Last Night in Tinley Park

2024-09-07, Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL

When Bob Dylan resumed his Outlaw tour Friday night in Wisconsin, I saw two Dylan fans whose opinions I respect, Henry Bernstein and Steven Hyden, calling it one of the best shows they’d ever seen.

I was surprised. I’d seen two prior shows on this tour, in Alpharetta outside Atlanta and in Mansfield outside Boston (the tour posters should just say “outside X” next to all these dates, as they’re mostly held in obscure suburbs of big cities), and, while I loved shows both for different reasons—wild setlist for one, wild toddler for the other—profound musical excellence was not the first phrase that came to mind. As I noted in one writeup, the Outlaw shows have been more rough and rowdy than any of the shows on that titular tour: Bob and the band trying out wildcard covers they half-remember to indifferent Willie crowds chattering over the quiet moments and going on beer runs throughout.

So last night I ventured to another generic corporate amphitheater in Tinley Park (aka. “outside Chicago”) to see what all the new hype was about. And while I’m not ready to bestow best-ever honors on it, sure enough Dylan and the band’s performance was easily the best of the three Outlaw shows I’ve seen.

Some notes on a chilly night in Illinois, plus videos and a tape:

• For anyone that missed it, the biggest setlist news this week—hell, the biggest setlist news in years—was the return of “Silvio” in Wisconsin. If you’re a fan who saw shows in the ‘90s, when “Silvio” was as ever-present as “Watchtower” in slot three, you might be surprised to discover it’s been over 20 years since he last played it. But for folks like me, whose entire run of show-going came in the post-“Silvio” era, it was a welcome return. It opened last night’s show as well, and is a great way to kick things into high-gear immediately. 

• The opening-song slot has been the biggest setlist rotation. So far it’s been “My Babe” (night one only), then “Highway 61 Revisited,” then “Rainy Day Women,” now “Silvio” for two shows and counting. Six more to go; will there be more opening-slot surprises? Plenty of other high-energy blues-rockers in his catalog than could fit the bill. Where my “From a Buick 6” heads at?

• Slot two, on the other hand, has been “Shooting Star” at every show since the second. Until last night! “It Ain’t Me Babe” returned for the first time in five years. Now, for this one, I was around for it being played constantly in the 2010s, but was still glad to have it back, highlighted by his sing-songy “no no no”s and a beautiful mid-song harmonica solo.