Bob Dylan Opened His Oslo Tour With a Randy Newman First and Guitarist No. 6

Bob Dylan played his first-ever Randy Newman cover on Saturday, October 17, at Oslo Spektrum in Norway, opening his Lights of Autumn Tour with nineteen songs, a live debut, and a sixth new guitarist in five months. Yes, sixth. The chair beside the drum riser has a faster turnover than most gallery rosters.

The show opened conventionally enough: "To Be Alone With You" and "Man in the Long Black Coat." Then came "Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood)," a Basement Tapes staple (the 1967 collaborative recordings with The Band) performed for the first time since 2005. Four songs later, Dylan revived "Tangled Up in Blue" for the first time since 2018, recast as a stripped-down torch ballad with rewritten lyrics and an arrangement reminiscent of his 1978 tour. "Way up north in the frozen woods," he sang, "teardrops touch the sky." The words changed. The effect did not diminish.

What did the Randy Newman cover actually mean?

Dylan then broke out "Louisiana 1927," Newman's 1974 song about the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. It was his first performance of the song and, remarkably, his first dip into Newman's entire catalog. The 1927 flood already shadows Dylan's discography — it inspired Charley Patton's "High Water Everywhere," which in turn sparked Dylan's 2001 "High Water (For Charley Patton)." Pairing it with "Crash on the Levee" suggests floods were on his mind. Whether that amounts to commentary on the state of the world is anyone's guess. Reading Dylan's mind remains a losing proposition.

Five songs later came another surprise: "Dublin Blues" by the Texas outlaw-country songwriter Guy Clark. Less famous than the Newman pick, but a song that deserves the spotlight Dylan shone on it.

Who is the new guitarist?

That's the question hardcore fans spent the evening asking, without an answer. Joel Paterson handled guitar duties, joined by drummer Anton Fig and longtime bassist Tony Garnier. But another guitarist stood on the far side of the stage, unannounced. Julian Lage and Jad Tariq had shared the summer's U.S. leg, but American commitments kept them out of Norway.

Many fans believe the mystery player is Mike Seal. Setlist authority Bill Pagel isn't committing, listing him simply as "?" in his band lineups. Dylan offered no help. He never introduced the band, never addressed the crowd, and never removed his hood. A dispatch in Ray Padgett's Flagging Down the Double E's newsletter, filed by Tom Wilkins, includes a close-up photo that looks, to some eyes, like a clean-shaven Mike Seal. Most major touring acts announce new members with a press release. Dylan's band operates like Fight Club: you pretend you're not in it, even mid-tour.

How did the night end?

The main set closed with "I Shall Be Released." Dylan returned for a rare encore, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" — the third Basement Tapes song of the night. At nineteen songs, it was his longest show in recent memory.

The setlist in full:

• To Be Alone With You
• Man in the Long Black Coat
• Crash on the Levee
• Tryin' to Get to Heaven
• Early Roman Kings
• I Can Tell
• Tangled Up in Blue
• Share Your Love With Me
• Louisiana 1927
• When I Paint My Masterpiece
• I'll Make It All Up to You
• Crossing the Rubicon
• Soon After Midnight
• Dublin Blues
• Under the Red Sky
• I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You
• Goodbye Jimmy Reed
• I Shall Be Released
• You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

The tour resumes October 19 in Horsens, Denmark, and crosses Europe before ending with four nights at London's Royal Festival Hall — a venue Dylan hasn't played since 1964. By then, we may have a positive ID on guitarist number six. If the pattern holds, we may also be watching for number seven.