvio
• Every Grain of Sand
• Like a Rolling Stone
• She Belongs to Me
• Maggie’s Farm