Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan in Düsseldorf: An 85-Year-Old Master at the Top of His Game

Mitsubishi Electric Halle, October 27, 2026 (Lights of Autumn UK/EU Tour)

Bob Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, has sold some 125 million albums and won 10 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Prize in Literature. Yet he never had a Billboard #1 single under his own name. That honour went to The Byrds, whose cover of “Mr. Tambourine Man” topped the charts.

The Lights of Autumn tour began on October 23 in Flensburg and reached Düsseldorf four days later, where roughly 4,000 fans filled the hall. Quite a few seats in the back of the venue stayed empty, but the premium seats were sold out. At 85, Dylan is the last actively touring member of the Traveling Wilburys, arguably the greatest supergroup in modern music history, in which he played Lucky Wilbury.

Entry was smooth. Despite the online warning about extra security checks, the process took seconds, and the audience accepted the Yondr phone pouches without fuss.

At 8 PM on the dot, the house lights dimmed to half and the stage lit up in warm, steady light, with rustic bulbs on stands giving it a cozy feel. The band opened with a 30-second instrumental intro. Then Dylan walked on in a black hoodie pulled over his head, sat down at the electric piano and joined in for a few bars before starting to sing. He kept out of the spotlight: the piano stood in line with the bass and drums, while the two guitarists flanked the stage at the front.

The set opened with “Watching the River Flow”. The vocals were surprisingly clean and melodious, though a little low in the mix against the instruments. That changed over the next few songs, and by the third or fourth the voice was cutting through. When “Love Sick” ended, it was clear this would be an exceptional night even by Dylan’s live standards, and the roughly 90 minutes that followed proved that right.

“It Ain’t Me Babe” came next, then “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven” with a fine guitar solo, “Crossing the Rubicon” with a piano solo from Dylan, and an upbeat “I Can Tell” with a slide guitar solo. Dylan played electric piano on every song. His vocals were top notch, and his playing was firm, never missing a beat or a note. He performed mostly standing, sitting briefly during guitar solos.

The two new guitarists in the touring band are Joel Paterson, on a hollow-body Gibson to the left, and Mike Seal, on a Telecaster a few feet to Dylan’s right. Seal played most of the solos, and Dylan cued him in and out with a nod of the head.

The dark Western ballad “Black Rider” turned into swinging bar jazz, and “Tangled Up in Blue” became a fragile piano ballad. “When I Paint My Masterpiece” followed, with a jazzy guitar solo. “Girl from the North Country” was missing from the set, but “Not Dark Yet” and “Early Roman Kings” were in. For “Million Miles” an upright bass replaced the electric bass, and it was probably the loudest moment of the night.

Dylan also took a harmonica solo himself, on “Under the Red Sky”. It was fluid and hit every note, just like in the old days. The closing stretch brought “I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You” and “Goodbye Jimmy Reed”, and then “Every Grain of Sand” as the finale.

A Dylan concert is always unpredictable, from the setlist to the performance. In Düsseldorf, the audience got an outstanding evening, musically and vocally. Despite the size of the hall, it had the bluesy, jazzy feel of an intimate small theater. There were no crowd chants, no singalongs and no nostalgia, though every song earned enthusiastic applause and a few cheers. The lyrics were sung fluidly rather than spoken. The sound mix was excellent, and the no-phones policy worked in the show’s favor, making it a pleasure to watch.

Setlist:

1. Watching The River Flow
2. Love Sick
3. It Ain’t Me Babe
4. Tryin’ To Get To Heaven
5. Crossing The Rubicon
6. I Can Tell
7. Black Rider
8. Tangled Up In Blue
9. When I Paint My Masterpiece
10. Not Dark Yet
11. Can’t Seem To Say Goodbye
12. Early Roman Kings
13. Soon After Midnight
14. Million Miles
15. Under The Red Sky
16. I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself To You
17. Goodbye Jimmy Reed
18. Every Grain Of Sand

Personnel:

Bob Dylan – electric piano, harmonica

Tony Garnier- bass

Anton Fig – drums

Joel Paterson – guitar

Mike Seal – guitar

Press pass thank you goes out to Dirk Becker Entertainment.

Link to German version.

Photo: official press photo