Dylan by the Numbers
I first saw Bob Dylan live when I was 15. November 4, 1978. I most recently saw him at nearly age 62 April 1, 2025. A 47-year span, across 6 different decades. I have been to a total of 18 Dylan shows. This marks me as a rank amateur compared to the “Bobcats” who travel with him constantly.
The first thing I heard him play was My Back Pages, as an instrumental. The last thing I heard was Every Grain of Sand, an incomparably beautiful work from his second overtly religious album. For the record, in case any think I am reconstructing all this from a frail memory, I have a copy of all the setlists from every Dylan show I have attended. Not surprisingly I have heard Like a Rolling Stone (the greatest song in all of rock), and All Along the Watchtower 10 times each, Blowin’ in the Wind 9 times, and somewhat surprisingly Ballad of a Thin Man 8times, and Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right (the greatest “fuck you” song in all rock) 7 times. Some disappointments, I never heard him perform Idiot Wind (the meanest, snarliest song in all rock). All this trivia proves that the “Ctrl F” function in Microsoft Word can be put to productive use.
The live shows I saw tracked with my life. After the 1978 show I saw a rejuvenated Bob Dylan, in 1980 supporting his first religious album Slow Train Coming. I remember hearing someone call out to Dylan to play his old stuff. He responded something along the lines of “if you don’t want to listen, maybe someone outside wants your ticket”. This anecdote turned up, with a specific reference to the date and venue in a biography of Dylan, Behind the Shades. It’s a weird feeling to read a bit of history you witnessed yourself.
It would be 12 years until I saw Dylan again in 1992. I had faded out from Dylan’s religious period, because I had faded from my own faith. It would be 7 more years until I saw him again in 1999. Then I had a period of seeing him whenever he came close to my hometown of Omaha. In all, I only missed two obvious chances to see Dylan, once in 1990, and again in 1994. I can only throw myself upon God’s mercy! In the end, as often happens with people, I grew in appreciation for what I was able to witness, and as I grew older, I came to understand with greater clarity the finite nature of our earthly existence, so seeing an artist of this magnitude became a cultural, if not moral, imperative.
My appreciation of Dylan did not, however, start with live shows. I likely got into Dylan in the first place by being youngest of 8, born at the end of the Baby Boom. I was exposed to his work by some of my older siblings. I particularly remember The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan album as my entry point.This sets the stage, but there is really no substitute for a live show to truly experience an artist.
What Really Counts
All of this is well and good but what makes all this important, and memorable, is the fact that these experiences took place with others. My first concert was with some of my first friends, whom I am fortunate to call friends still. That was true of my second concert as well. The third concert in 1992 came while I was working at a family-owned bar and grill. They had a reception hall next door, and I had just run a side gig (a Labor Day “Limo Race”), which put some cash in my pocket. Flush with cash, I rented a limo, bought 6 tickets to Dylan’s show, and had five of my co-workers/friends from the bar go with me. We were treated to one of the best concerts I have ever witnessed. A couple that was with us bought me a Dylan shirt as a thank you, which I subsequently wore at the birth of both of my children. As I said, it really is about who you share life with that makes it worthwhile.
The next concert I saw in 1999 was with my nephew in the Twin Cities area. Dylan was playing an outdoor venue with Paul Simon, and they did a three-song set together (“Tangled Up in Two” as the newspaper put it the next day). That, as it turns out was my nephew’s first “real” concert, which he remembers fondly. How cool is that to be a part of someone’s memorable moment! He was able to go with us again a few years later.
The “us” a few years later, was my wife, who began to attend, and this has become a source of some wonderful memories for us both. They became events with us and our friends. Of course, the obligatory preparty and post-concert dissection of what we had just seen made all this even more fun. In the fullness of time we took our children to see Dylan. My daughter saw her first Dylan show at age 15, quite appropriate! She took to it a bit more than our son, such is life. In the end she got us to go to an outdoor Dylan concert at the Nebraska State Fair, where John Mellencamp opened the show. So, yes, it is about seeing the master rock poet, but it is to do so in community. Being able to gather people together in such a memorable way is one of the underrated aspects of the performers’ art.
The Deeper Impact
What is most impactful about Dylan, besides experiencing his act with others, is the poetry itself. No one ever did it like Dylan. It is not simply a case of plugging poetry into rock n roll, as impressive as that is. It is the impact of the message itself. With no apologies to James Earl Jones in Field of Dreams, it was not all about baseball through the years, it was always Dylan and his depth, at least for me anyway (and millions more).
It was Dylan putting order to chaos and creating chaos where we thought there was order. It was Dylan who pointed his finger and challenged our smug assumptions, and called out our worst human behaviors. Standing against war, racism, blind hate, and bullshit generally, he held an uncomfortable mirror up to all of us and demanded that we look at ourselves. As he matured, he turned that mirror on himself and showed the impact that deep introspection can have upon one’s life. He ended up, I think, endorsing a powerful idea; that if you want to change the world, start with the image in the mirror. In the process of all this, Dylan forced us to be more honest human beings, which is another way of saying better human beings.
Do not think that Dylan has only an ethereal impact, important only in highbrow conversations. It was the discovery of Dylan’s religious era work that had a real impact on my return to the Cross, as I detailed in my book. It was Dylan’s finger pointing classic Who Killed Dave Moore that got me to quit watching the brutal blood sport of boxing. There are likely many more ways that his thoughts and challenges impacted me. He may not have had that impact on you. If not, I would suggest diving into his lyrics and see if you come out with a different perspective. In any event, I truly pray that everyone has someone who can be that kind of artist in their life.
For over 60 years Dylan has set his face against all that is profane and ugly in our world and challenged us to think more deeply about what it is to be fully human. He has done so with artistry and a performance level that has stood the test of time. And one more thing I would offer in praise of this man (a man, certainly not perfect). From going electric in 1965, to playing country way before it was cool, to turning openly religious, to non-compliantly refusing to die young, is there anyone who gave less of a fuck about what the world thinks of him than Bob Dylan? We should all be willing to raise a glass to anyone with the courage to live life like that. It has struck me in thinking about this essay that the title I gave it sums it all up; Dylan has produced much of the lyrics of my life. All I can do is stand grateful.
Are We Parting Ways?
After 18 concerts over 47 years and a lifetime of memories and shared experiences and deep impact, is this it for me and Dylan concerts? Maybe. I mean, I am old enough to never say never. I have thought before that I had seen my last Dylan concert but there has always been one more. I am thinking that one of the two of us is too old for this sort of thing, and it is somewhat disturbing that it might not be Dylan.
Regardless of whether I see Dylan live again the impact will remain. His poetry and the music they are set to are a part of who I am and how I got here. They will remain with me always. They will continue to challenge, finger point, lead to honest introspection, and do so while entertaining. The tremendous memories surrounding these shows will also be with me to the end of my life and will be a source of joy for all of us who have experienced them together. So, if I do not see him live again, I am still way ahead of the game for what I have received. Anyway, the answer as to whether I see him live again is just Blowin’…
Praise Be to God
