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Bob Dylan performs at Barbara B. Mann as part of 2016 tour

Bob Dylan
Photo courtesy of Flickr via Xavier Badosa

Singer and poet Bob Dylan made a stop at the Barbara B. Mann in Fort Myers, along with his five-piece band, as part of his fall 2016 tour.

The stage was set up almost big band style and was completely lit up before Dylan and his band entered.

There was an abundance of instruments including some of the more atypical ones, such as the double bass and the banjo.

The lighting of the stage was vintage-looking, as were the microphones. There were two classic ‘50s style mics, and in between them was a modern one.

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Before even entering the theater, the audience was bombarded with requests to turn their phones off. If they somehow missed the venue attendants telling them to turn their phones off, surely they’ll see the many signs lining the walls, even in the bathrooms.

These signs included such phrases as, “Enjoy the show in real life. Not on your tiny screens.” It sounded like it was slightly directed toward young people, but there was only about five people under the age of 50 in attendance, so nobody was excluded.

Dylan was dressed in a mariachi-looking suit with a black fedora. He maintained a John Wayne stance when singing, almost as if he was in a duel, ready to pull out his gun.

Although he was difficult to understand and didn’t acknowledge the audience at any point, the crowd still clapped and cheered when he finished every song.

Dylan began with some songs that fans responded well to. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” from the 1963 album “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” “Highway 61 Revisited” from the 1965 album of the same name, “Tangled Up In Blue” from the 1975 album “Blood On the Tracks” and a cover of Harry James Orchestra and Frank Sinatra’s “Melancholy Mood,” featured on Dylan’s new album, “Fallen Angels.”

At 9:45 p.m. on the dot, which was when the show was scheduled to end, Dylan walked off stage without saying a word to the audience. The crowd cheered for him to do an encore, and then, eventually, he came back out.

For his last song, he performed another cover of a Frank Sinatra song, “Stay With Me.” In total, Dylan sang six Sinatra covers.

Some of his own greatest hits like, “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Like a Rolling Stone” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’” were surprisingly not in the set list.

Overall, Dylan was an amazing artist and poet whose career has spanned almost six decades, but its time to hang up the hat, or the fedora to be exact.

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