Last Night in Kalamazoo (by Chad Golda)

2025-04-16, Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI

Photo via @kalamazoo_b_r_i_a_n

The Spring 2025 leg of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour is rounding its final bend. Last night Bob Dylan and His Band came to Kalamazoo, Michigan, on one of the last stops. Musician and Dylan fan Chad Golda was on the scene and reports in:

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I attended the show with my father, Ed, who was never a Dylan fan, but said he would come to this show because it was being held at Western Michigan University. More specifically because the venue was Miller Auditorium, where he walked across the stage as a part of the graduating class in 1974. He remembered a James Gang concert there in the '70s—or maybe it was J. Geils Band.

I love talking with him and saying things like, “You could have been there: 1974! Ann Arbor! What were you doing?” And to him it is hilarious. (He did attend the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, so he is a cool guy.) Will our kids have the equivalent: “He was touring Rowdy and Rowdy Ways in 2025…and you didn’t go?!” But I can say I did go, last night in Kalamazoo for the 16th show of the tour, four shows left. Bob and the band have rounded third and are headed home.

We arrived on Western Michigan University's campus and drove the windy roads to Miller Auditorium. 6:30 doors had a good amount of people already in line mixed in with college students travelling between classes. Inside, a beautiful bunch of people. The grey ponytails, the teenager in a suit. My father and I had balcony tickets, so we walked two flights up and stood for a moment overlooking the merch area. It was obvious there was a good amount of present and former WMU students and faculty in attendance. We started up a conversation with a guy who was an 83-year-old former professor, still lived in town, and recounted seeing Dylan a couple times in Kalamazoo. “I guess he likes it here,” he said as he told a story about a '90s concert.

We made our way to the seats with about 20 minutes until showtime (long sleeve shirt, nobody was looking for the Apple Watch). Lights dimmed and the fans welcomed the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour to town. Bob was sounding great from the first note. Giving us plenty of guitar licks at the end of the opener “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” [first time that song had guitar all tour! -Ray] and more guitar for the intro of song two, “It Ain’t Me Babe.” The view from balcony right was perfect to look down over Bob's shoulder playing guitar. The sound mix was great: Shining guitars, smooth bass, real clear drums. Only sometimes on the first line of a song the vocals were a little low, but I think most of that can be attributed to Bob moving from standing to sitting position and repositioning the mic. I loved watching Bob catch inspiration and go to standing and pound out some melody.