Bob Dylan returns to Glasgow with Triumpant, Raucous, and predictibly Grumpy set (was there a glimpse of a smile?) – Gig review

Now the dust has settled, it’s time to reflect on Bob Dylan’s triumphant return to Glasgow. Firstly, it should be noted how refreshing it is to attend a device free gig. On entering the SEC Armadillo, you are handed a lockable pouch to place your phone. As much as I enjoy taking a few snaps at gigs and sometimes a video for good measure, this idea is one I am fully onboard with.

Taking to the stage to a standing ovation, Bob and his band fire into a raucous version of ‘I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight’. Those thinking the 84-year old’s voice has gone can think again, with his iconic gravel like rasp still going strong. Like almost all Dylan gigs these days, there are no verbal interactions with the crowd, and you have to wait until the end of the show for him to finally recognise the audience with a bow. This is of course standard onstage behaviour from him and very much to be expected, so much so that prior to the gig commencing I overheard two friends referring to Dylan as ‘the grumpiest legend alive’ and someone you definitely ‘wouldn’t want to have a pint with’.

This is of course a minor quibble for a musical legend that has given us a staggering 40 studio albums over a 68-year career. What Dylan lacks in artist etiquette, he more than makes up for in his musical onstage dynamism. This is evident at the end of ‘I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight’ as he turns his back to the audience, picks up his guitar and lets rip with an instrumental jam that merges into another well known classic ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’. 

The setlist is top heavy with tracks from his 2020 release, Rough and Rowdy Ways, and the first to feature from that album is ‘I Contain Multitudes’. This is blues music at its finest with the uber talented ‘backing band’ (Bob Britt, Tony Garnier and Anton Fig) cutting through the silence in the crowd with deep vigour and riffs akin to a Ry Cooder jam session, while Dylan’s vocals overlapped with great panache. 

Despite it being a Sunday night, this is Glasgow, and in between songs the numerous drunkards in the audience scream requests, many of these are tracks that Dylan hasn’t played in years and it makes me think they should have maybe done a bit of research before buying tickets. Tonight’s setlist is near identical to when Bob last played Glasgow two years ago, he hasn’t been a “greatest hits” kind of guy for a long time and that’s not a criticism.  

Although the epic ‘Desolation Row’, from the 1965 masterpiece Highway 61 Revisited has the full audience in raptures it could be argued that the standout track tonight is ‘I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You’. A heart breaking ballad with a bigger bluesy punch than the version on Rough and Rowdy Ways.

As is now customary with Dylan gigs he ends the night with ‘Every Grain Of Sand’ from the much maligned 1981 studio album, Shot Of Love. It is absolute perfection and as Dylan draws on his harmonica the crowd are euphoric. As Dylan leaves the stage following the aforementioned bow I am certain I can see a wry smile on his face. This is the type of moment you want to bottle up and save forever. 

Bob Dylan, SEC Armadillo, Glasgow, Sunday, November 16, 2025 Setlist:

I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight

It Ain’t Me, Babe

I Contain Multitudes

False Prophet

When I Paint My Masterpiece

Black Rider

My Own Version Of You

To Be Alone With You

Crossing The Rubicon

Desolation Row

Key West (Philosopher Pirate)

Watching The River Flow

It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself To You

Mother Of Muses

Goodbye Jimmy Reid

Every Grain Of Sand