The

Never Ending Tour The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's ongoing touring schedule which began on June 7, 1988. During the course of the tour, musicians have come and gone as the band has continued to evolve. The tour amassed a huge fan base with ...

is the popular name for

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's endless touring schedule since June 7, 1988.

Background

The 2012 leg of the Never Ending tour was announced via BobDylan.com on February 16, 2012. The first dates to be announced were concerts taking place in three South American Countries; Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Dylan previously visited these countries last time he toured South America on the Never Ending Tour 2008. On March 15, 2012, after being rumored in the press, it was confirmed that Dylan would perform in Heredia, Costa Rica on May 5, 2012. This was Dylan's first concert in the country of Costa Rica and his first concert in Central America. On March 28, 2012 it was confirmed that Dylan would return to Mexico, four years after his last performances there in 2008. It was confirmed on March 27, 2012 that Dylan would return to Kent in 2012 to headline the Hop Farm Festival. Dylan had previously headlined the festival in July 2010. On March 29, 2012 Dylan's official website revealed several European concerts for the summer of 2012. These dates included official confirmation of his performances at Hop Farm Festival, Festival Internacional Benicàssim and Festival Vieilles Charrues Les Nuits de Fourvière. It was revealed that Dylan also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Dylan also performed in Salzburg, Austria and Nîmes, France. Dylan performed at eleven European concerts this summer including: his second performance at The Hop Farm Festival in Kent, the Citadel Music Festival in Berlin, Kunst!Rasen Gronau in Bonn, Lieder im Schloss in Bad Mergentheim, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Festival Internacional de Benicàssim in Spain, Festival Jardins de Cap Roig in Calella, Festival de Nîmes in France, Collisioni 2012 in Barolo, Les Nuits de Fourvière in Lyon and the Vieilles Charrues Festival in Carhaix. Rehearsals for Dylan's 2012 European tour began at the

Bardavon 1869 Opera House The Bardavon 1869 Opera House , in the downtown district of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States, is the oldest continuously operating theater in New York State. Designed by J.A. Wood, it was built in 1869 and served as a venue for various per ...

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

on Monday June 25, 2012 and lasted until Wednesday June 27, 2012 where Dylan and his band flew to England for his performance at Hop Farm Festival on Saturday June 30, 2012. Among unknown tunes Dylan and his band performed "

Things Have Changed "Things Have Changed" is a song from the film ''Wonder Boys (film), Wonder Boys'', written and performed by Bob Dylan and released as a single on May 1, 2000, that won both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for ...

", " Nettie Moore", "

Tangled Up in Blue "Tangled Up in Blue" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which was released as the opening track on his 15th studio album '' Blood on the Tracks'' (1975). The song was written by Dylan and produced by David Zimmerman, Dylan's bro ...

", "

Blind Willie McTell Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was a Piedmont blues and ragtime singer and guitarist. He played with a fluid, syncopated fingerstyle guitar technique, common among many exponents of Piedmont b ...

" and "

Ballad of Hollis Brown "Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a folk song written by Bob Dylan, released in 1964 on his third album '' The Times They Are A-Changin. The song tells the story of a South Dakota farmer who, overwhelmed by the desperation of poverty, kills his wi ...

". Dylan's performance at the Hop Farm Music Festival saw the introduction of a

grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

into his set, which he played for eight songs of his sixteen-song set. On June 15, 2012, Dylan's official website announced eleven concerts that are to take place in August and September 2012. These shows include three concerts in Canada, where Dylan hadn't performed since November 2009. The following day a further two concerts were announced, one taking place in Billings, Montana and the other taking place in Rochester, Minnesota. On June 20 another two concerts were announced, one in Cincinnati and the other in Salisbury, Maryland. The tickets for Dylan's show in Cranbrook sold out in record time. The venue adjusted the position of the stage to add a further 250 tickets, which also sold out. On June 28, 2012 a further six concerts were announced taking place in August and early September. The August 15 concert in Billings, Montana was eventually cancelled due to poor ticket sales. The much anticipated North American leg of the Dylan/Knopfler tour was announced via both BobDylan.com and MarkKnopfler.com on July 18, 2012, just one day after Dylan announced his 35th studio album, ''

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

''.Sources for Dylan & Knopfler Fall Tour 2012: * * * * * * * * The tour was met with a mixed to negative response. Many reviews complained about Dylan's decreasing vocal abilities and his lack of piano playing skills. As usual with Dylan reviews the press complained about Dylan's changing of song, beyond recognition sometimes. The tour's attendance was fairly poor with many reviews reporting fans leaving long before the concert was over. In an unprecedented move during his November 5 concert in Madison, Wisconsin, Dylan addressed the crowd, besides his normal band introduction and said: ''"We tried to play good tonight since the president was here today. Don't believe the media. I think it's going to be a landslide"'' Performing only 86 concerts in 2012, Dylan performed the fewest shows during a year-long leg of the

since 1996.

Supporting acts

*Chicago Blues: A Living History — July 8, 2012 * Garbage — July 22, 2012 *

Gossip Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling. Gossip is a topic of research in evolutionary psychology, which has found gossip to be an important means ...

— July 22, 2012 * Leon Russell — August 26, 2012 *The McCrary Sisters — August 26, 2012, The McCrary Sisters provided backing vocals on Blowin' in the Wind at this event *

Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...

— September 2, 2012 * Bob Weir — September 9, 2012 *

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

— October 5 – November 21, 2012

Tour dates

;Festivals and other miscellaneous performances ;Cancellations and rescheduled shows

Box office score data

Setlists

First leg

Second leg

Third leg

Fourth leg

Song Count

Band

– Guitar, Harmonica, Organ, Piano, Vocals * Tony Garnier – Electric bass, Upright bass *Donnie Herron – Banjo, Electric mandolin, Lap steel, Pedal steel, Viola, Violin *Stu Kimball – Guitar *George Recile – Drums, percussion *

Charlie Sexton Charles Wayne Sexton (born August 11, 1968) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Sexton is best known for his years as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band, though also has become well known as a music producer. Sexton co-founded the Ar ...

– Guitar

References

External links

BobLinks
nbsp;– Comprehensive log of concerts and set lists
BobDylan.com
nbsp;– Bob Dylan's Official Website Tour Page

nbsp;– Information on recording sessions and performances {{Bob Dylan Bob Dylan concert tours 2012 concert tours