June 7th, 2026
As a born-and-raised Minnesotan and a self-taught musician, I made a solemn teenage vow to myself to see two artists live in concert: Prince and Bob Dylan.
I saw Prince in 2004; a manager at Chili’s had an extra ticket to one of his Musicology album release shows and invited little ol’ me and it was nothing less than life-affirming. Heck, I even saw Morris Day and The Time a few weeks ago at the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater.
Tonight, I finally saw Bob.
I was nervous; Dylan has put the miles on. I heard a review of one of his recent shows that described it as a form of elder abuse. Not real confidence-inspiring stuff.
But gosh: he opened his mouth and sounded just like Bob.
As the sun set behind the stage, he played keyboard and harmonica and sang words in the kind of way only Bob Dylan can sing them. Two songs in, a venue employee tapped me on the shoulder and asked if she could upgrade my ticket. I (literally) jumped at the chance and was whisked away down below where I could sit in a seat and actually see Bob for real, who was wearing a white jacket with the hood up (the entire time).
It was a sincerely enchanting experience, and absolutely worth the wait.
Oh! And no cell phones or photography were allowed. But, thankfully, I am a detail-oriented artist who drew this impeccable image as soon as I got home so you can feel like you were there, too.
I put an arrow on Bob so you know which one he is. Lucinda Williams and John Doe were so wonderful and subversive, as well.
I love my state and its music and its people and I got to soak in it (and the summer sun) on a pretty perfect day. It reminded me how grateful I am to be from here, be shaped by here, and get to live here.
The Den 