Andy Greene
View all posts by Andy Greene March 22, 2026
Bob Dylan Gary Miller/Getty Images Bob Dylan launched the 2026 leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour Saturday evening at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, Nebraska. He made some big changes by playing six Rough and Rowdy Ways songs as opposed to the usual nine, ditching his grand piano in favor of a tiny keyboard in the center of the stage, and rearranging the music by having guitarists Bob Britt and Doug Lancio play acoustic instead of electric. An electric guitar sat on Dylan’s amp all night, but he never touched it.
The night began in standard Rough and Rowdy Ways fashion with “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” but veered off course right afterwards when Dylan broke out Oh Mercy‘s “The Man in the Long Black Coat” for the first time since 2013. Songs like “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell” – which he’s only played at Outlaw Festival shows in recent years – were sprinkled into the set. And the biggest surprise came near the end when he played Eddie Cochran’s 1958 classic “Nervous Breakdown” for the first time in his history as a live performer. Phones were banned from the show, and no video has emerged, but fans did manage to capture clean audio recordings.
Dylan last played in America on the final leg of the Outlaw Festival tour in September 2025. These were supremely odd shows, even by Dylan standards, where he wore a hoodie tight over his head, placed a music stand and bright lights near his piano, and therefore made it virtually impossible for people in the audience to see his face. He never explained why he did this, but it’s almost certainly related to the fans filming and taking photos throughout the summer. (At his headline shows in theaters, he’s able to force fans to place phones in pouches at the door. That wasn’t viable at the large outdoor amphitheaters that Outlaw hit.)
