Bob Dylan returned to the stage Saturday (March 21) to open the 2026 leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. The 84-year-old singer used the night to revisit both familiar material and surprising influences that shaped his long career.
Known for drawing inspiration from early country and folk music, Dylan grew up listening to performers such as Hank Williams and Hank Snow. Over the years, he has honored those roots through collaborations with Johnny Cash and public praise for Willie Nelson, whom he once called a “tumbleweed singer with a Ph.D.”
A Surprise Tribute to Eddie Cochran
Although the tour supports Dylan’s 2020 album Rough and Rowdy Ways, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer expanded the setlist beyond recent songs. During the Omaha performance, he surprised the audience with his first recorded live performance of Eddie Cochran’s 1958 rockabilly track “Nervous Breakdown.”
Cochran, remembered as a young voice of early rock and roll, connected strongly with teenage listeners through songs like “Twenty Flight Rock” and “Summertime Blues.” His recordings experimented with distortion and overdubbing techniques that were uncommon at the time, helping shape the sound of later rock music…