Photo: Stevo Rood (Billy Strings), William Claxton (Bob Dylan)

The bust-out bard has shifted the thrill of his concert output and tapped the torchbearer of a younger generation.  

After integrating first-time plays and once-shelved songs into his prior Outlaw Music Festival sets, Bob Dylan sought the opportunity to enhance his latest live performance, which occurred last night at the ONE Stadium in Spokane, Wash., with the arrival of fellow tour participant, Billy Strings. 

Thursday night’s team-up arrived after Dylan turned in “Gotta Serve Somebody,” “Simple Twist of Fate,” George Butler’s “Axe and the Wind,” “To Ramona,” “Early Roman King,” “Under the Red Sky” and “I’ll Make It All Up You.” During the sit-in with Dylan, Strings complemented the 83-year-old veteran musician on acoustic guitar. 

At the 1:43 marker of a fan-shot video that surfaced after the concert, Strings offers the beloved composition’s signature guitar interlude, adding a tinge of bluegrass flair before throwing the instrumental solo back to his lead, who seamlessly takes over on piano. The palpable excitement was a testament to the mutual respect and admiration between the two artists, who exchanged glances and, upon making eye contact, smiled in recognition of the defining musical moment. 

Leading up to last night’s guest appearance, Dylan had used his slot on the Outlaw Tour to revive pieces of his iconic catalog and add more material to the mix, beginning on night one of the run, May 13, when he turned in a whopping four bust-outs [“Forgetful Heart,” “To Ramona,” Bobby Troupe’s “Route 66” and “Mr. Tambourine Man”] and three debuts [George Butler’s “Axe and the Wind,” Charlie Rich’s “I’ll Make It All Up To You,” and The Pogues classic “A Rainy Night in Soho”]. 

Having proceeded with near identical frames night after night on his own Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour, the arrival of first-time songs and bustouts provided a window to repopulate his live output. The trend continued on night two of the Outlaw Tour with three more bust-outs [“Lonesome Day Blues,” “Blind Willie McTell,” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”] and a debut of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Share Your Love With Me.” 

In classic Dylan fashion, as fans started to pick up on the setlist trend, he withdrew the method of song entries during the tour stop at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, saving his energy for a more obscure location, Wheatland, Calif., for the arrival of the first “Til I Fell in Love With Me,” since 2015. During the musician’s follow-up on May 20, in Nampa, Idaho, he sought the addition of the first non-instrumental “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” since 2014.

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Upon arriving in Eastern Washington last night, Strings also sought some special assistance, tapping members of Willie Nelson’s longtime touring ensemble and family, Micah Nelson (Particle Kid) on lead vocals and guitar, as well as harmonica ace Mickey Raphael during the Willie-recorded “Blue Skies.” Raphael stuck around for his host’s follow-up, Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freightliner Blues.” Following guest assistance, Strings and company performed an ode to John Hiatt on “Crossing Muddy Waters.” 

After last night’s historic performance, the bus rolls on, pulling into Cascades Amphitheater in Ridgefield, Wash., tomorrow, Saturday, May 24.