Key developments
Bob Dylan's Chattanooga set stays stripped-down
In a review published April 18, The Alabama Take says Bob Dylan's April 17 Chattanooga concert was one of the most controlled and intimate shows the writer has seen on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. The set used acoustic guitars throughout, with Dylan first in white and then in a hooded rain jacket, and highlighted 'To Be Alone With You,' 'Man In The Long Black Coat,' 'All Along The Watchtower,' 'I Contain Multitudes,' 'False Prophet,' 'Black Rider,' 'Love Sick,' and a closing 'Every Grain of Sand.' The review says Dylan barely spoke and never shouted, making restraint the defining feature of the night.
Why it matters
It documents the current live template Dylan is using and shows how strongly he is emphasizing atmosphere over hits.
Sources & driving stories
THE ALABAMA TAKE - COMPOSITIONS
The Alabama Take - Compositions coverageRolling Thunder 1976 retrospective series begins
Ray Padgett's April 18 post for Flagging Down the Double E's launches a month-and-a-half show-by-show series revisiting Rolling Thunder 1976 on its 50th anniversary. The kickoff entry says Dylan's April 18, 1976 Lakeland opener included ten live debuts before any repeat song, five debuts in the first ten numbers, and only three holdovers from Rolling Thunder 1975 among 22 songs. It also notes a complete group performance before Dylan took the stage and frames the 1976 run as darker, louder, and less communal than the previous fall's tour.
Why it matters
The series is surfacing concrete setlist and tour-structure details as the anniversary revisit gets underway.
Sources & driving stories
FLAGGING DOWN THE DOUBLE E'S · Ray Padgett
Flagging Down the Double E's coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Cash's Dylan-derived hit revisited
American Songwriter says 'Understand Your Man' closely follows Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right' and notes Cindy Cash's account that permission was sought before Cash used the melody.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Will Dylan keep the same set formula?
The Chattanooga review suggests Dylan is staying with a fixed, no-hits Rough and Rowdy Ways format, so the next dates will show whether he starts varying the arrangement or song selection.
OPEN QUESTION
Will the Rolling Thunder series reveal more archival details?
Padgett says the series will continue through Hard Rain and the lost Salt Lake City finale, which raises the chance of new setlist and eyewitness material emerging.