Bob Dylan is coming to Newcastle.
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The date? August 22. Get in quick and book a babysitter.
It will be Dylan’s first performance at Newcastle Entertainment Centre since 2003 when he toured with Ani DiFranco.
Dylan has inspired generations of singer-songwriters and can rightly be called a “legend” of his craft.
In a career spanning six decades, his impact on popular music and culture is immeasurable. He is responsible for some of the most influential albums of all time, including The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde.
His socially and politically-charged singles Blowin’ In The Wind and The Times They Are A-Changin’ are widely considered among the most important songs in modern music.
Whether he liked it or not, his was the voice of a generation that gave us timeless classics Like A Rolling Stone, Tangled Up In Blue, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door and Girl From The North Country.
Dylan has released more than 50 albums and sold more than 100 million records globally. He has 11 Grammy Awards to his name, an Academy Award for Things Have Changed (Best Original Song) and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 2012 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then president Barack Obama and in 2016 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Michael Chugg, of Chugg Entertainment, told the Herald he had been “touring Dylan” to Australia since 1986 and was thrilled to be bringing him back again in 2018.
“We decided to include some places where he either hasn’t been or he hasn’t been for a long time. It’s 15 years since he played Newcastle,” Mr Chugg said.
“It’s a nice size, that venue. I think it will be very intimate and very special. And it means people don’t have to drive down the highway to see him in Sydney. It also means people in Tamworth and Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour can drive to Newcastle.”
Mr Chugg said Dylan had “just done his biggest tour of Europe in 30 years”.
“The reviews have been quite incredible,” he said.
“I last saw him live three years ago and he was singing, believe it or not, like an angel. His voice has really opened up. He’s given up cigarettes for three or four years now and his band was amazing. I was just blown away.”
Dylan was last in Australia for a month-long run of sold-out theatre shows in 2014.
Bob Dylan performs at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on August 22 (all ages). Tickets are on sale at 9am on May 23 through Ticketek. For more information go to bobdylan.com or chuggentertainment.com.
