Last Night in Phoenix (by Adam Selzer)

2025-05-13, Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, Phoenix, AZ

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Outlaw Tour 2.0 kicked off last night in Phoenix, Arizona, the first show of 35 that Bob Dylan will be playing with Willie Nelson and assorted other artists all summer. Like the first show of last year’s Outlaw Tour, opening night was full of surprises, with Bob busting out original songs he hasn’t played in years, and covers he hasn’t played ever (including a blues song so obscure no one could figure it out).

Adam Selzer was on the scene and reports in from a rainy wild night in Soho Phoenix. Adam is a Chicago historian, author, and tour guide; find more info at adamchicago.com. Here’s Adam:

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Ten minutes after landing in Arizona, the trip became one I’d probably always remember: I called an Uber to pick me and Michael Glover Smith up from the airport, and the car arrived with no driver. It was one of those new robot cars. An invisible driver steered us through the sort of wasteland of strip malls and office parks one expects from an Outlaw show town, past a legal weed dispensary, and past a sign that said “Penis Man!!!” I felt like I was on Desolation Row. The driver at least got us to the hotel in one piece, and didn’t get mad when I called him a dipshit Claude Rains-looking motherfucker.

Anyway. Going to Arizona in spring didn’t sound like a very appealing trip to me, but there’s just something about going to the first night of a new tour, when no one can say with any confidence what the show will be like. Milwaukee '21 was like that. Alpharetta '24 was like that. Though there was always a chance this would be the same set as the last Outlaw tour, this one felt unpredictable enough to find out if all this “but it’s a dry heat” shit was true.

Our human driver to the venue had a mustache and a menorah air freshener, but said he mostly just knew Christian music. He met his wife at a Kari Lake rally and felt comfortable admitting this to strangers. At least I was confident that the robot didn’t actively wish me and my family harm.

The Amphitheatre was like other amphitheaters. Warm wind was blowing dusty old dust all over. The weather cooled to a merciful level by the time Billy Strings came on; he covered “Miss the Mississippi and You” amid a strong set that mixed traditional bluegrass with space-getaway music. I felt like I was in a car chase with the sheriff on Tatooine. It was pretty cool.

Between sets, we noticed them rolling an upright piano onstage, a switch from the recent grand piano. Then we noticed that this piano was hollowed out and lined with silver. Then it lit up, and a little “bonsai tree” of little lights was put on top of it. Something was up. Now, I know better than to assume I’m getting a new show because of something new onstage. I repeated to Mike my prediction that the first two songs would be the same as spring, then we’d get the same Outlaw show as last year.

I started out being right. Bob and the band came out did “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “It Ain’t Me Babe” about like they did then last tour, though they were such strong performances that I would have been perfectly happy to risk my life with robots and magats to be here.

But then, the third song was “Forgetful Heart.” In a new arrangement with crashing cascades of electric guitar. This set the tone for what was to come: a whole new sound, with both Doug Lancio and Bob Britt on electric guitars. The show had a nimble, smoky, vibe that matched the red lighting and emphasized electric guitar far more than any recent iteration. (The bonsai lights effectively blocked Bob’s face on the Jumbotron—well played, sir). Mike and I had been at the stunning debut of the song in 2009, and now we got the debut of a new arrangement.