Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson Unite for Epic ‘Outlaw' Summer Tour

Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson Unite for Epic ‘Outlaw’ Summer Tour

Willie Nelson is hitting the road this summer on his annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, and Bob Dylan is joining for all 26 shows. They’ll be accompanied on the first leg by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, and John Mellencamp on the second. Billy Strings, Brittney Spencer, Celisse, and Southern Avenue will also be playing with them at various stops along the way. It kicks off June 21 in Alpharetta, Georgia.

“This year’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour promises to be the biggest and best yet with this lineup of legendary artists,” Nelson said in a statement. “I am thrilled to get back on the road again with my family and friends playing the music we love for the fans we love.”

Dylan joined up with the Outlaw Festival for a couple of shows in 2017, but this is the first time he’s participated in the entire tour. His friendship with Nelson, however, goes back several decades. They co-wrote the song “Heartland” together in 1993.

“[Willie] is like a philosopher poet,” Dylan said that year. “He gets to the heart of it in a quick way. He gets it out and then it’s over. He leaves the listeners to think about it. His guitar playing is pretty phenomenal. I don’t ever see anybody give him credit as a musician. In my book he’s up there at the top. He takes whatever he’s singing and makes it his. There’s not many people who can do that.”

In the summer of 2004, Nelson and Dylan played minor league baseball parks together all across America. In 2009, they brought John Mellencamp along for the ride when they repeated the concept. Dylan rarely shares the stage with other performers, but he frequently brought Nelson in 2004 for duets on “I Shall Be Released,” “Heartland,” and “Milk Cow Blues.” They first played together in 1976 when Nelson came out during a Rolling Thunder Revue stop in Houston for “Gotta Travel On.”

Over the past few years, Dylan has largely stuck to intimate theaters when he tours in America. But in the summer of 2013, he hit the summer amphitheater circuit with Wilco and My Morning Jacket. “The whole concept of the tour was supposed to be super collaborative,” My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James told Rolling Stone a few months after it ended. “We were expecting to be sitting around the campfire with Dylan at two a.m. and go, ‘Let’s cover all of Desire tomorrow!’ We had all these pipe dreams.”

James and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy did have the chance to play with Dylan a few times though. They were brought out near the end of his set for the traditional folk song “Twelve Gates to the City,” and the Band’s “The Weight.” “His bass player, Tony [Garnier], did all the communicating with us as far as who was going to sing what verse,” James said. “They’d change keys literally a minute before we went on, like, ‘Bob wants to do it in E flat.’ It was really cool, and something I’ll be able to tell the grandkids about.”

If we’re lucky this summer, we might get to see Dylan, Nelson, Robert Plant, and Alison Krauss team up for a few songs. Plant played “Girl From the North Country” at many shows in the early 2000s. This could be his chance to perform it with the guy that wrote it.

Here are the dates and lineups for the 2024 Outlaw Musical Festival, produced by Blackbird Presents. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 1, at 10 a.m. local time.

Friday, June 21, 2024

Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Saturday, June 22, 2024

PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Coastal Credit Union Music Park, Raleigh, NC

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, VA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Friday, June 28, 2024

Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse, NY

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Sunday, June 30, 2024

PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Saturday, July 6, 2024

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, NY

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Sunday, July 7, 2024

Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, PA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Celisse

Monday, July 29, 2024

North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Brittney Spencer

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Brittney Spencer

Saturday, August 3, 2024

Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Brittney Spencer

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Toyota Amphitheatre, Wheatland, CA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Brittney Spencer

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater, Boise, ID

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Brittney Spencer

Friday, August 9, 2024

ONE Spokane Stadium, Spokane, WA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Brittney Spencer

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Billy Strings

Brittney Spencer

Friday, September 6, 2024

Somerset Amphitheater, Somerset, WI

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, MO

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

Saturday, September 14, 2024

The Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

Sunday, September 15, 2024

Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Darien Lake Amphitheater, Buffalo, NY

Willie Nelson & Family

Bob Dylan

John Mellencamp

Southern Avenue

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