Dale The 13 Year Usher Jul 13, 2024

Plant & Krauss were really good.
Dylan only played piano and Couldn't really hear his vocals
Willie called out sick but his son, who's been playing with him for decades carried the show and was fantastic
Guest appearance by Tedechi/Trucks during the Nelson Family set fit right in

Acey68 Jul 05, 2024

Sterogum

Bob Dylan Mostly Played Recent Songs And ’50s Covers At Outlaw Tour Opener

On Friday, Bob Dylan took the stage at the opening night of the Outlaw Music Festival tour. At the Ameris Bank Amphitheater in Alpharetta, Georgia, the legendary musician surprised the audience with a new lineup and an unpredictable setlist.

Jim Keltner joined on drums and Donnie Herron was out after playing pedal steel for 19 years in the band. Earlier this year, Dylan was on his Rough And Rowdy Ways tour, whose setlist was based on his 2020 album of that title as well as old deep cuts. However, his setlist at the Outlaw Music Festival was laden with five ’50s covers performed for the first time, and tracks from his 2012 LP Tempest. His only original songs from the 20th century played were 1975’s “Simple Twist Of Fate” and 1990’s “Under The Red Sky.” Curiously Dylan was also selling new 2012 tour t-shirts at the merch booth.

Earlier in the day, headliner Willie Nelson dropped off the lineup. His official Instagram shared a statement:

We regret to inform you that Willie Nelson is not feeling well and, per doctor’s orders, has been advised to rest for the next four days. He is expected to make a quick recovery and join the Outlaw Music Festival tour next week. In the meantime, Lukas Nelson and the Family Band, along with a few guests, will perform a special set to include Willie’s classics and other songs.

Bob Dylan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Celisse will continue to perform as scheduled.

Acey68 Jul 05, 2024

Rolling Stone
Bob Dylan Stuns Fans With New Set, Surprise Covers on Outlaw Festival Launch

Before Bob Dylan even walked onstage Friday night to kick off the summer Outlaw Music Festival tour at Ameris Bank Amphitheater in Alpharetta, Georgia, word circulated through the fan community that big changes were afoot in Dylan World. Super fan Ray Padgett was on site with early reports that gospel-era drummer Jim Keltner was taking over from Jerry Pentecost, and pedal steel player Donnie Herron was out after a 19-year stint in the band.

But nobody was prepared for the remarkable show that followed, which was one of the most surreal and unpredictable nights in the 36-year history of the Never Ending Tour. After three years of playing a static set built around his 2020 LP Rough and Rowdy Ways and select deep cuts from the past, Dylan presented a completely new show heavy on Fifties covers, and his original tunes from the past two decades. The only songs recorded prior to the turn of the millennium were 1990’s “Under The Red Sky,” and 1975’s “A Simple Twist of Fate.”

The tone for the night was set when he opened with a cover of Willie Dixon’s 1955 blues standard “My Babe.” Later in the evening, he broke out Chuck Berry’s 1959 classic “Little Queenie,” the Fleetwoods’ 1959 hit “Mr Blue,” the 1951 Hank Williams masterpiece “Cold, Cold Heart,” and Sanford Clark’s 1956 rockabilly hit “The Fool.”

There’s no record of him playing any of them throughout the course of his entire career. There wasn’t a single selection from Rough and Rowdy Ways, but he did break out four songs (“Early Roman Kings,” “Long and Wasted Years,” “Pay in Blood,” and “Scarlet Town”) from 2012’s Tempest.

Willie Nelson is headlining every night of the Outlaw tour, but hours before showtime, news hit that that he was under the weather and would be missing the first four shows “per doctor’s orders.” Lukas Nelson and the Family Band subbed in. That meant fans who bought tickets hoping to see Nelson and hear their favorite Dylan Sixties tunes were in for a long evening. They did, however, get to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss cover Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” and “The Battle of Evermore” along with “Gone Gone Gone,” “Please Read The Letter,” and “Rich Woman” from their own albums. Celisse took the stage first.

When the Outlaw tour heads to the West Coast later in the summer, John Mellencamp and Brittney Spencer are coming onboard, and Plant and Krauss are departing along with Celisse. Dylan and Nelson are on the bill every single night. But in the more immediate future, many questions linger. Will Nelson recover from his mystery ailment in time to join up with the tour next week? Will Dylan stick with this bizarre set every night? Will he throw in more surprises? Might he consider covering a song written after Dwight D. Eisenhower departed the White House? Will venues continue to let fans bring in phones and film/livestream the set? (This was a huge no-no at Dylan shows these past few years.)

Whatever happens, it’s clear this is the start of yet another chapter in the long saga of the Never Ending Tour. And for the first time in a very long time, anything feels possible on any given night. Well, almost anything feels possible. We’re not going to hear “New Pony,” “Ballad in Plain D,” or “Sara.” But if a song was on the radio when Dylan was in grade school, it might emerge at some point. For the Dylan faithful, that’s an incredibly exciting prospect. But if you’re showing up with the hopes of hearing something from his Greatest Hits record, it’s probably best to sit this one out. This is one for the die-hards.

Acey68 Jul 05, 2024

Bob Dylan, Outlaw Festival, Alpharetta, Georgia, 6/21/24, Set List
1. "My Babe" (Willie Dixon cover)
2. "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'"
3. "Simple Twist of Fate"
4. "Little Queenie" (Chuck Berry cover)
5. "Mr. Blue" (The Fleetwoods cover)
6. "Pay in Blood"
7. "Cold, Cold Heart" (Hank Williams With His Drifting Cowboys cover)
8. "Early Roman Kings"
9. "Under the Red Sky" (first performance since 2013)
10. "Things Have Changed"
11. "The Fool" (Sanford Clark cover)
12. "Scarlet Town"
13. "Long and Wasted Years"

Acey68 Jul 05, 2024

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Outlaw Festival, Alpharetta, Georgia, 6/21/24, Set List

1. "Rich Woman" (Li'l Millet and His Creoles cover)
2. "Fortune Teller" (Benny Spellman cover)
3. "Can't Let Go" (Randy Weeks cover)
4. "The Price of Love" (The Everly Brothers cover)
5. "Rock and Roll" (Led Zeppelin cover)
6. "Please Read the Letter" (Jimmy Page & Robert Plant cover)
7. "High and Lonesome"
8. "In the Mood" / "Matty Groves" / "Gallows Pole"
9. "The Battle of Evermore" (Led Zeppelin cover)
10. "When the Levee Breaks" (Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe McCoy cover)
11. "Gone Gone Gone" (The Everly Brothers cover)

Acey68 Jul 05, 2024

The 2024 Outlaw Music Festival Tour launched without its leader Willie Nelson on Friday night in Alpharetta, Georgia, but the show went on featuring sets by Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and Celisse.

In place of Nelson's own set, his son's band Lukas Nelson and the Family Band performed instead, with a guest appearance by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks.

Plant and Krauss performed many of their usual selections, including Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" and "The Battle of Evermore," plus "When the Levee Breaks," which they recently officially released. Dylan, on the other hand, brought out a number of unexpected songs, including a cover of Chuck Berry's "Little Queenie," "Under the Red Sky" for the first time in over a decade and several songs from his 2012 album, Tempest.

On Friday afternoon, it was announced that Nelson would not be appearing at opening night.

"We regret to inform you that Willie Nelson is not feeling well, and per doctor's orders, has been advised to rest for the next four days," their post read. "He is expected to make a quick recovery and join the Outlaw Music Festival tour next week. In the meantime, Lukas Nelson and the Family Band, along with a few guests, will perform a special set to include Willie's classics and others songs. Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and Celisse will continue to perform as scheduled."

"This year's Outlaw Music Festival Tour promises to be the biggest and best yet with this lineup of legendary artists," Nelson said in a previous press statement announcing the shows. "I am thrilled to get back on the road again with my family and friends playing the music we love for the fans we love."