Four years after the Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour kicked off, Dylan returned to Dublin on November 25th to conclude its 2025 leg in the 3Arena, finishing his four date stint in Ireland. The consensus of the night; Dylan still has it.
Those expecting a production similar to what we have seen from today’s pop stars, theatrics, audience interaction, and faithful renditions of recorded classics, may have been left wanting. But fans of Dylan, both old and new, with measured expectations for his idiosyncratic performance style were not to be left disappointed. All could be forgiven for the sheer fact that he is Bob Dylan, delivering songs from across his career, spanning across six decades.
While the strict no-phones policy, did conflict with the venue’s cashless policy, and desire to capture memories of the concert, it may have proved to be a welcome break for many, with its rationale of living-in-the-moment and fostering a closer connection between the musicians and audience, audience members, ranging widely across generations, embraced it on the whole as a small price to pay.
Not renowned for his audience interaction, Dylan spoke only once to give a brief ‘Thank you’ to the audience and to introduce his band in the later part of the set. He remained behind his baby grand piano throughout, his halo of white hair visible from the front, although he did stand to finish each song, each brief glimpse met with applause.
Yet, any doubts about his performance and the strength of his voice at the age of 84 were quickly dispelled, with both him and his band remaining clear and dynamic throughout the set. Across eighteen songs, nine of which were from the eponymous album, his four man band expertly accompanied Dylan across sprawling numbers such as Key West (Philosopher Pirate), and capturing his rock and blues influences on rollicking songs like Watch the River Flow.
His classic songs, including It Ain’t Me Babe, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, and Desolation Row, saw the crowd come fully alive, all receiving rapturous applause and standing ovations from many. While some may mourn the changing of the melodies, Dylan and his band’s deconstruction of these traditional standards made for a fresh reimagining of his youthful work, giving them a new vitality and highlighting their relevance today. This was particularly the case for the apocalyptic vision of Desolation Row, with its new driving beat. His harmonica which features prominently in his early work also made two appearances, notably on Its All Over Now, again to applause, harking back to a younger Dylan, starting out with only his guitar and harmonica.
For the climax of the set, a heartfelt rendition of The Pogues classic Rainy Night in Soho, was once more met by an ecstatic crowd. A fitting tribute to the late Shane MacGowan and Irish music more broadly, it was more Dylan was more faithful to its melody than some of his previous songs, although singing from the audience was kept to a minimum, likely out of respect for the twin genius of Dylan and MacGowan.
Thus concluded the “Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour”, with Dylan – determined not to linger on for an encore – cementing his place once again as a true icon, who still eludes and exceeds expectations.
