Bob Dylan Is Absolutely Cooking On The Road Right Now

SANTA BARBARA — Sixty-one years and a time aft he laid down nan epochal “Like a Rolling Stone” successful a signaling workplace connected Seventh Avenue successful New York City, Bob Dylan shuffled onstage connected nan different broadside of nan state dressed truthful fine successful a acheronian overgarment pinch nan hood pulled complete his head.

The hood, which Dylan has been wearing moreover for shows without nan cool coastal breeze that blew done nan Santa Barbara Bowl connected Wednesday night, has lately go an entity of online fascination; 1 feline connected X past twelvemonth wrote that he was obsessed pinch nan stone legend’s “new dripped retired look,” and I person to agree: Though location are awesome hooded-Dylan photos going backmost decades, his existent wardrobe — arsenic seen nightly against a velvety curtain lit from beneath — is simply a vibe done and through. (His Bobness forbade photographers from shooting Wednesday’s show, which intends you’ll person to consult societal media for a glimpse.)

Dylan’s drip isn’t nan only point putting him into nan viral bloodstream of nan internet. In March, he launched a Patreon, wherever he’s posting short stories and apparently AI-assisted installments successful an audio bid called “Lectures from nan Grave”; this week, he contributed his thoughts connected aging to a wide shared New York Times op-ed pegged to President Trump’s 80th birthday. In my societal feeds, astatine least, quotes from Dylan’s portion — “You’re an aged king from immoderate vanished country,” he wrote — kept turning up adjacent to clips of Timothée Chalamet celebrating nan New York Knicks’ NBA Finals triumph — an oddly poetic interleaving given their history.

All this worldly is cool; I respect seasoned culture-shapers who fig retired really to accommodate to a caller accusation environment. Yet 1 of nan reasons it’s nosy to brushwood Dylan connected Instagram is because you tin still brushwood him successful nan flesh. And astatine 85, he’s perfectly cooking connected nan roadworthy correct now.

Wednesday’s show was nan first successful a fistful he’s playing astir Southern California this week, including a gig scheduled for Saturday nighttime astatine Palm Desert’s Acrisure Arena. For years aft nan merchandise of 2020’s pulpy “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” Dylan said he was connected nan Rough and Rowdy Ways tour; this month, though, he started trading T-shirts that picture his latest tally of dates arsenic nan Long Hot Summer circuit — precisely nan benignant of taxonomical quirk to get Bobheads going successful nan comments.

The concert, which ran astir 80 minutes, mixed 4 cuts from “Rough and Rowdy Ways” pinch older Dylan songs for illustration “All Along nan Watchtower” and “To Be Alone pinch You” and covers specified arsenic Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell” and Eddie Cochran’s “Nervous Breakdown.” But nan full point felt for illustration 1 continuous dream state, arsenic Dylan — accompanied by a four-piece set dressed successful acheronian colors to lucifer nan leader — croaked, gasped and crooned from down an electrical soft he played for illustration personification knocking nan keys pinch his limb arsenic he reaches for a drink.

“False Prophet” was a raunchy blues while “When I Paint My Masterpiece” rode a luscious rumba groove; “Crossing nan Rubicon” and “I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You,” some from “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” sewage arrangements wholly different from those connected nan album.

To nan astonishment of galore a Bobhead, Dylan’s guitarist Doug Lancio was replaced successful Santa Barbara by Julian Lage, nan youngish jazz prima known for his activity pinch Gary Burton and John Zorn. (Dylan said thing astir nan change, nor astir thing else, from nan stage; a spokesperson for nan vocalist said he had nary connection connected whether Lage was a imperishable summation to nan band.) Lage’s playing was tender and spooky, not slightest successful “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven,” wherever each 30 seconds aliases truthful nan chords would spell successful immoderate guidance I could ne'er person predicted.

The consequence was a spectacle of emotion — you’d person to person tried not to get swept distant by “I Shall Be Released,” which closed nan show — but besides of belief successful one’s craft. Onstage arsenic connected your phone, Dylan was searching for caller limits Wednesday — a lifer grinding toward nan sublime.