For the first time in 19 years, Bob Dylan returned to Iowa City. The 10-time Grammy Winner is in year 5 of his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour, in support of the 2020 record of the same name. This reflective and revealing night of ballads showed something we rarely see, a poet on the road during his twilight. A sixteen-song setlist graced the 1,800 sets of ears in Hancher Auditorium for roughly 90 minutes as Bob and his band begin another leg to this endless tour.
Reaching 73 degrees earlier that day, the last place I wanted to be was inside. But only once in my life have I ever woken up knowing I was seeing Bob Dylan that night, which quickly overrode the former feeling. March 25th has been marked on my calendar for months, as Dylan quietly announced 6 weeks on the road on December 8th, 2025. Never one for showmanship in recent years, or even a social media post promoting the tour, this gig still sold out in moments. Dylan often moves in silence, online and onstage. His Instagram, lacking any and all publicity for upcoming shows, has become a bulletin board for things he has recently enjoyed such as boxing highlights, over an hour of audiobook from Aaron Burr’s “On the Art of Survival”, and whatever he has been jamming with lately. Dylan is arguably the king of casual posting, and heavy is the head to wear that crown.
One extra note about his online presence, he has started a Patreon. In all honesty, I had finished this piece and was giving it a day to come back and edit with a fresh mind. I opened up his outlandish Instagram after re-reading this portion to find he has published a handful of posts under the title “Lectures From the Grave”, original short stories from famous characters in history. Bob has always been heavily interested in the past of America, especially considering his nearly 17-minute song “Murder Most Foul” about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I will not be spending the money to find out what Bob has marinating in his mind, but feel free to invest the $5 if that’s within your persuasions.
Once inside the venue, phones were immediately placed into sealed pouches by venue staff. This was not the first time I have experienced this, but it was by far the strictest. In previous experiences with phone pouches, it has been done before entering the seating area of the venue, but because of this policy’s immediacy I entered into a talkative and lively Hancher lobby. This capacity crowd was shuffling into their seats around my arrival at 7:45 for the 8:00 show. No openers, not pre-show performance, just Bob.
Starting at right at the hour, there was no razzle-dazzle to Bob’s appearance. Put roughly 25 feet back from the edge of the stage, Bob Dylan waddled on stage preceded by Bob Britt and Doug Lancio on guitar, Tony Garnier on bass, and Anton Fig on drums. Donning an all black outfit with a matching baseball hat layered with a hooded gray rain jacket, there was nothing visually flashy about this performance. Large beige curtains towering the peninsula of the stage with an extremely basic lighting rig that did not change once. The lighting was so bare bones that the houselights were left on for the first two songs of the set, “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “Man in the Long Black Coat.” I am glad they were soon turned off but would not have been surprised if it was an ‘artistic choice’ by the Golden Globe Winner.
Dylan’s musical setup was minimal as well. A keyboard in the middle of this barren layout being used as a tabletop for four cups, two harmonicas, and a songbook for the nights setlist. Not all of the cups were used, not every sheet of music played, but both harmonicas were in circulation near the end of the set in “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” and “Every Grain of Sand.” There were no words spoken by Bob besides a muttered band introduction succeeding “Soon After Midnight.” He did have a small arsenal of ‘rockstar moves’ that included standing up while playing the piano and bending his knees to return to that beloved seat not long after that primary move.
This tour features his 2020 record heavily. Rough and Rowdy Ways is a solemn piece of work, where Dylan reflects on his final chapter being written. There is a balance between the self and world on this record. “I Contain Multitudes” feels like a journal entry of a man who knows the path he has walked down, and wouldn’t turn back for anything. “There is no love left behind,” Dylan croons near the end of the song with a serenity that some can only dream of. This record, although filled with lyrics reminiscent of what made Bob so famous, can be a little rough on the ears. His vocals have long been a barrier of entry to his work, and 60-plus years of touring and recording have not remedied the roadblock. This may truly answer the question of why there are so many Bob Dylan covers. From The Rolling Stones to Billy Strings, generations have taken this timeless tracks under a microscope to view what makes the songs so contagious and create their own version with the same inflections.
Was this a bombastic rock and roll revue that left the walls shaking?
No.
Was it extremely cool to see this incredibly storied musician live as a bucket list act?
Yes.
From The Traveling Wilburys to the Basement Recordings with The Band, Bob is arguably the most seasoned musician of the modern world. The infinite artists he has influenced and the thousands of covers he has been the author for, the world of music would not be the same without Bob Dylan. He is not high on my priority list to see again, but I am glad I was there. Dylan continues his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour throughout the 2026, more information can be found here.
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