Bob Dylan summer tour, including concert in Memphis area, now canceled due to COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected nearly everything in the world, and now it’s even put a stop to Bob Dylan’s socalled “Never Ending Tour.”
On Tuesday, the legendary singersongwriter’s representatives confirmed that Dylan was canceling his planned summer tour of the U.S. including a stop in the Mid-south at the Bankplus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove on June 28. In an online statement, the artist’s reps said that, “In the interest of public health and safety and after many attempts to try and reschedule these shows for a workable timeframe this year, it is with deep regret that we announce the US Bob Dylan shows originally scheduled for June/july are cancelled.
On the road almost continuously since 1988, Dylan has been a frequent visitor to the Memphis region during the past two decades-plus, with Snowden Grove one of the few venues he hasn’t played previously. Dylan’s most recent show, came at the Orpheum in 2015.
Dylan’s reps added that “We hope to be back out on the road at the earliest possible time once we are confident that it is safe for both fans and concert staff.” The cancellation comes amid a flurry of new Dylan music and activity. Last week, he announced that his 39th studio album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” would be released on June 19. The LP will mark his first album of original songs since 2012’s “Tempest.” (The three-disc “Triplicate” in 2017 featured covers of classic American songs recorded live.)
Dylan previewed “Rough and Rowdy Ways” with two surprise single releases earlier this spring: “Murder Most Foul,” a 17-minute epic rumination on the John F. Kennedy assassination and “I Contain Multitudes,” named for a line from a poem by Walt Whitman. Earlier this month, Dylan shared a third single called “False Prophet.”
Dylan, 78, is arguably the most influential songwriter of the past 50 years. In addition to earning critical hosannas and fan adulation, he is the only rockand-roll artist with a Pulitzer and a Nobel Prize.
The Minnesota native will be the subject of a upcoming biopic starring Timothee Chalamet. Dylan’s music also forms the for the Broadway production “The Girl from the North Country,” which has been temporarily closed due to coronavirus.
Those who bought tickets for Dylan’s Bankplus Amphitheater show can seek refunds at their point of purchase.