= Bob Dylan - Bob Links - Thackerville, Oklahoma - Reviews - 07/02/26


Reviews
Thackerville, Oklahoma
WinStar World Casino and Resort
Lucas Oil Live
July 2, 2026

[Michael Nave], [Ron Alcorn]

Review by Michael Nave


Die-Hard Dylan Fans Hit the Jackpot at WinStar

I remarked to a friend who asked me about the Dylan show in Austin on June
29 that it was the best Dylan performance I had seen since his COVID
break. However, the performance at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville,
Oklahoma, on July 2 outdid even that. For a bit of context, this was my
third Dylan concert of 2026. I was privileged to see the final Rough and
Rowdy Ways show in Abilene on May 1, my eighth Rough and Rowdy Ways
concert, as well as the aforementioned Austin performance. My favorite
year of the Never Ending Tour has always been 1994. I love the roadhouse
sound, the thundering drums, and the loud guitars. But Bob completely won
me over to this new sound at WinStar.

The Thackerville show was my fifth time seeing Bob at WinStar and my 81st
Dylan concert over the last 40 years, beginning on June 20, 1986. I have
seen some great shows at WinStar, but this one was the jackpot.

I became a bit bored during the Rough and Rowdy Ways era, both with the
sameness of the arrangements and with the recitation rather than singing.
However, the two shows I saw this week featured some of the best singing
by Dylan that I have ever heard.

The night got off to a great start with "To Be Alone With You" as the
opener, and its slowed-down, bluesy ending was especially memorable. The
investment Dylan made in his vocals and the dynamism of his performances
stood in contrast to the subtle nuances of the music.

It seems that Joel Paterson passed the audition in Austin and has now been
moved to stage left, out from under the watchful eye of Tony. It also
appears that Bob is pleased with Paterson's performances, as several times
during the evening, while Paterson was soloing, Bob gave him that subtle
nod and expression to keep it going, leading to several lengthy and
impressive solos. Paterson's performance was fantastic.

There were several standout performances, including "It Ain't Me, Babe,"
"False Prophet," "I Can Tell," "When I Paint My Masterpiece," "Crossing
the Rubicon," and "I Shall Be Released," all of which drew enthusiastic
audience reactions.

I noticed several people around me who looked a bit bored and offered only
polite applause at the conclusion of each song. At the same time, there
was a healthy contingent of die-hard fans scattered throughout the theater
who cheered, whistled, and whooped it up numerous times during the
performances. One concertgoer told me on his way out that he was
disappointed Bob remained in such low light throughout the show. While a
concert does give us the opportunity to see the performer, I, for one,
felt that what we gained in listening quality more than made up for it.

Possibly because 72 concerts and 36 years had elapsed since the last time
I witnessed Bob perform "I Shall Be Released," that song became the
emotional highlight of the evening for me. Dylan's performance was sublime
and heartfelt, providing the perfect ending to a magnificent concert
experience.

I find it amazing that at 85 years of age, after decades of touring, Bob's
voice continues to sound better and better, and that he continues to
search for new sounds and sonic experiences to share with us. Yes, some
experiments hit and some miss. But there is no one in modern live
performance attempting what he is trying to do. And when it hits, there is
nothing else quite like it in the live music world.

Michael Nave
Austin, Texas

[TOP]

Review by Ron Alcorn


Mary Catherine and I flew into Oklahoma City Mondayafternoon from Denver,
drove to Tulsa, checked in at the Mayo Hotel for three nights, and started
our Oklahoma music journey. We had tickets to Leon Russell's Church
Studio, the Bob Dylan Center, the Woody Guthrie Center, Wilcoat Cain's
Ballroom and Dylan at Thackerville on our final night. We made all of those
stops and also squeezed in a visit to Black Wall Street and the
related museum in Greenwood and a visit to The Colony Bar, a local joint
which Leon supposedly owned at one time and which is a seven night a week
music venue and a hangout for local and visiting musicians.

Tuesday morning, we walked to The Church Studio from the Mayo, a
thirty-minute stroll in a pretty shabby industrial area. I didn't know
what to expect- not much, judging from the surroundings- but we were
pleasantly surprised. The Church Studio is beautifully maintained and has
a statue of Leon out front and a musical green located in the back which is
used for concerts. The Studio contains a trove of Tulsa musical history
about Leon and J.J. Cale and dozens of other famous musicians who either
visited or were from the area. Teresa Knox, the preservationist who
bought the studio in 2016, continues to raise money and expand the Studio.
The tour was personalized with a great guide, Bob, took a full two hours,
and was fascinating and informative. We loved it. 

Wednesday, we had The Bob Dylan Center at ten and the Guthrie Center at
two, located adjacent to each other in the Tulsa Arts District, with the
Guthrie Green just across the street. The Dylan Center was what brought
us to Tulsa-without it I doubt that we would have visited. The Dylan
Center is up to date, digital, two full stories, self-guided (with
earphones and great music) and covers every seminal moment in
Dylan's career. You can spend as much time or as little time as you
wish. It also has a revolving special exhibit. This time it is "Dylan
Goes Electric" with the history of the lead-up to Newport and then the
complete Dylan performance on a big split screen in a viewing room.

By contrast, the Woody Guthrie Center seemed a little dated. You can sit
at exhibits and put on a set of big earphones and listen to a narrative, or
some songs, but it is not as accessible as Dylan's. It has a ton of
Woody Guthrie songs and sayings and writings, and a lot of guitars
belonging to Pete Seeger and other folk singers, but not so much that
belonged to Woody. It leans very heavily on racial injustice, poverty and
the disenfranchised, as you might expect. The museum was located on one
floor. Each of these Centers contain extensive archives for research which
are by appointment only.

We enjoyed all three, and if you go to one, you should go to them all-
they're very close together. That night we went to the legendary
Cain's Ballroom to see Wilco, which was jam packed. We're not that
familiar with Wilco but enjoyed the ambience, and the Wilco fans had a
ball. I went to the bathroom and lo and behold there was an entire Mac's
Barbecue, complete with picnic tables, where you could dine and listen
to the music.

On to Thackerville, a three-hour drive from Tulsa. The Winstar Casino is
the world's largest, they say, and I believe it. Lucas Oil Center seats
6500, and it was a full house, although it's possible the mezzanine was
blocked off. Bob started on time, and we made it to our seats in the
middle of "To Be Alone with You." We were hoping for "Watching
the River Flow", which he wrote with Leon, but that was not to be. There
were four band members, Joel Paterson to the right playing guitar, the
drummer Anton Fig, Dylan in the center facing the audience (wearing his
jacket with a hood, not a hoodie) and Tony Garnier to the left on bass,
with a huge console of some sort behind him.

Here were the highlights for us- although the entire show was one long
highlight. Just being in the presence of Bob Dylan as he performs for us at
the age of eighty-five is amazing enough for me. Maybe I'm Amazed.
The sound was great. The four musicians filled up the room and
didn't need another guitarist, in my opinion. Joel Paterson seemed to
fit right in. Occasionally he'd get a little out there but seemed to
sense it and pull back a little. And, of course, if you don't know the
words to a song you might not figure it out. We've been Dylan fans for
sixty years and that happened to us with a couple of songs. "It Ain't
Me, Babe", was clear, classic and pointed, and drew a big crowd response.
He sang "I Can Tell", the Bo Diddley song, with emotion. For the first
time we heard the "Istanbul, Constantinople" version
of "Masterpiece" and loved it, though it's beyond me how he came up
with that. Maybe the original was a little too intense as it aged? Near
the end of the show there were many, many highlights. "I'll Make It All
Up to You", the Charlie Rich song, was played and sung beautifully.
I'm glad he's singing Charlie Rich. "Crossing the Rubicon" was
never a big favorite of ours, but it is now. The song built in intensity,
the muted lighting was perfect, the four-piece band sounded like an
orchestra and the song ended to extended spontaneous applause. I've seen
at least fifty or so Dylan shows since 1978. Never, ever, did I think I
would hear him sing "Under the Red Sky", a song I've loved since the
first time I heard it, and one that's been dismissed and derided just
about every way possible. He sang it beautifully. The musicians
couldn't match the lilting melodies of the original, of course, but he
picked up his harmonica and did a lovely extended solo at the end of the
song. Bravo "Under the Red Sky"! You're finally getting your due. 
On "Goodbye Jimmy Reed", the next to last song, Mary Catherine and I
noticed at the same time how in synch Paterson and Dylan were, playing off
each other to the perfect Jimmy Reed beats, Bob even wiggling his
legs under the piano. I think this Joel Paterson is a keeper, and so did
the crowd, but what do we know?

And, finally, "I Shall Be Released. "Good God, sixty years later,
and there he is, eighty-five years old, wearing a "hoodie", face
obscured, barely able to walk, wanting to be alone with us, though it
ain't him, babe no, no, no, he can tell we don't love him no more- he
crossed the Rubicon- but he'll make it all up to us, because he's made
up his mind to. Goodbye Jimmie Reed. Goodbye all. Any day now... any
day now... I shall be released.

He stood up shakily and moved to the side of the piano, facing us. He
soaked in the adulation, put his hands together then clapped along with us.
He stood there maybe thirty seconds and then he shuffled away. The crowd
cried out for more.

Ron Alcorn

[TOP]

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