The first show of Dylan’s latest tour is tonight at the Reno Events Center, in Reno, Nevada, a venue that seats 7500. It will be interesting to see the set list and hear what changes are being rung in for this leg of the hopefully Never Ending Tour.

I’ve heard it speculated by more than one person that Dylan would retire at age 65. That day arrives this coming May 24th. He’s got tour dates set through July — so far. So I guess that’s that, at least as far as the technical matter of his actual 65th birthday goes. I’ve always assumed Dylan would do like Sinatra did, and keep performing as long as he can get on stage and pull something together, and as long as people are willing to buy tickets and go see him. I’m personally glad that Sinatra did that — as I wasn’t a real fan and in a position to see him until 1994. (I was recently reminded of that gig via a Clive Davis post.) At that stage, he was 78 going on 79, and certainly much weakened in vocal strength and range. He had some trouble with lyrics but not so much at this particular gig, in New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Still, seeing him come out on stage was nothing less than galvanizing. It was his domain, and he commanded it like an aging but still all-powerful king. And though he couldn’t match his own performances from the prime of his career, he still sung those songs in a way that you wouldn’t have been able to hear anyone else in the world sing them that night — no matter how much money you might have been willing to pay. It’s a concert memory like no other, for me, and I’m so grateful that he was still out there putting himself on the line like that.

I expect others will be able to have similar experiences with Dylan, as these years go by — God willing.

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