Setlist Shake Up: Bob Dylan Debuts Several Covers At 1st Outlaw Festival Stop

Bob Dylan began his stint on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival over the weekend. The legendary singer-songwriter unveiled several covers during the tour kickoff at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, Georgia near Atlanta.

Willie Nelson’s traveling Outlaw Festival got underway on Friday. While it was announced that Nelson would not be performing at the first few stops due to illness, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Celisse and Lukas Nelson filling in for his father — with guest spots from Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks — kicked off the tour.

Dylan’s set near Atlanta saw five cover debuts in a brand new setlist differing from his recent Rough And Rowdy Ways Tour. Bob’s outing in Alpharetta began with one of those cover debuts, “My Babe,” written by blues legend Willie Dixon and recorded by Little Walter in 1955.

Dylan would go on to premiere covers from Chuck Berry (“Little Queenie”), The Fleetwoods (“Mr. Blue”), Hank Williams (“Cold, Cold Heart”), and Sanford Clark (“The Fool”). Watch video of “Little Queenie,” “My Babe,” and “Cold, Cold Heart” below:

Additionally, Dylan broke out the title track from his 1990 album, Under the Red Sky, for the first time in more than 10 years. He also offered four songs from his 2012 LP, Tempest: “Pay in Blood,” “Early Roman Kings,” “Scarlet Town” and closer “Long and Wasted Years.” Dylan delivered a sole ’70s classic during the set, “Simple Twist of Fate,” off his landmark 1975 album, Blood on the Tracks.

Check out “Simple Twist of Fate” below:

Bob’s set the following day in Charlotte saw another cover debut, “Six Days on the Road,” from Paul Davis. Dylan also included his take on the Grateful Dead’s “Stella Blue” and broke out the original “Shooting Star” for the first time since 2013.

Additionally, the Charlotte show contained more classic material than the Outlaw Fest kickoff including opener “Highway 61 Revisited” and “Ballad of a Thin Man” — both off Bob’s groundbreaking 1965 LP Highway 61 Revisited — and closer “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” from 1967’s John Wesley Harding. Dylan delivered a set similar to Saturday’s in Raleigh on Sunday.

The next stop for Dylan and the Outlaw Country Festival is Virginia Beach, Virginia on Wednesday. Check out Bob’s itinerary with ticket info.