With this ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’ he has reached number one on the charts in the United Kingdom and in seven other European countries, receiving a very good reception from the public and critics. After three albums -some even published under the pseudonym Jack Frost, such as ‘Triplicate’- in which he recorded covering songs by Sinatra, John Mercer and Harold Arlen, Dylan rediscovers himself with ten new songs that, with great probability, have rescued from a drawer from the stage in which he wrote ‘Tempest’. A symbiosis between folk, electric blues, sentimental ballads and other unclassifiable genres that reflect the different personalities of the artist throughout his career.
For this tour, he introduces the two new members of his band: drummer Matt Chamberlain and guitarist Bob Britt, who thus join bassist Tony Garnier, guitarist Charlie Sexton, and Donnie Herron on steel guitar, violin, accordion and mandolin. The last concerts of his have been classified as “one of the best in years”, maintaining a voice that “is singing like decades ago”, according to the musical specialist of the Star Tribune, Jon Bream.
“Rough and arrogant”
Winner of 13 Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe for Best Song for ‘Things Have Changed’, the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts in 2007, the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 and with his name engraved in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The last great success of Duluth was the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. In the midst of some controversy, it was not in vain that he was the first musician to receive such recognition, Dylan’s absence at the award ceremony in Stockholm earned him the qualifications of “rude and arrogant” by some member of the Swedish Academy. In fact, it was the singer Patti Smith who took the stage on his behalf to interpret a choppy ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ between tears of emotion.
The concerts will be ‘phone free show’, that is, phones will not be allowed in the room
The latest controversy surrounding the artist broke out last November after the publication of his first book in 18 years, ‘The Philosophy of Modern Song’, after ‘Chronicles’ (2004). Up to 900 copies of a limited edition with the author’s signature were released at a price of $599, and yet it did not go unnoticed by readers that all the autographs were identical. Dylan had to apologize and confess that the reason for the ‘signing’ fraud was due to his vertigo problems.
Live and without mobiles
As the promoters Riff Music and Get In have reported, Bob Dylan’s concerts will be ‘phone free shows’, that is, phones will not be allowed in the room. Once at the Kursaal, the Yondr company will make its staff available to attendees to help store the mobile phone in a closed and secure case, which each attendee can keep with you throughout the evening. In an emergency, the terminal can be unlocked by going to a specific area designated for its use.
The organizers explain that “having used this phone-free experience on recent tours, we believe it creates better moments for all attendees. Our senses sharpen slightly when we lose our technological crutch. And yes, it’s a non-negotiable deal (although medical exemptions are made for those who rely on their phone for treatment).”
For those who want to post photos or videos of the concert on their personal social networks, Get In reports that tour photographer Jack White will upload all the concert content to his website and networks, which can be downloaded and shared.