Never Ending Tour

(From left to right) Tony Garnier, George Recile, Donnie Herron, Bob Dylan and Stu Kimball at the Spectrum, Oslo, Norway, March 30, 2007

The Never Ending Tour is a popular term for Bob Dylan's seemingly incessant performing schedule since June 7, 1988. Dylan has attributed much of the versatility of his live shows to the talents of his backing band, with whom he recorded the albums "Love and Theft" (2001) and Modern Times (2006). During twenty years of touring, musicians have come and gone, and the band has continued to evolve. Dylan's touring process is undiminished by his age - he turned sixty-seven in 2008 and plays around 100 shows a year around the world. Doing this, Dylan & his Band has gathered a huge fanbase and following with many people often traveling around the world to catch as many shows by Dylan as possible. According to the count maintained by Olof Bjorner's Dylan web-site Still On The Road, Dylan played his 2000th show of the Never Ending Tour on October 16, 2007, in Dayton, Ohio.

The Title

The tour's name was cemented when journalist Adrian Deevoy published his interview with Dylan in Q Magazine no.39, December 1989. The critic Michael Gray listened to Deevoy's interview tape, and points out in The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia that though Deevoy's article put the phrase into Dylan's mouth, in fact the label came from Deevoy in the following exchange:

AD: 'Tell me about this live thing. You've gone straight into this tour again - one tour virtually straight into the next one.'

BD: 'Oh, it's all the same tour.'

AD: 'It's the Never Ending Tour?'

BD: (unenthusiastically) 'Yeah, yeah'.

Dylan has been dismissive of the Never Ending Tour tag. In the sleeve notes to his album World Gone Wrong (1993), Dylan wrote: "don't be bewildered by the Never Ending Tour chatter. there was a Never Ending Tour but it ended in '91 with the departure of guitarist G. E. Smith. That one's long gone but there have been many others since then. The Money Never Runs Out Tour (fall of '91) Southern Sympathizer Tour (early '92) Why Do You Look At Me So Strangely Tour (European '92) The One Sad Cry Of Pity Tour (Australia & West Coast American '92) Outburst Of Consciousness Tour ('92) Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Tour ('93) & others too many to mention each with their own character & design." [sic]

The tour was unofficially and unexpectedly interrupted in 1997. Dylan had to cancel dates after suffering a serious medical issue in May. CBS Records announced he was being hospitalized for a "potentially fatal" chest infection. A European tour was cancelled prior to release of Time Out of Mind to allow him time to recuperate. In a 2001 Austrian press interview with Thomas Zeidler, Dylan dismissed the term on the grounds that some day he will be unable to hit the road. Ever since the tour started in 1988, Dylan's stay in the hospital in 1997 has been the longest break he's ever had from the tour.

Dylan's Introduction

Since August 15, 2002, Dylan has been introduced at the beginning of most of his concerts with an announcement made by a member of his stage crew:

Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the poet laureate of rock 'n' roll. The voice of the promise of the 60's counterculture. The guy who forced folk into bed with rock. Who donned makeup in the 70's and disappeared into a haze of substance abuse. Who emerged to find Jesus. Who was written off as a has-been by the end of the 80's, and who suddenly shifted gears releasing some of the strongest music of his career beginning in the late 90's. Ladies and gentlemen - Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan!

This introduction was adapted from an article about Dylan that had appeared in a local newspaper, The Buffalo News, on August 9, 2002.

Releases, Broadcast & Books

(From Left to right) John "J.J." Jackson, Dylan and Tony Garnier performing in Stockholm, Sweden, July 27, 1996

The only officially released live document from the period covered by The Never Ending Tour was a solo set for MTV Unplugged in 1995. Fans, especially on the internet, are known to film, record, catalogue and trade CDs & DVDs from his concerts at about the rate of other celebrated live artists, such as Phish and The Grateful Dead. As with those groups, a proper explanation for this is Dylan's tendency to never perform a show or even a song in the same manner twice and play songs reaching through his whole catalogue.

Amazon.com broadcast a 2005 live performance on their homepage, in celebration of the site's tenth anniversary.

Andrew Muir authored the book Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan and the Never Ending Tour in September, 2001. The book attempts to chronicle the first decade and a half, while exploring Dylan's possible motivations.

Spanish TV station TVE2 broadcasted It Ain't Me, Babe, Rollin' & Tumblin and Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues from the concert that Dylan performed at the Rock In Rio Festival, in Madrid, July 6th 2008. [[1]]

On the 2008 release, The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs, live tracks from the Never Ending Tour were released spanning from 1992 to 2004. The songs included were High Water (For Charley Patton), Ring Them Bells, Cocaine Blues, The Girl on the Greenbriar Shore, Lonesome Day Blues, Cold Irons Bound, Things Have Changed and Tryin' to Get to Heaven.

Bob Dylan performing at the Air Canada Centre, Toronto, November 7, 2006

Band

For a two and a half year period, between 2003 and 2006, Dylan ceased playing guitar, and stuck to the keyboard during concerts. Various rumors circulated as to why Dylan gave up guitar during this period, none very reliable. According to David Gates, a Newsweek reporter who interviewed Dylan in 2004, "basically it has to do with his guitar not giving him quite the fullness of sound he was wanting at the bottom. He's thought of hiring a keyboard player so he doesn't have to do it himself, but hasn't been able to figure out who. Most keyboard players, he says, like to be soloists, and he wants a very basic sound." Dylan's touring band has two guitarists along with a multi-instrumentalist who plays pedal & lap steel, mandolin, banjo, violin and viola. From 2002 to 2005, Dylan's keyboard had a piano sound. In 2006, this was changed to an organ sound. At the start of his Spring 2007 tour in Europe, Dylan played the first half of the set on electric guitar and switched to keyboard for the second half. Currently, Dylan plays keyboards almost exclusively but will occasionally play a song or two on guitar or take center-stage with just his harmonica and microphone.

Since 2005, Bob Dylan's band consists of the following members:

• Bob Dylan — vocals, electric guitar, organ, harmonica
• Stu Kimball — electric guitar, acoustic guitar
• Donnie Herron — pedal steel, lap steel, electric mandolin, banjo, violin, viola
• Denny Freeman — electric guitar, acoustic guitar (often to perform slide)
• Tony Garnier — bass guitar, standup bass
• George Receli — drums

(From left to right) Stu Kimball, Bob Dylan, Donnie Herron, George Recile, Tony Garnier and Denny Freeman performing in Bologna, Italy, November 10, 2005

During a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan spoke about his current band:

This is the best band I've ever been in, I've ever had, man for man. When you play with guys a hundred times a year, you know what you can and can't do, what they're good at, whether you want 'em there. It takes a long time to find a band of individual players. Most bands are gangs. Whether it's a metal group or pop rock, whatever, you get that gang mentality. But for those of us who went back further, gangs were the mob. The gang was not what anybody aspired to. On this record (Modern Times) I didn't have anybody to teach. I got guys now in my band, they can whip up anything, they surprise even me.

— Bob Dylan, August 2006, Rolling Stone

Other notable members include Larry Campbell (Guitar, Slide Guitar, Pedal Steel, Banjo, Cittern, Mandolin & Violin from 1997-2004), Freddy Koella (Guitar from 2003-2004), Charlie Sexton (Guitar from 1999-2002), David Kemper (Drums from 1996-2003). Bucky Baxter (Pedal Steel from 1992-1999), John "J.J." Jackson (Guitar from 1991-1996) and G.E. Smith (Guitar from 1988 - 1989). Between the years 2003-2004, Tommy Morrongiello, a technician on the tour would frequently play guitar with Dylan & his Band.

(From left to right) Stu Kimball & Bob Dylan at the Roskilde Festival, 2006.

Over the years, many artists have been special guests at shows, playing songs with Dylan & his Band. Artists include Phil Lesh, Jack White, Paul Simon, Ronnie Wood, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Jimmie Vaughan, Elvis Costello, Amos Lee, Patti Smith, Van Morrison, Warren Haynes, Al Kooper, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul James, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dave Stewart, Chrissie Hynde, Nils Lofgren, Dave Matthews, Susan Tedeschi, Dave Alvin, Chuck Loeb, Dickey Betts, Ian Moore, Roger McGuinn, César Díaz, Boyd Tinsley, LeRoi Moore, Doug Sahm, Aimee Mann, Liz Souissi and Ray Benson.

2009 European Tour

22/03: Berns Club (Stockholm, Sweden)

1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
2. Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
3. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
4. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
5. Tryin’ To Get To Heaven
6. Things Have Changed
7. Watching The River Flow
8. Blind Willie McTell
9. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
10. I Believe In You
11. Honest With Me
12. Billy1
13. Summer Days
14. All Along The Watchtower
15. Cry A While
16. Like A Rolling Stone
17. Forever Young

23/03: Globe Arena (Stockholm, Sweden)

1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
2. Lay, Lady, Lay
3. Tangled Up In Blue
4. Chimes Of Freedom
5. High Water (For Charlie Patton)
6. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
7. Love Sick
8. Desolation Row
9. Rollin’ And Tumblin’
10. Make You Feel My Love
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)
13. Thunder On The Mountain
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

25/03: Oslo Spektrum (Oslo, Norway)

1. Watching The River Flow
2. When I Paint A Masterpiece
3. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
4. It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
5. Just Like A Woman
6. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
7. Ballad Of A Thin Man
8. I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
9. The Levee’s Gonna Break
10. When The Deal Goes Down
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall
13. Thunder On The Mountain
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

27/03: Kinnarps Arena (Jönköping, Sweden)

1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
2. When I Paint A Masterpiece
3. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
4. The Levee’s Gonna Break
5. Just Like A Woman
6. It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
7. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
8. Million Miles
9. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
10. The Wheel’s On Fire
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Make You Feel My Love
13. Thunder Of The Mountain
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

28/03: Malmö Arena (Malmö, Sweden)

1. Maggie’s Farm
2. The Man In Me
3. Watching The River Flow
4. When The Deal Goes Down
5. High Water (For Charlie Patton)
6. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
7. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
8. Just Like A Woman
9. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
10. Beyond The Horizon
11. Summer Days
12. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
13. Highway 61 Revisited
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

29/03: Forum Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark)

1. Gotta Serve Somebody
2. When I Paint A Masterpiece
3. Watching The River Flow
4. Simple Twist Of Fate
5. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
6. I Believe In You
7. Till I Fell In Love With You
8. Tryin' To Get To Heaven
9. It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
10. Desolation Row
11. Honest With Me
12. When The Deal Goes Down
13. Thunder On The Mountain
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

31/03: AWD Arena (Hannover, Germany)

1. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
2. The Man In Me
3. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
4. Chimes Of Freedom
5. The Levee's Gonna Break
6. Sugar Baby
7. John Brown
8. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
9. Masters Of War
10. Shooting Star
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Nettie Moore
13. Summer Days
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Dignity
17. Thunder On The Mountain

01/04: Max-Schmeling-Halle (Berlin, Germany)

1. The Wicked Messenger
2. When I Paint A Masterpiece
3. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
4. The Levee’s Gonna Break
5. My Back Pages
6. Things Have Changed
7. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
8. Beyond The Horizon
9. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
10. Love Sick
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Workingman’s Blues #2
13. Thunder On The Mountain
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

02/04: Messehalle (Erfurt, Germany)

1. Cat’s In The Wall
2. Man In The Long Black Coat
3. I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
4. Can’t Wait
5. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
6. Beyond The Horizon
7. High Water (For Charlie Patton)
8. Girl From The North Country
9. Honest With Me
10. A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall
11. Highway 61 Revisited
12. Ain’t Talkin’
13. Thunder On The Mountain
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

04/04: Zenith (Munich, Germany)

1. Maggie’s Farm
2. One More Cup Of Coffee (Mountain Below)
3. You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
4. Things Have Changed
5. Just Like A Woman
6. Rollin’ And Tumblin’
7. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
8. Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
9. Sugar Baby
10. Highway 61 Revisited
11. Ballad Of Hollis Brown
12. Workingman’s Blue #2
13. Thunder On The Mountain
14. Like A Rolling Stone
15. All Along The Watchtower
16. Spirit On The Water
17. Blowin’ In The Wind

05/04: Saarlandhalle (Saarbrücken, Germany)

07/04: Palais des Congres (Paris, France)

08/04: Palais des Congres (Paris, France)

10/04: Heineken Music Hall (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

11/04: Heineken Music Hall (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

12/04: Heineken Music Hall (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

14/04: St. Jakobshalle (Basel, Switzerland)

15/04: MediolanumForum (Milan, Italy)

17/04: PalaLottomatica (Rome, Italy)

18/04: MandelaForum (Florence, Italy)

20/04: Geneva Arena (Geneva, Switzerland)

21/04: Le Zenith (Strasbourg, France)

22/04: Forest National (Brussels, Belgium)

24/04: Sheffield Arena (Sheffield, UK)

25/04: O2 Arena (London, UK)

26/04: London Roundhouse (London, UK)

The Roundhouse would like to issue the following statement regarding the short failure of the website yesterday: "The Roundhouse would like to apologise to the tens of thousands of fans that were unable to secure tickets for the forthcoming Bob Dylan show. The overwhelming demand for the 3000 tickets at the onsale at 9am caused our website to temporarily fail. Every effort was made to restore the website which was back up and running by 9.20am. There were in excess of one hundred thousand attempts to purchase tickets either online or on via our outsourced telesales operation for this one-off special event between the hours of 9am and 10am"

28/04: Cardiff International Arena (Cardiff, Wales)

29/04: National Indoor Arena (Birmingham, UK)

01/05: Echo Arena (Liverpool, UK)

02/05: SECC Arena (Glasgow, Scotland)

03/05: Edinburgh Playhouse (Edinburgh, Scotland)

05/05: O2 Dublin (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)

06/05: O2 Dublin (Dublin, Republic Of Ireland)

References

• Gray, Michael (2006). The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia. Continuum International. ISBN 0-8264-6933-7.
• Muir, Andrew (2001). Razor's Edge: Bob Dylan & the Never Ending Tour. Helter Skelter. ISBN 1-900924-13-7.