Bob Dylan is rediscovering the “Basement Tapes”

In the first dates of his American tour Bob Dyla seems to have decided to reopen one of the most legendary chapters of his history: that of the “Basement Tapes”.
In the space of a week the “Long Hot Summer Tour 2026” – yes, that’s exactly what it’s called, it’s the wording that appears on the official labels – brought back to the stage three songs born during the legendary 1967 sessions recorded in Big Pink’s basement together with The Band. The first surprise arrived on June 4th in Troutdale, Oregon, with the live debut of “Baby, Won’t You Be My Baby”, a song recorded 59 years ago and which remained known only to bootleg collectors for decades, before its official publication in 2014 as part of the Bootleg Series Vol. 11
Two days later, in Woodinville, Washington, Dylan opened the concert with “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere,” performed for the first time since 2012. On June 9, in Eugene, Oregon, he then closed the show with “I Shall Be Released,” absent from the setlists since 2008.

In his career, Dylan performed only about ten songs from those sessions live, which represent one of the most mythical moments of his production. Recorded in 1967 during the period of retirement following the motorcycle accident, Big Pink’s recordings circulated for years in bootleg form, becoming legendary among fans. They saw the light in official (and partial) form only in ’75 and in full form in the Bootleg series of 2014.

As always with Dylan, the reasons for choices are unclear. In recent years Dylan has shown a certain tendency to insert some variations and rediscoveries into the setlists of his tours, which are traditionally very static. In 2023, for example, he paid homage to local cities and artists by inserting songs linked to the places visited, or covers of artists to whom he is very attached, such as the Grateful Dead. This time the common thread seems to be the rediscovery of a repertoire that for decades remained on the margins of his concert activity.