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Even in a songbook as celebrated as Bob Dylan‘s, “I Shall Be Released” stands among his best, and after 18 years, the singer-songwriter finally brought it back to the stage this past Tuesday in Eugene, OR. Dylan hadn’t performed the tune he recorded with The Band since June 7th, 2008, almost 18 years to the day from Tuesday’s bust-out.

The show-closing “I Shall Be Released” is the latest in a string of bust-outs and debuts of songs Dylan recorded with The Band. Only four shows into his summer tour, Dylan has debuted “Baby, Won’t You Be My Baby” and played his first “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” since 2012. Dylan recorded both songs with The Band in Woodstock, released on 1975’s The Basement Tapes and 2014’s 'The Basement Tapes Complete'—leading some to label this nascent summer tour as “Basement Tapes Summer.”

Dylan’s revived interest in his Woodstock days follows recent years of steady setlist experimentation. After anchoring his shows around 2020’s 'Rough and Rowdy Ways' since returning from COVID lockdowns, the Nobel Prize-winning singer-songwriter has slowly reintroduced long-shelved classics to his live repertoire and added an array of covers from the Grateful Dead, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Pogues, and more.

Listen to fan-recorded audio of the first Bob Dylan performance of “I Shall Be Released” in 18 years at the link in the comments.

Hello hello and good evening! Tomorrow morning we will be opening a little later at 10am. Family is very important to us and I will be spending the morning with my son at his school so I can celebrate donuts with dad with him and his fellow classmates and their fathers. I appreciate all your patience and thank you understanding. #cheflukesfreshstart #eatlocal #windhamny #happyfathersday #DonutsWithDad