Bob Dylan Returns to the Studio, Revives “Masters of War” in Buffalo

Bob Dylan, photo by Alberto Cabello from Vitoria Gasteiz

Last night, Bob Dylan shuffled up to Buffalo, N.Y., with the Outlaw Music Festival for a return to Darien Lake Performing Arts Center. With additional sets from Willie Nelson & Family, Turnpike Troubadours, The Red Clay Strays and Waylon Payne, the rolling revue’s latest staging arrived in the last lap of a tour that’s shown The Bard in rare form, consistently eliciting rare returns to fan favorites. Expectations were particularly high for Friday night, as the legendary songwriter’s Buffalo set at Outlaw’s Buffalo tour-closer last year included his first treatment of “Desolation Row” since 2018, including some impromptu tempo-setting percussion with a wrench. The Bard did not disappoint.

To kick off his performance, Dylan got right down to business, digging into his vast catalog for his first rendition of “Masters of War” since his 2016 headline set at Desert Trip Festival. While Dylan has resisted commenting on current events for many decades now, it’s tempting to read his return to the standard from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan alongside a ramp-up in global conflict. Rolling Stone highlighted a congruence to the track’s appearance at the 33rd Grammy Awards in 1991, when he quietly brought the song to national television during the throes of the Gulf War. The revival continues a thread of golden age classics that had been long absent from his live repertoire on the Outlaw Music Festival’s 10th anniversary tour, following surprising versions of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Positively 4th Street,” “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and more.

Dylan followed his momentum into a set that otherwise stayed true to those he’s shared with audiences across the country since May. Staples like “Forgetful Heart,” “To Ramona,” “All Along the Watchtower,” “Highway 61 Revisited,” “Love Sick” and “Blind Willie McTell” were matched with his current rotation of oddball covers, including George “Wild Child” Butler’s “Axe and the Wind,” Charlie Rich’s “I’ll Make It All Up to You,” Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Share Your Love With Me” and Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell,” which he debuted at the Memphis stop in July. To close the performance, Dylan delivered the beloved “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”

Earlier today, word got out that Dylan’s creative reinvigoration has not been limited to the stage. A press release tendered by Colonie, N.Y.’s White Lake Studios announced that the icon and members of his band slotted two days of recording sessions in between tour engagements. Any new music to come from the whistle stop would be Dylan’s first since 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, which was itself his first collection of fresh originals since 2012’s Tempest.

“We want every artist and guest to feel relaxed and at home,” said David Bourgeois, CEO of White Lake Studios. “We’ve had the privilege of working with many remarkable talents over the years, but this visit was truly special. I’m incredibly proud of our team.”

Dylan will return to the stage tonight for Outlaw Music Festival’s booking at Hershey, Pa.’s Hersheypark Stadium, then proceed with nine further stops through the tour closer on Sept. 19. Find tickets and more information at blackbirdpresents.com.

Watch a fan-recorded video of “Masters of War” below.