Bob Dylan knows how to tease an audience. After picking up the spring leg of his seemingly perpetual Rough and Rowdy Ways tour with nearly identical sets from night to night, the Greenwich Village bard sought an entry point to mix things up during the onset of his touring commitments in support of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival, last night, Tuesday, May 13, at the Talking Sticks Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix.

The sly and thoughtful artist tricked his crowd with the arrival of the first number, the expected “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” which has been extensively featured in his setlists as the de facto jumping-off point. The follow-up “It Ain’t Me, Babe” remained in the second slot, only this time, Dylan moved from behind the piano, picking up the guitar in a relatively rare shift for the long-time performer. 

The aforementioned change could have alluded to what was to come: more surprises and significant moments for the relatively stagnant setlist repeater. Dylan’s co-write with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, the Together Through Life cut “Forgetful Heart,” took the setlist’s third spot, ahead of a first-time cover of George “Wild Child” Butler’s blue-laden, “Axe and the Wind.”  

With wind in his sails, Dylan sought more historic entries by following up with a pair of bust-outs, a return to Another Side featured “To Ramona,” for the first time since June 17, 2017, at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., followed by a deep dip and retrieval of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.” According to Setlist.FM, the last time Dylan covered the traveling tune was in 1986, effectively closing a 39-year performance gap.

“All Along the Watchtower” surfaced ahead of Dylan’s second live debut, this time a take on Charlie Rich’s “I’ll Make It Up to You,” which was capped with a complete run through of “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.” Adding to the significance of the performance, Dylan dusted off fan favorite, “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The take on the Bringing It All Back Home inclusion represented the first play by the song’s originator since June 28, 2010, during a festival stop in France. 

Before capping off the concert frame with one final debut, Dylan inserted “Under the Red Sky” and “Scarlet Town,” before concluding his delivery after a debut of The Pogues’ “A Rainy Night in Soho.” 

Apart from Dylan’s contributions to the Outlaw Country Tour, fellow participant Billy Strings was also in the mix and on location. During the bluegrass golden boy’s performance, he debuted a first-time cover of the Bad Livers’ “Ghost Train.” View Strings’ setlist here. 

Scroll down to view Dylan’s setlist. The Outlaw Country Tour continues tomorrow night, May 15, in Chula Vista, Calif. 

Bob Dylan
Outlaw Country Tour
Talking Sticks Resort Amphitheatre – Phoenix
May 13, 2025

Set: I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, It Ain’t Me, Babe+, Forgetful Heart%, Axe and the Wind$, To Ramona!, Route 66#, All Along the Watchtower, I’ll Make It All Up To You*, It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry, Mr. Tambourine Man?, Under the Red Sky, Scarlet Town, A Rainy Night in Soho^

Notes:
+ Dylan on guitar
% First time since 2015
$ Live debut, George “Wild Child” Butler cover
! First time since 2017
# First time since 1986
* Live debut, Charlie Rich cover
? First time since 2010
^ Live debut, The Pogues cover