Last night, Bob Dylan reminded his fans that he still has plenty of songs in his repertoire worth revisiting. On Tuesday evening, the Duluth-born bard continued his ongoing pattern of returning to nearly forgotten covers and staples from his songbook during the latest stop of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Country Tour at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Va. During the performance, Dylan switched up song placements by swapping out what has been his 15th arrival on this current tour leg, “Positively 4th Street,” for a tour debut of “Highway 61 Revisited.” He also removed “Rain Day Women # 12 & 35” from spot 16, filling the opening with the first cover of “Searching for a Soldier’s Grave,” since 2002.
Like concerts prior, Dylan began his set with a rendition of “Gotta Serve Somebody,” before moving into covers, starting with Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell.” Before working through George “Wild Child” Butler’s “Axe and the Wind,” the beloved musician and his band delivered the Together Through Life cut, “Forgetful Heart.” The ensemble provided treatments of “To Ramona,” “Early Roman Kings,” and “Under the Red Sky,” before referring back to borrowed tunes on Charlie Rich’s “I’ll Make It All Up To You.” Ultimately, the night brought out another series of originals, including “Desolation Row,” no wrench.
Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Share Your Love With Me,” cut in front of “Blind Willie McTell,” a track that Dylan previously returned to this calendar year, after previously shelving it in 2017. Next, Dylan added a tour debut of the title track from the 1965 release LP Highway 61 Revisited, which preluded the concert’s spotlight, a cover of The Anglin Twins (Jack and Jim)’s “Searching for a Soldier’s Grave,” played for the first time since Oct. 4, 2002…