Bob Dylan Was Once Denied Entry at His Own Concert
Bob Dylan concerts feature minimal audience interaction, a set of songs that spans decades, and, of course, Dylan himself. At a concert in 2001, though, he nearly didn’t take the stage. The show, which took place in October, had heightened security following the 9/11 terror attacks. And the venue’s security guards explained why they almost didn’t let Dylan in.
People seem to have a hard time recognizing the ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ singer
Though most people could likely identify at least one of Bob Dylan’s songs, many seem to have difficulty picking the musician out of a crowd. In 2007, Page Six reported that kindergarteners in Dylan’s grandson’s class went home with reports of a “weird man” who had been singing to the students. This was Dylan.
On another occasion, New Jersey homeowners called the police with reports of an “eccentric-looking old man” in their front yard. It was Dylan, walking alone in the rain.
“I asked him what his name was and he said, ‘Bob Dylan,'” responding officer Kristie Buble told ABC News. “Now, I’ve seen pictures of Bob Dylan from a long time ago and he didn’t look like Bob Dylan to me at all. He was wearing black sweatpants tucked into black rain boots, and two raincoats with the hood pulled down over his head.”
She explained that she didn’t believe him, and Dylan didn’t have identification with him.
“OK Bob, why don’t you get in the car and we’ll drive to the hotel and go verify this?'” Buble said she told him. “I put him in the back of the car. To be honest with you, I didn’t really believe this was Bob Dylan. It never crossed my mind that this could really be him.”
Once they arrived at the hotel, though, Dylan was able to prove his identity with his passport (and tour buses).
Bob Dylan was denied entry from his own concert
In 2001, Dylan requested increased security at his concerts. When he tried to get backstage at a show in Oregon, he was likely surprised when security guards wouldn’t let him through without a pass. Per Billboard, it wasn’t clear whether the security guards recognized him.
“If it was George Strait, they probably would have recognized him,” venue manager Chris Borovansky said.
Dylan’s security director made it clear that nobody should be backstage without official credentials. So when the musician tried to breeze backstage, guards stopped him.
“He said no exceptions,” Borovansky said. “Absolutely none.”
One of the security guards used her hands to stop Dylan from continuing forward, which led the musician and his security director to demand that the guards were kicked out. Despite his anger, the guards complied with Dylan’s initial request for “no exceptions,” and Borovansky told them they did a “great job.” Dylan did eventually get backstage and was able to perform.
Bob Dylan began performing concerts again in 2021
Dylan has performed a prolific amount of concerts in his life, though he had to temporarily stop touring during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In 2021, however, he resumed touring. Outside of the pandemic, though, Dylan has been continuously touring since 1988.
“First of all, the Never-Ending Tour, as Bob said, isn’t the name of it,” a source told Rolling Stone. “Secondly, Bob continues to tour. Maybe we’ll understand it toward the end of it. We’ll look at it that way.”
