Elston Gunn - Never Ending Tour

Never Ending Tour

The Never Ending Tour commenced on June 7, 1988, and Dylan has played roughly 100 dates a year for the entirety of the 1990s and the 2000s (decade)—a heavier schedule than most performers who started out in the 1960s. By the end of 2010, Dylan and his band had played more than 2,300 shows, anchored by long-time bassist Tony Garnier, multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron and guitarist Charlie Sexton. To the dismay of some of his audience, Dylan's performances remain unpredictable as he alters his arrangements and changes his vocal approach night after night. Critical opinion about Dylan's shows remains divided. Critics such as Richard Williams and Andy Gill have argued that Dylan has found a successful way to present his rich legacy of material. Others have criticised his onstage vocal style for mangling and spitting out "the greatest lyrics ever written so that they are effectively unrecognisable", and a perceived indifference towards his audience.

Dylan's performances in China in April 2011 generated controversy. Some criticised him for not making any explicit comment on the political situation in China, and for, allegedly, allowing the Chinese authorities to censor his set-list. Others defended Dylan's performances, arguing that such criticism represented a misunderstanding of Dylan's art, and that no evidence for the censorship of Dylan's set-list existed. In response to these allegations, Dylan posted a statement on his website: "As far as censorship goes, the Chinese government had asked for the names of the songs that I would be playing. There's no logical answer to that, so we sent them the set lists from the previous 3 months. If there were any songs, verses or lines censored, nobody ever told me about it and we played all the songs that we intended to play."

Dylan's 2012 tour commenced in Rio de Janeiro on April 15, and included performances in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico. In the summer, Dylan visited Europe, returning to Kent, England, on June 30, to perform at the Hop Farm Festival. Dylan surprised fans by accompanying himself on grand piano for half the numbers of his 16 song set. Dylan's fall 2012 tour of North America began in Lloydminster, Alberta, on August 10, and ended in Brooklyn, New York, on November 21.