The stage was shrouded in darkness following the end of atmospheric filler music, when a series of notes rang out from an invisible piano. The audience looked on expectantly and, just a few seconds later, the lights came on. But almost nothing was revealed.
Bob Dylan, hooded and largely hidden behind his grand piano, had arrived.
In addition to Dylan’s black outfit, which blended in with his piano of the same color, there were two light ornaments placed on either side of the instrument’s lid. Otherwise optically distracting, their positioning—clearly meant to ensure Dylan’s covert appearance—was comical to any fan of his elusivity. But what was a visually uneventful performance was a musically fantastic one.
Dylan performed on Monday at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Mass., alongside Willie Nelson as part of the Outlaw Music Festival. The two have been touring since the start of the festival’s 10th rendition this summer. On this occasion, his set was sandwiched between Sheryl Crow and Nelson, who concluded the evening.
Dylan opened with “Masters of War,” as he has done throughout the tour. The song is from early in Dylan’s career, during the height of Vietnam War protests, and is a polemic through and through. The inclusion of it in his setlist this summer, given the current political climate, is no coincidence.
He started to warm up vocally with a hearty cover of Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell.” With Dylan’s sly cadence, his interpretation was full of character.
After “Forgetful Heart” from Together Through Life, one of Dylan’s least known albums, and then another cover, he played the crowd something they might recognize. A short but incredibly sweet “To Ramona” excited both casual and hardcore Dylan fans in the audience.
After a return to the slightly more obscure—“Early Roman Kings” from Tempest, the eponymous “Under The Red Sky,” and another cover—Dylan played one of his fans’ favorites: “All Along The Watchtower.” Dylan has performed it live over 2,000 times, so it’s clearly a favorite of his as well. Despite playing the song for 60 years, Dylan still finds ways to innovate, and this latest rendition was especially impressive.
He was consistently projecting and even—if you can believe it—articulating, sounding better than he has in years.
The next song, “’Til I Fell In Love With You,” was one of the highlights of the night. Dylan is constantly adapting his songs on stage, with his band left to either predict his whimsy or catch up to it. There were at least three moments during the song when both the audience and the band thought Dylan was wrapping things up, only for him to pick up with another verse as if he’d just remembered it.
There was even a moment when, in the midst of beginning a new verse, Dylan broke off slightly. The sound could have been a cough, but it seemed equally plausible that he was stifling a chuckle.
Next up were “Desolation Row” and “Love Sick,” the latter of which was perhaps the best performance of the evening. It was moody and carried out with all the repugnance you’d expect from someone who’s “sick of love” but “in the thick of it.”
Then, after completing his third and final cover, Dylan brought out all the stops for his final four songs.
Beginning with an excellent and soulful “Blind Willie McTell,” he continued with “Soon After Midnight.” For the penultimate tune, both Dylan and his band went all out rock and roll for the titular track of the famous Highway 61 Revisited. Dylan had to pick it up a notch as most of the prior songs were slightly lower tempo, but he did so successfully, belting out the lyrics with force.
To close out the night, Dylan played “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” The feeling of endearment in the audience was palpable. Seeing 84-year-old Dylan play the hit love song from his 1963 breakout album was absolutely heartwarming.
After the second, “Well-a-thank-you,” of the night, Dylan stood up, putting his hands in the air to show he still could, and then once again disappeared, ever mystifying, into darkness.