Dylan returned to North Texas and the Music Hall at Fair Park Thursday night, as his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, ongoing since late 2021, approached its terminus. He’ll wrap this two-and-a-half year, eight-leg stint with a two-night stand in Austin on Friday and Saturday.
He was back in town relatively soon after his last trip through the area, which was also part of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, having performed at Irving’s Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in March 2022. (Thursday’s appearance in Fair Park was Dylan’s first at the venue in almost 34 years, the last coming on Sept. 6, 1990, just five days before the release of Under the Red Sky.)
(no dallas videos available yet)
The lengthy excursion launched in support of his 2020 LP Rough and Rowdy Ways, a sharp, sprawling late-career masterwork, and one which served as the foundation for Thursday’s roughly 105-minute performance, where attendees were required to seal their devices inside provided Yondr pouches prior to the performance, ensuring the focus was on the stage, rather than their palms.
Backed by a razor-sharp quintet — guitarists Bob Britt and Doug Lancio, bassist Tony Garnier, drummer Jerry Pentecost and multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron — Dylan appeared on stage at 8:04 p.m., dressed all in black, and took his seat behind what looked like a baby grand piano,
Dylan said little more than “Thank you” to those assembled. The room was nearly sold out, but scattered pockets of open seats were visible here and there. His indifference to the occasional standing ovations did little to deter the vocal appreciation he was shown from the moment he stepped on stage.
