Bob Dylan Debuts Covers & Busts Out ‘Tangled Up In Blue’ At European Tour Opener

By Scott Bernstein Oct 19, 2026 • 6:52 am PDT

Bob Dylan reached back to The Basement Tapes and Blood On The Tracks for long-absent originals and introduced two covers at his European tour opener on Saturday. The October 17 concert at Oslo Spektrum in Oslo, Norway launched Dylan’s Lights Of Autumn Tour with a 19-song setlist and another unidentified guitarist, believed to be Mike Seal.

Dylan’s first performances of Randy Newman’s “Louisiana 1927” and Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues” joined revivals of “Tangled Up In Blue” and “Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood).” The latter returned just three days shy of the 21st anniversary of its previous appearance.

After opening with “To Be Alone With You” and “Man In The Long Black Coat,” Dylan offered “Crash On The Levee (Down In The Flood)” for the first time since October 20, 2005 in Karlstad, Sweden. Originally recorded with The Band during the 1967 Basement Tapes sessions, the song first appeared on Dylan’s 1971 compilation Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Volume II.

Four songs later came “Tangled Up In Blue,” last performed on August 28, 2018 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Dylan revisited the opening track from 1975’s Blood On The Tracks with a stripped-down ballad arrangement and rewritten lyrics, as Rolling Stone reported. Among the new passages:

Way up north in the frozen woods
Teardrops touch the sky
The leaves are falling one by one
And the mornings pass you by
Sometimes it gets so quiet
Sometimes it gets in the way
Look here for another
Tomorrow’s another day
And all the while I was alone
The past was close behind
I seen a lot of women
But I never escaped her mind
And she just grew
Tangled up in blue

“Louisiana 1927” followed “Share Your Love With Me” in the ninth slot. Newman released the song on his 1974 album Good Old Boys, recounting the devastation of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The debut gave the night a second song about flooding after the return of “Crash On The Levee.”

Dylan turned to Clark’s catalog later in the set for “Dublin Blues,” the title track from the late Texas songwriter’s 1995 album. The song follows a narrator in Dublin longing for Austin’s Chili Parlor Bar and a lost love, with references along the way to Michelangelo’s David, the Mona Lisa and Doc Watson.

The new material arrived with another change to Dylan’s band. Guitarist Joel Paterson, bassist Tony Garnier and drummer Anton Fig returned alongside the musician fans have identified as Seal. However, his identity remains unconfirmed. Dylan did not introduce the band, and longtime setlist chronicler Bill Pagel’s Bob Links listed the second guitarist with a question mark.

The uncertainty continues a string of guitar changes dating to June, when Julian Lage replaced Doug Lancio. Bob Britt then left the group, with Paterson making his Dylan debut on June 29 in Austin. Lage subsequently returned, while Jad Tariq joined the rotation in July as Lage fulfilled his own touring commitments.

Seal’s background spans jazz, blues, bluegrass and Americana. He joined Jerry Douglas’ band in 2016 and played on Douglas’ What If and Leftover Feelings, the latter recorded with John Hiatt. His credits also include the Jeff Sipe Trio, the Jeff Coffin Mu’tet and work with Sierra Hull.

Dylan remained on electric keyboard throughout the Oslo concert, adding harmonica to “Under The Red Sky.” Three selections from 2020’s Rough And Rowdy Ways appeared across the evening: “Crossing The Rubicon,” “I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You” and “Goodbye Jimmy Reed.” “I Shall Be Released” ended the main set before Dylan returned for a “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” encore.

Listen to an audience recording of the full concert here and individual songs below:

Dylan’s European tour continues tonight in Gothenburg, Sweden. The run concludes with five shows at London’s Royal Festival Hall on December 3 – 5 and 7 – 8, marking his first performances at the venue since 1964.