Last Night in Gilford

2025-08-03, Bank of NH Pavilion, Gilford, NH

Notes from night two of my Outlaw weekend! Plus videos and a tape.

• After some sloppy moments in Saratoga Springs, Dylan was on in Gilford last night. The six-song stretch from “All Along the Watchtower” through “Blind Willie McTell” was one of the strongest chunks vocally I’ve seen in a few years. “Desolation Row” especially was perhaps the best I’ve ever seen it sung in person. “Blind Willie” was just as good, with him almost whispering the lyrics. It was so powerful I forgot to applaud after. I was just sitting there.

• I joked in yesterday’s dispatch that I kept writing the word “jaunty” in my notebook (and it turns out I wasn’t the only one! We should rename this Jaunty Tour 2025). Last night the word that popped up a couple times was “bite.” He bit into the lyrics for “I Can Tell,” really making a meal of them and riffing at the end “no no no no no!” Ditto an equally biting “Love Sick,” propelled by Anton Fig’s theatrical drumming.

• The centerpiece of this set to me is the “All Along the Watchtower” / “Til I Fell in Love with You” combo. “Watchtower” benefits from the wonderful new arrangement, and Bob leans into the vocals, extending the final word of each verse (“hoooooowl,” etc). Then “Til I Fell,” as I mentioned yesterday, has that wonderfully strange backing, the band members making ambient noises behind Bob. I got some video of it last night: