Recommendations of the Editorial team
Two days after stunning his hardcore fans with the extreme deep cut “Baby, Won’t You Be My Baby” on the opening night of his summer tour – a song he hadn’t touched since it was recorded 59 years ago – Bob Dylan returned to Woodinville, Washington, on the second night of his tour. returned to the “Basement Tapes” again and opened the show with “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”.
This wasn’t quite as surprising as “Baby, Won’t You Be My Baby,” since “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” is a well-known song that everyone from the Byrds to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have played. Still, it was the first time Dylan played it live since 2012. He also had guitarists Doug Lancio and Bob Britt contribute light harmony vocals. During the Larry Campbell/Charlie Sexton era of the late ’90s and early ’00s, it was common for Dylan’s band members to sing with him – but that was completely phased out well over 20 years ago.
The rest of the set was very similar to the first night, although Dylan deleted his version of Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell”, added “Love Sick” and slightly changed the order of some songs. Also on the program were Lucinda Williams and the John Doe Folk Trio. On the first night, Doe played a few numbers from his band X (“See How We Are,” “Burning House of Love” and “The New World”) and sang the Judy Garland standard “Over the Rainbow.” Williams, in turn, brought out “Car Wheels on a Grave Road,” “Joy” and other classics.
Long Hot Summer Tour 2026
The tour didn’t have a name when it was announced, but the t-shirts at the merchandise stand read: Long Hot Summer Tour 2026. You’d think this was Bob Dylan’s way of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 2001 cult comedy “Wet Hot American Summer” – but of course that’s just a coincidence. (If you’d rather celebrate the “Wet Hot” anniversary with music: Ken Marino and David Wains Middle Aged Dad Jam Band are touring for the 25th anniversary. The two deliver a truly sensational evening of music and comedy.)
Dylan’s tour continues on June 7th with a second show at Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, Washington, and ends August 1 in Nashville. When we covered “Baby, Won’t You Be My Baby,” we joked that Dylan might dig further through the Basement Tapes on this tour and wished for “I’m Not There,” “Goin’ to Acapulco,” “I’m Your Teenage Prayer” and “Sign on the Cross.” The chances of him playing one of these songs are astronomically slim – but just a few days ago we would have said a “Baby, Won’t You Be My Baby” live was a one in ten million scenario, and it happened anyway.
Springsteen and the Basement Tapes
The Basement Tapes seem to be in the air right now: On June 5, while Dylan was taking a night’s break between his first two shows, Bruce Springsteen performed “I Shall Be Released” with Sheryl Crow at a special concert in Long Branch, New Jersey to mark the opening of the Bruce Springsteen Center – the first time he had ever played the Basement Tapes classic. Maybe this will continue and Ariana Grande will perform “Yea! Heavy and a Bottle of Bread” on the second night of her tour, Rush will perform “Open the Door Homer” at the LA Forum, and Gracie Abrams will belt out “Tiny Montgomery” later in the year.
We’d be happy if Dylan just kept “Baby, Won’t You Be My Baby” in his set all summer long. His band recreated virtually every nuance of the original recording. This song deserves to be played all summer long.