Bob Dylan Revives Protest Song 'Masters of War' at Outlaw Music Festival Performance
Bob Dylan recently added the protest song "Masters of War" back to his setlist after a nine-year hiatus at an Outlaw Music Festival performance. The song had not been regularly performed since 2010 when Dylan included it in his tour repertoire. "Masters of War" kicked off Dylan's Outlaw Music Festival slot in New York, with the rest of the setlist featuring some changes to previous performances. Dylan has been revisiting some of his classic hits on this tour, some of which had not been played in over a decade.
Replacing the rare "Positively 4th Street," which had only been performed five times in fifteen years before its recent return, "Masters of War" took the spotlight as the opening song of the night. Despite this change, "Positively 4th Street" also made an appearance in the setlist. Dylan has been tweaking his setlist throughout the Outlaw Music Festival tour, bringing back some lesser-known songs from his discography. "Positively 4th Street" has been played five times this year, with its last performance dating back to 2023.
In addition to "Masters of War" and "Positively 4th Street," Dylan has reintroduced other rare songs to his setlist, including "Mr. Tambourine Man," which made a one-time appearance in Phoenix. The performance also featured the first rendition of "Forgetful Heart" since 2015 and "To Ramona" since 2017. Dylan's setlist changes have kept fans excited, with each show offering a unique mix of his timeless classics and lesser-known gems.