- - Bob Dylan Stuns Fans by Kicking Off Concert With This Song for the First Time in Over 35 Years

Jacqueline Burt CoteAugust 8, 2025 at 4:43 AM

Bob Dylan Stuns Fans by Kicking Off Concert With This Song for the First Time in Over 35 Years originally appeared on Parade.

He's been entertaining audiences for nearly seven decades, but bonafide music legend Bob Dylan is still finding ways to surprise fans with his live performances.

When the 84-year-old musician took the stage at the Outlaw Music Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, over the weekend, he stunned concert-goers by kicking things off with "Positively 4th Street" — the first time he's used the song to open a show since 1989.

A review on the blog Flagging Down the Double E's called the unexpected re-introduction of the tune to Dylan's set "a killer opening," noting that "Bob really leaned into the growl, while still belting to the rafters."

Commenters on a TikTok clip of the performance were equally impressed, with several people saying Dylan's voice sounded the "best" it has in years (and others expressing their envy over missing the historic moment).

Considered one of Dylan's greatest hits, "Positively 4th Street" was recorded during the sessions for his 1965 album, Highway 61 Revisited, but didn't end up being included on the record (it was released as a single instead that same year). In the decades since, fans and critics alike have debated Dylan's inspiration for the lyrics, with many believing the song to be about Edie Sedgwick, famous model and muse to Andy Warhol, according to Far Out Magazine. (The pair were rumored to have had an affair shortly before Dylan's marriage to Sarah Lownds.)

'Positively 4th Street' coverPhoto by Blank Archives/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Whoever "Positively 4th Street" is really about, one thing is clear — Dylan wasn't very happy with that person when he wrote the tune, as this verse proves:

“I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes / And just for that one moment I could be you / Yes, I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes / You’d know what a drag it is to see you.”

Related: Rare Footage of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash Recording Duet in 1969 Has Fans Reeling

Bob Dylan Stuns Fans by Kicking Off Concert With This Song for the First Time in Over 35 Years first appeared on Parade on Aug 7, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

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