| Reviews Waukegan, Illinois Genesee Theatre March 30, 2026 |
Review by Will Greene
This was my 10th Dylan show - 1 in 2019, 2 Outlaw Tour dates, and a
whopping 7 Rough and Rowdy Ways shows. Those totals will swell to 12 and 9
once I hit two of the southern shows but given his recent announcements it
sounds quite likely that any other Dylan shows I see will not be Rough and
Rowdy. It is bittersweet to imagine the end of the R&RW tour but I am
excited to see what comes after. This is also the first show following the
announcement of Dylan's Patreon, which so far has been dedicated to
resurrecting historical figures so Dylan can use them to expound on life
from the distance of the grave. In a career built on the unexpected, these
AI voiced monologues have created quite a stir, with most fans seemingly
being indifferent (like myself) or actively annoyed by the idea.
Tonight's show was at the lovely Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, which based
on my limited knowledge of Waukegan is the most notable and beautiful
thing in the city. I was a little worried about my seat but it turned out
to be a good one, far on the right side but on an aisle and with clear
sightlines of all the band members. If you were suddenly dropped in
Waukegan, the only clues you could find that you are close to Chicago are
the commuter rail station (conveniently across the highway from downtown)
and the Lake Michigan views. Other than that, Waukegan feels like the sort
of faded Midwestern town you see scattered across the region - lots of low
slung commercial buildings, often boarded up, and a clear sense that the
town has emptied out since its heyday. That being said, this was a perfect
day for a concert as the weather was beautiful, the employees at the small
Mexican place I stopped at for dessert before the show were quite
accommodating, and the reviews for Dylan's most recent shows have been
strong.
The band came out shortly after 8, warmed up for a few seconds, and then
Bob strolled out in his hoodie. The hood stayed on throughout the entire
concert but the trees he put on his piano last year were gone, so I had an
unblocked view of Dylan. The smaller keyboard also meant I could see Bob's
legs tapping out the beat as he played. The rest of the set was also
uncluttered, with just a couple lights scattered around for the band in
addition to the two very small lights perched on Dylan's keyboard.
This was a very good show but not a particularly unique one. Like the
other shows on this leg, we got lots of Dylan fiddling with his
microphones, which seemed to keep the vocals from being picked up. This
was primarily a problem during a few songs in the middle of the show.
Dylan stood up a good bit, which gave the audience a good look at him but
switching between multiple microphones likely contributed to the vocal
issues. The missing bits were generally still audible, so it was not
terribly disruptive. However, the dropouts did slightly weigh on the
experience, especially since Dylan's vocals were the clear focal point of
the show. Consistent with this leg, both guitarists stuck to acoustic
guitars, maintaining the show's focus on Bob despite his keyboard playing
being less showy than in the 2025 shows I saw. When Bob's vocals came
through well, it was a delightful show, with Dylan in great voice. When
they did not come through well, there was generally a clear empty space in
the sound that emphasized the dropouts.
The set list was unchanged from the Rockford and La Crosse shows, with a
strong but slightly pared back focus on the Rough & Rowdy Ways album (at
"only" six songs). The house lights were on for all of the driving opener
"To Be Alone with You" and the first verse of "Man in the Long Black Coat"
before dimming. My first "Long Black Coat" was a highlight due to the
clear vocals and some ominous keyboard parts. Intriguingly, I kept hearing
him sing "Long White Coat" but no one else seemed to hear that and the
audio recording is inconclusive. This concert did not have any Bobtalk
except to introduce the band members, but the many standing ovations at
the end of "Coat" did prompt a slight Bob nod. A tension infused
performance of "Watchtower" was followed by a much simplified and quite
lovely arrangement of "Multitudes." Next came a radical reworking of
"False Prophet" where the vocals started to get a little lost, which
continued into a skeletal "Black Rider" where Bob attempted to adjust the
position of the microphone he used while seated. The problem abated for a
relatively faithful version of "Love Sick" before returning on "Goodbye
Jimmy Reed." I do not think Dylan was doing this on purpose, but it is
interesting that all three songs with prominent dropouts were R&RW songs
as that phase of his touring winds down.
Things picked up from there. Both covers were performed with gusto that
kept the lyrics consistently audible, with "I Can Tell" featuring a big
"no no no" towards the end. Next came my favorite R&RW song "I've Made Up
My Mind" which was performed with a bare bones instrumental that bore
almost no resemblance to the album version. That was followed by the band
introduction and then the final R&RW song and my favorite R&RW performance
of the show, "Crossing the Rubicon." This performance featured a strong,
almost military-like, beat and a small chuckle from Bob as he sang the
"road" bit. Bob nailed the vocal and the keyboard part for this song,
making it a thoroughly engaging performance. "When I Paint My Masterpiece"
featured great drumming by Anton and a little bow from Bob at the end.
"Forgetful Heart" was another highlight with a dramatic arrangement that
was primarily gentle but was periodically punctured by simultaneous big
chords from the guitarists.
Bob adjusted the mic again for "Soon After Midnight", this time making the
vocals easier to distinguish, carrying through that strong version and a
rocking "Nervous Breakdown." Finally, a simple instrumental and a tender
vocal carried a powerful "Every Grain of Sand" to Dylan's concluding
harmonica solo, the only time he played an instrument other than the
keyboard. The solo was a terrific way to end the show, with Bob stepping
towards the front, nodding to the audience a few times, and then walking
off. After a long wait to get my Yondr pouch unlocked, I left the theatre
to find that intra-cloud lightning had started, which felt like an
appropriate conclusion to another concert from the most powerful artist of
our time. Hopefully he can be clearly heard for the remainder of this leg
and for many years to come.
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page by Bill Pagel
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