List of Bob Dylan concert tours

Bob Dylan performing at Finsbury Park, London, June 18, 2011
Bob Dylan performing at Finsbury Park, London, June 18, 2011
Dylan, onstage and with eyes closed, plays a chord on an electric guitar.
Dylan in Toronto April 18, 1980

Bob Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, artist and writer. He has been influential in popular music and culture for more than five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he was both a chronicler and reluctant figurehead of social unrest. Early songs such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'" became anthems for the American civil rights and anti-war movements. Leaving his initial base in the American folk music revival, Dylan's six-minute single "Like a Rolling Stone" altered the range of popular music in 1965. His mid-1960s recordings, backed by rock musicians, reached the top end of the United States music charts while also attracting denunciation and criticism from others in the folk movement.

The Never Ending Tour commenced on June 7, 1988,[1] and Dylan has played roughly 100 dates a year for the entirety of the 1990s and 2000s—a heavier schedule than most performers who started out in the 1960s.[2] By May 2013, Dylan and his band had played more than 2,500 shows, anchored by long-time bassist Tony Garnier, multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron, and guitarist Charlie Sexton.

1960s

Year(s) Tour Dates Number of
shows
1965 Tour of England April 30 - May 10, 1965 8
Bob Dylan's first concert tour raking place during late April and early May 1965. The tour was widely documented by filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker, who used the footage of the tour in his documentary Dont Look Back.
1966 World Tour February 4 - May 27, 1966 47
Dylan and his backing group gave concerts sporadically throughout the United States and Canada while the initial sessions for Blonde on Blonde were being recorded. The first leg of the tour took place in North America. Leaving the continental United States, Dylan traveled to Hawaii and from there to Australia. The tour group then flew to Scandinavia for concerts in Stockholm and Copenhagen. Dylan then toured the United Kingdom. He made a short trip to Paris before he finished the tour in London. On July 29, 1966, two months after the last concert of the World Tour, Dylan was involved in a motorcycle accident and although Dylan still had bookings for 1966 and beyond, he canceled all engagements.

1970s

Year(s) Tour Dates Number of
shows
1974 Bob Dylan and The Band Tour January 3 - February 14, 1974 40
This tour reunited Dylan with The Band on stage after the release of the Dylan's Band-backed Planet Waves album. This was a high-profile comeback for both sides of the bill. While virtually all the songs here were familiar and might be considered 'hits'. At the beginning of the tour, a few songs from Planet Waves were performed in concert, but as the tour wore on, these songs gradually disappeared from the set list. By the end, only "Forever Young" would remain.
1975-76 Rolling Thunder Revue October 30, 1975 - May 25, 1976 57
The Rolling Thunder Revue was a concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan with a traveling caravan of musicians, including Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Bob Neuwirth assembled the backing musicians, including T-Bone Burnett, Mick Ronson, David Mansfield, Steven Soles, violinist Scarlet Rivera, bassist Rob Stoner, and drummer Howie Wyeth.
1978 World Tour February 20 - December 18, 1978 114
In 1978, Dylan embarked on a year-long world tour, performing 114 shows in Japan, the Far East, Europe and the US, to a total audience of two million people. For the tour, Dylan assembled an eight piece band, and was also accompanied by three backing singers. The 1978 tour grossed more than $20 million, and Dylan acknowledged to the Los Angeles Times that he had some debts to pay off because "I had a couple of bad years. I put a lot of money into the movie, built a big house ... and it costs a lot to get divorced in California". It was on this tour that Dylan found Jesus and became a born-again Christian.
1979-80 Gospel Tour November 1, 1979 - May 21, 1980 79
On June 15, Dylan released the album Street-Legal, which received poor reviews from most American critics. Performances on his world tour also received negative reviews. The physical demands of touring were also taking a toll on the artist.

1980s

Year(s) Tour Dates Number of
shows
1981 A Musical Retrospective Tour June 10 - November 21, 1981 54
The European tour ended in tragedy in Avignon, France where a member of the crowd fell into the electric cables before the first song and caused total power loss. Dylan and the band improvise an unplugged instrumental until the power is restored and ‘Saved’ is started from the beginning. In the accident two people were killed, but the show went ahead despite the incident.
1984 European Tour May 28 - July 8, 1984 27
Dylan played some of the biggest and best known European music venues including Ullevi Stadion in Gothenburg, Sweden, St. James Park in Newcastle, England, Wembley Stadium in London, England and Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland.
1986 True Confessions Tour February 5 - August 6, 1986 60
Featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The tour started with two concerts in New Zealand and thirteen concerts in Australia before four concerts in Japan.[4] Both Dylan and Petty took a break after this tour before returning to the road in June to perform a forty-one date tour of the United States and Canada.
1987 Dylan & the Dead Tour July 4–26, 1987 6
Featuring The Grateful Dead. Each concert began with a lengthy set by the Grateful Dead of their own material (sometime broken into a first and second set, per the Dead's own practice), followed by a roughly 90 minute set of the Dead acting as Dylan's backup band.
1987 Temples in Flames Tour September 5 - October 17, 1987 30
Featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This was the last time that Dylan has toured with Tom Petty and the last tour before beginning the Never Ending Tour. Dylan and Petty briefly united in Holmdel, New Jersey in the summer of 2003.
1988 Never Ending Tour 1988 June 7 - October 19, 1988 71
This is the least amount of performances on a 'Never Ending Tour' yearly tour. The 1988 tour stayed within the North America, performing 63 concerts in the United States and 8 in Canada. He performed in 29 states in the USA and 6 provinces in Canada.
1989 Never Ending Tour 1989 May 25 - November 15, 1989 100
After finishing the European tour Dylan returned to the United States performing at many of the same venues that he had performed in the year before, on the first year of the Never Ending Tour. Dylan continued to perform in the United States and Canada until November 15.

1990s

Year(s) Tour Dates Number of
shows
1990 Never Ending Tour 1990 January 12 - November 18, 1990 93
The Never Ending Tour 1990 started off with a tour called the Fastbreak tour where Dylan performed in the United States, Brazil, France and England in less than thirty days. Dylan started his final tour of the year on October 11 in Brookville, New York. This tour consisted of thirty concerts in the United States. During the roué Dylan performed a five night run at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The tour finally came to a close on November 18 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan after ninety-three concerts.
1991 Never Ending Tour 1991 January 28 - November 20, 1991 101
The Never Ending Tour 1991 started with The Second Fastbreak Tour starting in late January. The tour started in the reverse of the original Fastbreak Tour, in the first tour Dylan started in North America and moved to Europe but in the 1991 tour Dylan started in Europe and finished in North America. Dylan continued his North American tour on October 24 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The tour continued through the Southern and Eastern United States coming to an end in Charlottesville, Virginia on November 20.
1992 Never Ending Tour 1992 March 18 - November 15, 1992 92
The Never Ending Tour 1992 started with a large tour of Oceania. Dylan performed nineteen concerts in Australia and one in New Zealand. There was a break in the tour after only five shows. During the break many major musical artists gathered at Madison Square Garden to recognize Bob Dylan’s 30 years as a recording artist. Recorded on October 16, 1992 at in New York City, the concert featured many artists performing classic Dylan songs, before ending with three songs from Dylan himself. The tour continued on October 23 and finally ending on November 15 at the South Florida show grounds in West Palm Beach, Florida.
1993 Never Ending Tour 1993 February 5 - October 9, 1993 76
The Never Ending Tour 1993 started on February 5 in Dublin, Ireland. On February 7 Dylan started a six show run at Hammersmith Apollo in London, England. Dylan performed four unplugged shows at The Supper Club in New York, playing two concerts on each day, one in the afternoon and the other in the evening. The tour came to an end after eighty shows, the second shortest tour of the Never Ending Tour.
1994 Never Ending Tour 1994 February 5 - November 13, 1994 104
The Never Ending Tour 1994 started with eleven concerts in Japan. Two days later Dylan performed in Malaysia, his first and to date, only concert there to date. Dylan then went on to perform concerts in Singapore and Hong Kong. Dylan continued his United States Tour on October 1 in Ithaca, New York. The tour continued through the fall in the eastern United States ending on November 13 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Inspired by the success of his appearance at Woodstock ’94 Dylan performed on MTV Unplugged which resulted in the live album "MTV Unplugged".
1995 Never Ending Tour 1995 March 11 - December 17, 1995 115
The Never Ending Tour 1995 started in early March in the Czech Republic. The tour moved onto Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium. Dylan performed a large number of concerts in the United Kingdom. The Never Ending Tour 1995 came to an end on December 17 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after one-hundred and sixteen shows.
1996 Never Ending Tour 1996 April 13 - November 23, 1996 84
The Never Ending Tour 1996 started on April 16 in Madison, New Jersey. The concerts mainly took place in the North-Eastern states of America, as well as four concerts in eastern Canada. There were originally plans to tour smaller club venues towards to the end of December, but these plans were shelved until the following year.
1997 Never Ending Tour 1997 February 9 - December 20, 1997 93
The Never Ending Tour 1997 started in Japan in February. The tour was made up of eleven dates including three in Tokyo and two in Osaka. The tour was interrupted in 1997 when Dylan was forced to cancel dates after suffering a serious medical issue in May. Columbia Records announced he was being hospitalized for a potentially fatal chest infection, histoplasmosis. Shortly after completing this tour, Dylan set out on tour again, this time performing in small club venues.
1998 Never Ending Tour 1998 January 13 - November 7, 1998 110
The Never Ending Tour 1998 started in North America with two performances in New London, Connecticut and five concerts at the Madison Square Theatre. In October Dylan toured North America without support from any other major act. He performed seven concerts in Canada and ten in the United States. The tour came to an end on November 7 in Atlanta, Georgia after one hundred and ten concerts.
1999 Never Ending Tour 1999 January 26 - November 20, 1999 119
The Never Ending Tour 1999 started in Fort Myers, Florida. This was the first time that Dylan had performed in Florida since 1995. On October 26 Dylan started a twenty date tour with Phil Lesh and Friends. The tour came to a close in Newark, Delaware on November 20.

2000s

Year(s) Tour Dates Number of
shows
2000 Never Ending Tour 2000 March 10 - November 19, 2000 112
The 2000 Never Ending Tour started in North America with two performances in one day at the Anaheim Sun Theatre in Anaheim, California on March 10. The tour came to a close in Towson, Maryland on November 19 at the Towson State University after one-hundred and twelve shows.
2001 Never Ending Tour 2001 February 25 - November 24, 2001 106
The Never Ending Tour 2001 started in Japan, where Dylan had not performed since 1997. Dylan then toured Australia where he had not played since 1998. Dylan returned to North America to perform concerts in August including several concerts at State Fairs. The United States Summer Tour came to an end on August 25 in Lancaster, California. Dylan returned to touring on October 5 in Spokane, Washington and ended in Boston on November 24. This was Dylan's 23rd performance in Boston.
2002 Never Ending Tour 2002 January 31 - November 22, 2002 107
The Never Ending Tour 2002 started in Florida, where Dylan had not performed since September 1999. After completing his US summer tour Dylan performed a round tour of the United States starting in Seattle, Washington on October 4 and coming to an end Fairfax, Virginia on November 22. It was after this last performance that Charlie Sexton left Bob Dylan’s band. He returned to Dylan’s band line-up in the Fall of 2009.
2003 Never Ending Tour 2003 February 6 - November 25, 2003 98
The 2003 tour started with eleven concerts in Oceania, seven being in Australia and four being in New Zealand. There were originally plans to continue this tour into Japan but these plans were abandoned. The tour came to an end in London, England at the Brixton Academy. He had also performed in London the previous two nights at the Shepherds Bush Empire and the Hammersmith Apollo.
2004 Never Ending Tour 2004 February 28 - November 27, 2004 111
The 2004 tour started with a spring tour of the United States. Dylan performed several residencies during the tour. Then on October 13 Dylan commenced the final leg of the tour performing in College sports venues across the United States. The tour started on October 13 in San Francisco, California and ended in Allston, Massachusetts, on November 21.
2005 Never Ending Tour 2005 March 7 - November 27, 2005 113
In 2005, Dylan toured the United States with Merle Haggard. The tour included several residencies at various venues. Dylan returned to Europe after 15 months in the fall of 2005. He performed 31 shows over the space of two months covering 13 countries and 27 cities. The tour started in Stockholm, Sweden on October 17 and finished on November 27 in Dublin, Ireland.
2006 Never Ending Tour 2006 April 1 - November 20, 2006 99
The tour started off in Reno, Nevada at the Reno Events Center. Dylan once again toured North America in the fall of 2006 performing 24 concerts in the United States and five concerts in Canada. This leg of the tour started on October 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia and ended in New York City on November 20.
2007 Never Ending Tour 2007 March 27 - October 29, 2007 98
The tour started off in Europe in a small venue called Debaser Medis in Stockholm, Sweden and continued on to the Globe Arena and the rest of Europe. Dylan traveled back from Oceania to perform a further thirty-one concerts in the United States. This leg of the tour also contained Dylan's 2000th performance on the Never Ending Tour. This date was October 16 at the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio.
2008 Never Ending Tour 2008 February 2 - November 21, 2008 97
The tour started with three shows at the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas before performing in Latin America and South America. Dylan and the band continued to tour North America throughout the fall of 2008 where the tour finally came to a close on November 21, 2008 at the United Palace Theater in New York City after ninety-seven concerts.
2009 Never Ending Tour 2009 March 22 - November 19, 2009 97
The tour started in Stockholm, Sweden at an intimate concert at Berns Salonger. Dylan performed five concerts in England. One of which was at the Roundhouse in London which was a concert especially for the members of the BobDylan.com fan club. During the fall tour Dylan and his band performed three concerts at several venues during the tour including the Hollywood Palladium, Aragon Ballroom, Wang Theatre and United Palace Theater where the tour ended on November 19.

2010s

Year(s) Tour Dates Number of
shows
2010 Never Ending Tour 2010 March 11 - November 27, 2010 102
The tour started off with 14 shows in Japan including a seven show run at the Zepp in Tokyo, Japan before moving on to a concert in South Korea, the first he had performed there. The tour came to a close in Mashantucket, Connecticut on November 27 after 102 shows.
2011 Never Ending Tour 2011 April 3 - November 21, 2011 89
The tour started off with a concert in Taiwan, the first of Dylan’s career. Then he, along with his band, performed two concerts in China, one in Beijing and one in Shanghai. Dylan returned to Europe in the fall of the year to perform a string of concerts with Mark Knopfler.
2012 Never Ending Tour 2012 April 15 - November 21, 2012 86
The first dates to be announced were concerts taking place in three South American Countries; Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Dylan previously visited these countries last time he toured South America. Performing only 86 concerts in 2012, Dylan performed the fewest amount of shows during a year long leg of the Never Ending Tour since 1996.
2013 Never Ending Tour 2013 April 5 - November 28, 2013 85
The 2013 tour marked the Never Ending Tour's 25th Anniversary. Thirteen dates for the first leg, in North America, were announced at Dylan's official website on February 27, 2013. A summer tour of the US was announced in April 2013 called the Americanarama Festival of Music. Dylan's official website announced a European tour taking place between October and November on June 13, 2013.
2014 Never Ending Tour 2014 March 31 - December 3, 2014 92
The first leg of the tour taking place solely in Japan was announced on Christmas Eve 2013. The final leg of the tour, taking place in North America throughout the autumn/early winter was announced on August 27.

Non-Tour performances

1950s

Date Venue Location Set
December 24, 1956 Terlinde Music Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Date Venue Location
Spring 1958 The Home of Robert Zimmerman Hibbing, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "Hey Little Richard", "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz", "Jenny, Jenny", "We Belong Together" and "Lilly Lou".
January 10, 1959 Hibbing High School Hibbing, Minnesota, United States
A dance following the Hibbing International Falls basketball game. Songs performed: "As Time Goes By" and "Swing Daddy Swing".
May 1959 The Home of Ric Kangas Hibbing, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "When I Got Troubles", "I Wish I Knew", "Teen Love Serenade" and "The Frog Song".

1960s

Date Venue Location
May 1, 1960 The Home of Karen Wallace[3] Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "Gotta Travel On)", "Doney Gal", "Roving Gambler", "Go Down You Murderers", "Bay of Mexico", "The Two Sisters", "Go Way from My Window", "This Land Is Your Land", "Go Tell It to the Mountain", "Fare Thee Well", "Pastures of Plenty", "Saro Jane", "Take This Hammer", "Nobody Loves When You're Down and Out", "Great Historical Bum", "Mary Ann", "Every Night When the Sun Goes In", "Sinner Man", "Delia", "Wop De Alano", "Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?", "Amber Young", "500 Miles", "Blues Yodel No. 8", "One-Eyed Jacks", "Columbus Stockade Blues" and "Payday at Coal Creek".
June 1, 1960 The Purple Onion[4] Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "Go Down You Murderers", "Sinner Man", "House of the Rising Sun", "Timber", "Jerry", "Another Man Done Gone", "Black Jack Blues", "Man of Constant Sorrow", "One Eyed Jacks", "Greyhound Blues" and "Every Time I Hear the Spirit".
September 1960 The Home of Bob Dylan Hibbing, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "Red Rosey Bush", "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye", "Jesus Christ", "Streets of Glory", "K.C. Moan", "Blues Yodel No. 8", "I am a Gambler", "Talking Columbia", "Talking Merchant Marine", "Talking Hugh Brown", "Talking Inflation", "Come See Jerusalem" and "San Francisco Bay Blues".
February 1, 1961 The Home of Bob and Sid Gleason[5] East Orange, New Jersey, United States
Songs performed: "San Francisco Bay Blues", "Jesus Met The Woman at the Well", "Gypsy Davey", "Pastures of Plenty", "On the Trail of the Buffalo", "Jesse James", "Riding in My Car (Car Song)", "Southern Cannonball", "Bring Me Back, My Blue-Eyed Boy" and "Remember Me".
May 1, 1961 The Home of Bonnie Beecher[6] Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "Railroad Bill", "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?", "Man of Constant Sorrow", "Pretty Polly", "Railroad Boy", "James Alley Blues", "Why'd You Cut My Hair?", "This Land Is Your Land", "Two Trains Runnin'", "Wild Mountain Thyme", "Howdido", "Riding in My Car (Car Song)", "Don't Push Me Down", "Come See", "I Want My Milk", "San Francisco Bay Blues", "A Long Time A-Growin'", "Devilish Mary", "Ramblin' Round", "Death Don't Have No Mercy", "It's Hard to Be Blind", "This Train", "Talking Fish Blues" and "Pastures of Plenty".
May 6, 1961 Montewese Hotel[7] Branford, Connecticut, United States
Part of the Indian Neck Folk Festival. Songs performed: "Talking Columbia", "Hangknot, Slipknot" and "Talking Fish Blues".
May 1961 Unknown Coffeehouse Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "Ramblin' Round", "Death Don't Have No Mercy", "It's Hard to Be Blind", "This Train", "Talking Fish Blues", "Pastures of Plenty" and "This Land is Your Land", "Two Trains Runnin'", "Wild Mountain Thyme", "Howdido", "Riding in My Car (Car Song)", "Don't Push Me Down", "Come See", "I Want My Milk", "San Francisco Bay Blues", "A Long Time A-Growin'", "Devilish Mary", "Railroad Bill", "Will the Circle Be Unbroken", "Man of Constant Sorrow", "Pretty Polly", "Railroad Boy", "James Alley Blues", "Bonnie, Why'd You Cut My Hair?".
July 29, 1961 Riverside Church[8] New York City, New York, United States
Part of '12-hour Hootenanny Special: Saturday Of Folk Music'. Songs performed: "Handsome Molly", "Naomi Wise", "Poor Lazaru", "Mean Old Southern Railroad" and "Acne".
September 6, 1961 The Gaslight Cafe[9] New York City, New York, United States
Songs performed: "Man on the Street", "He Was a Friend of Mine", "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues", "Song to Woody", "Pretty Polly" and "Riding in My Car (Car Song)".
September 30, 1961 Gerde's Folk City[10] New York City, New York, United States
Songs performed: "San Francisco Bay Blues", "The Great Divide", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", "Ain't No More Cane", "Dink's Song", "Pretty Boy Floyd", "In the Pines" and "Sally Gal".
October 29, 1961 WNYC Radio Studio New York City, New York, United States
Songs performed: "Sally Girl" and "The Girl I Left Behind".
October 31, 1961 Folklore Center New York City, New York, United States
Part of Izzy Young’s Folklore Center Party. Songs performed: "Fixin' to Die Blues".
November 4, 1961 Carnegie Chapter Hall New York City, New York, United States
Songs performed: "Pretty Peggy-O", "In the Pines", "Gospel Plow", "1913 Massacre", "Backwater Blues", "A Long Time a-Growin'", "Fixin' to Die Blues", "San Francisco Bay Blues", "Riding in My Car (Car Song)", "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues", "Man on the Street", "Sally Gal", "This Land is Your Land", "Talking Merchant Marine", "Black Cross", "He Was a Friend of Mine", "Pretty Polly", "House of the Rising Sun", "The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird", "Freight Train Blues", "Song to Woody" and "Talkin' New York".
November 23, 1961 The Home of Eve and Mac McKenzie New York City, New York, United States
Songs performed: "Hard Times in New York Town", "The Wayfaring Stranger", "(It Makes) A Long Time Man Feel Bad", "Lonesome Whistle Blues", "Worried Blues", "Baby of Mine", "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", "Fixin' to Die Blues", "San Francisco Bay Blues", "You're No Good", "House of the Rising Sun" and "This Land is Your Land".
December 4, 1961 The Home of Eve and Mac McKenzie New York City, New York, United States
Songs performed: "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms", "The Bells of Rhymney", "Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies", "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms", "The Bells of Rhymney", "Highway 51" and "This Land is Your Land".
December 22, 1961 The Home of Bonnie Beecher Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Songs performed: "Candy Man", "Baby, Please Don't Go", "Hard Times in New York Town", "Stealin'", "Poor Lazarus", "I Ain't Got No Home", "It's Hard to Be Blind", "Dink's Song", "Man of Constant Sorrow", "Story of East Orange", "Naomi Wise", "Wade in the Water", "I Was Young When I Left Home", "In the Evening", "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", "Sally Gal", "Gospel Plow", "Long John", "Cocaine", "VD Blues", "VD Waltz", "VD City", "VD Gunner's Blues", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", "Ramblin' Round" and "Black Cross".

References

External links