Bob Dylan at the Fabulous Fox, 1990-2015

1998-02-17, Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO

Photo via The Fabulous Fox

I enjoyed looking back at every time Bob Dylan played Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last fall. Today, here’s another overview of Dylan’s history at a noteworthy venue.

This one does not have quite the Ryman’s worldwide name recognition - in fact, I’d never heard of it myself. But, when I saw he played there on this date in 1998, the killer name caught my attention: The Fabulous Fox. A quick Google revealed three things: the place looked cool as hell, Bob had played there a handful of times, and one of them was a very famous show! So, let’s take a look at The Fabulous Bob at The Fabulous Fox (ugh, sorry).

The Fox (not yet Fabulous, I guess?) began its life as a 1920s movie palace. There are five other Fox Theatres built around the same time by the same guy, William Fox. Two of the five, in San Francisco and Brooklyn, were demolished years ago. The Brooklyn one, which looked stunning, is now the home of a CVS. I’m sure the CVS is stunning, too.

The other Fox Theatres are not only all still open – Bob has played them all! And not in the distant past either: he played both the Atlanta and Oakland Fox Theatres just last year, and the Detroit Fox a few times in the 2010s. Every one of them looks incredible, the sort of old beautiful theater where you hope to see a Dylan concert. (There’s also a former Fox Theatre in San Diego he hasn’t played. Maybe he’s punishing them for changing the name: it’s called Copley Symphony Hall now.)

But those other Foxes will have to wait for another newsletter. Here’s a look at the six times Dylan has played St. Louis’s Fabulous Fox.