Watch Bob Dylan Sing ‘Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues’ For 1st Time Since 2014

Watch the Nobel Laureate deliver the first rendition of the Highway 61 Revisited cut with lyrics in over a decade.

By Nate Todd May 21, 2025 1:47 pm PDT

Bob Dylan’s performance on the Outlaw Festival’s stop in Nampa, Idaho on Tuesday saw the singular singer-songwriter breaking out a beloved classic. Dylan and his band offered the first non-instrumental rendition of “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” since 2014.

Bob Dylan’s aversion to “playing the hits” is well documented. However, his time on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Festival both last summer and this year have seen Dylan treating audiences to songs they wouldn’t likely hear on any given night on Dylan tour.

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Among the classics Dylan has busted out so far on his 2025 Outlaw Fest stint are “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” and his 1964 magnum opus “Mr. Tambourine Man.” He’s now added “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” to that list.

Originally appearing on one of his two groundbreaking 1965 albums, Highway 61 Revisited, “Tom Thumb’s” has appeared in Dylan concerts in instrumental form over the past decade as walk-off music of sorts for Bob.

The Outlaw Country Festival performance marked the first time the Nobel laureate in literature performed the song with lyrics since July 15, 2014 in Sweden as per bobdylan.com. He last played the song in the U.S. in 2012. Yesterday’s performance saw Dylan starting on guitar but soon hitting the piano.

Watch Bob Dylan perform “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” for the first time in over a decade below:

Additional favorites performed included opener “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “Simple Twist of Fate,” “All Along the Watchtower” and Highway 61 masterpiece “Desolation Row.” Dylan wrapped the concert with another classic, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”

The next stop for Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Festival is tomorrow (May 22) in Spokane, Washington. Scroll down for Dylan’s full itinerary and ticket info.

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Setlist

Bob Dylan
  • Gotta Serve Somebody
  • Simple Twist of Fate
  • Forgetful Heart
  • Axe and the Wind
  • Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
  • Early Roman Kings
  • Under the Red Sky
  • I'll Make It All Up To You
  • All Along the Watchtower
  • 'Til I Fell in Love With You
  • Desolation Row
  • Love Sick
  • Share Your Love With Me
  • Blind Willie McTell
  • Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Setlist data setlist.fm.

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