Watch Bob Dylan perform ‘Masters of War’ for first time since 2016
During a recent stop of the Outlaw Music Festival, Bob Dylan performed his classic track ‘Masters of War’ for the first time since 2016.
Dylan rolled back the years to deliver the anti-war anthem when the Outlaw Music Festival rolled through Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center, New York, on August 8th. He also opened his sets with the song on August 9th in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and on August 10th in Syracuse, New York.
In the liner notes of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, Dylan wrote of the song (per SongFacts): “I’ve never really written anything like that before. I don’t sing songs which hope people will die, but I couldn’t help it with this one. The song is a soft of striking out, a reaction to the last straw, a feeling of what can you do?”
Over the decades since it was released, Dylan has remained largely silent on international conflicts, but did roll it out at the Grammys in 1991, coinciding with the beginning of the Gulf War.
While Dylan didn’t acknowledge the Gulf War during his 1991 performance, his decision to play the song implied his stance.
His summer 35-date adventure with Willie Nelson as part of the tenth anniversary of the Outlaw Music Festival began on May 13th, 2025, in Phoenix and will end on September 19th, 2025, in East Troy, Wisconsin. The tour also saw him reintroduce ‘The Times They Are-A-Changin’ for the first time since 2010, as well as plentiful more classic tracks from the 1960s.
Later this year, Dylan will tour Europe. The UK and Ireland jaunt of his run will begin at the Brighton Centre on November 7th before visiting Wales for three shows in Swansea. Next on his agenda will be Leeds for a concert at the First Direct Arena ahead of two nights at the Armadillo in Glasgow.
The legendary singer-songwriter will then travel over the Irish Sea to play two shows in Northern Ireland’s capital, Belfast, before venturing south to the picturesque Killarney in County Kerry for a pair of concerts. The tour concludes at the 3Arena in Dublin on November 25th.
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