“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan”. The man who needs no introduction is once more returning to these shores courtesy of nine shows in November. Tickets for these dates – three each in Glasgow, Blackpool and London – went on sale first thing this morning, promptly sold out and are no doubt already appearing on some resale site near you for upwards of twice their already fairly steep face value prices of between £50 and £85.
Most recently seen in this country at last year’s sadly now defunct Hop Farm Festival (pictured) where he rolled back the years with a scintillating 16 song set which stretched all the way from ‘Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat’ to ‘All Along The Watchtower, this time round Dylan will be appearing at Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium, Blackpool Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall. The full details are:
- 18 November – Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Scotland
- 19 November – Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Scotland
- 20 November – Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Scotland
- 22 November – Opera House, Blackpool, England
- 23 November – Opera House, Blackpool, England
- 24 November – Opera House, Blackpool, England
- 26 November – Royal Albert Hall, London, England
- 27 November – Royal Albert Hall, London, England
- 28 November – Royal Albert Hall, London, England
The Blackpool dates are a real coup for the Fylde coast seaside resort, reinforcing the town’s recent resurgence as a major player on the UK gig/concert circuit. The 72 year old Dylan and his band will play three consecutive nights at the magnificent Grade II listed Opera House Theatre. Located within the Winter Gardens complex, the 2,920 capacity venue dates from 1889 and will provide the most perfect of settings in which to experience the man who almost single-handedly changed the face of contemporary music back in the ’60s.
Either side of Blackpool lays a further trio of consecutive nights, first in Glasgow and then at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the latter marking his first performances there since his controversial UK tour in 1966. Fully expect Dylan to go electric on these dates but for those not lucky enough to snap up a ticket in this morning’s almighty scramble or willing to take out a personal loan to visit a secondary source, God Is In The TV will be reviewing both the Blackpool and London shows.
