Bob Dylan's tour takes him home to Duluth

Bob Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota and last night he returned to the stage of his birthplace. From here:

Bob Dylan returns to to his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota.

DULUTH — It was a dramatic and genuinely breathtaking sight Tuesday night around 11 p.m., that of Bob Dylan and his big band on stage at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth. The 72-year-old music legend stood center stage, American and POW/MIA flags waving in the bug-free breeze at the Lois M. Paulucci Music Pavilion, as the backdrop of the St. Louis Bay behind him reminded all concerned that Dylan’s fracking-free music remains the area’s most vital export to the world.

“Special” and “timeless” barely does this one justice.

Throughout the six-hour stop on Dylan’s so-called Americanarama tour, the smell of fresh water and crisp northern air melded with that of hops, grains, weed and cigarettes, and provided an almost otherworldly idyllic setting for the sublime and timeless roots-based rock of The Richard Thompson Band, My Morning Jacket, Wilco, and Dylan.

Read it all here.

Here is his set list:

1.	Things Have Changed (Bob center stage, Donnie on pedal steel, Stu on acoustic guitar, Charlie Sexton on lead guitar)
2.	Love Sick (Bob center stage with harp, Donnie on electric mandolin, Charlie on lead guitar)
3.	High Water (For Charley Patton) (Bob center stage, Donnie on banjo, Tony on standup bass, Charlie on lead guitar)
4.	Soon After Midnight (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on pedal steel, Stu on acoustic guitar, Charlie on lead guitar)
5.	Early Roman Kings (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on lap steel , Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass, Charlie on lead guitar)
6.	Tangled Up In Blue (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on pedal steel, Stu on acoustic guitar, Charlie on lead guitar)
7.	Duquesne Whistle (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on lap steel, Tony on standup bass, Charlie on lead guitar)
8.	She Belongs To Me (Bob center stage with harp, Donnie on pedal steel, Charlie on lead guitar)
9.	Beyond Here Lies Nothin' (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on electric mandolin, Charlie on lead guitar)
10.	A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on electric mandolin, Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass, Charlie on lead guitar)
11.	Blind Willie McTell (Bob center stage with harp, Donnie on banjo, Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass, Charlie on lead guitar)
12.	Simple Twist Of Fate (Bob on grand piano with harp, Donnie on pedal steel, Stu on acoustic guitar, Charlie on lead guitar)
13.	Summer Days (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on pedal steel, Tony on standup bass, Charlie on lead guitar)
14.	All Along the Watchtower (Bob on grand piano, Donnie on lap steel, Stu on acoustic guitar, Charlie on lead guitar)
	(encore)
15.	Blowin' In The Wind (Bob on grand piano with harp then center stage with harp, Donnie on violin, Stu on acoustic guitar, Charlie on lead guitar)

More from here:

Bob Dylan in Duluth Tuesday night.

DULUTH – Whether there were any homesick blues on his part remained a mystery, but Bob Dylan generated an extra level of excitement from Minnesota fans by finally performing in his native city again — and by bringing a trio of exceptional opening acts with him.

Headed to Midway Stadium in St. Paul on Wednesday for a sold-out date on his so-called Americanarama tour, Dylan stopped in at Duluth’s Bayfront Festival Park with the same impressive entourage on Tuesday.

Twang-rooted rockers My Morning Jacket, Richard Thompson and Wilco rounded out the five-hour music marathon. The last band already had a special relationship with Duluth, having played Bayfront twice before and even been given the key to the city last summer.

Of course, no musician unlocks more stories and mixed emotions around northern Minnesota than Dylan.

“How cool is it that a neighbor of ours went on to change the world?” said Ely native Cindy Stene, 52, who drove from Grand Rapids to attend her first Dylan concert. “I’m not a huge fan, but this may be the last chance to see him up here.”

His last time in Duluth was in 1999, with Paul Simon at the same scenic outdoor venue. Given Dylan’s age, 72, another 14-year wait indeed seems unlikely.

“I was born up the hill there,” he told fans in ’99, referring to either to St. Mary’s Hospital or the house where his family lived until moving to Hibbing when Bob was 6.

On Tuesday, he made no comment about the homecoming, nor did he drop any special tunes for the occasion. The first half of the 90-minute set was filled with recent songs such as “Duquesne Whistle” and “Things Have Changed.” Most of the oldies came later, including “All Along the Watchtower” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”

At least for fans, some of the classic lyrics resonated a little stronger given the bard’s local roots, i.e., “All the people we used to know / They’re an illusion to me now.”