Pulled Into Brussels

Three Nights, One City, A Hundred Shows in Sight

Planning this leg was more complicated than usual. I wanted to land on exactly seven shows so that the final Dylan concert of the year would also be my 100th overall. I also hoped to add new cities and countries to my map, with Scandinavia high on the wish list. In the end the ticket picture and the character of the venues argued against Scandinavia, and Glasgow will be my only new city on this run. Brussels, meanwhile, became the launchpad, with three concerts to open my fall tour.

My last Dylan stop in Brussels was in 2022, a weekend trip with friends that was overshadowed by bad weather and illnesses. The memory was not flattering to the city. As this year’s dates firmed up, more and more familiar faces from the Dylan world signaled they were coming. That quickly tipped the scales for me. Three Dylan nights in Brussels felt like the right place to start.

I set off on Sunday by train from Frankfurt Central Station. The ride doubled as Daily Dylan office hours, with time to draft newsletters, answer messages, and get logistics in order. From Cologne, by pure chance, Monika and Ulrike boarded the same train. Despite its reputation, Deutsche Bahn gave me no trouble and I arrived in Brussels exactly on time.

After checking into the hotel I met Michael and Johanna for a bite to eat, then we walked to the venue to exchange PDF tickets for paper ones. Later we joined more friends for an early dinner. The smallest portion of spaghetti I have ever seen cost €19.50. Welcome to Brussels. I was still unsure about my sightlines for the shows, since my usual aim at dead center of the first row had not quite worked out here. Which turned out to be a blessing after all.

Night One

Because of the way Bob positioned his piano, with music stands on top that blocked the line of sight from the center of the hall, my ticket for the first evening turned out to be ideal. I was seated far right in the front row with a clear view of Bob and the entire band, and from that vantage point I did not even notice the sound problems some reported from farther back. Curiously, the four seats to my right remained empty all the way to the end of the row, and the same pattern appeared in the second row. I later heard that the mirror image occurred on the left side as well. The concert itself was strong and, aided by the view, more than satisfying for me. Dylan did sing quite a few lines off microphone, a placement issue he never fully resolved across the three nights.

The “Brussels-Reference” in When I Paint My Masterpiece was warmly received by the crowd obviously, although rumors came up after the second show that Bob sang something else instead of “Brussels” (Thanks Ian), but most people were pretty convinced that it was Brussels.

We kept Monday unhurried. Some of our group visited the European Parliament while I rested after lunch and bought a Pokémon figure for my daughter. In the evening we had another early dinner and afterwards I met friends near the Grand Place for a beer and was introduced for the first time to Bob Russell and his wife Debbie. We then walked together to BOZAR for the second show.

Brussels Impressions

Night Two

My assigned seat this time was front row left, but remembering the empty seats on the right side the night before, I tried the far right of Row 1. No one came to claim it, and once again the view was excellent. Dylan appeared more focused than on Sunday and sang fewer phrases off mic. The played a new arrangement of It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, which, when the song started, I expected to be a new song. But the song kind of fell apart halfway through, but was much better the 3rd night.

Daily Dylan Lunch and Night Three

On Tuesday morning we stopped by a record shop whose exterior wall featured murals of Dylan and others. Then came the Daily Dylan Lunch we had organized, with 28 attendees. We set out a few small giveaways on the tables beforehand. The gathering was a warm mix of old and new friends, good food, and a notably upbeat mood.

Brussels Impressions

After a short rest at the hotel we met more friends before the final concert. A walk through Parc de Bruxelles led us to a restaurant opposite the venue, and the table kept growing as familiar faces joined. The conversation flowed and a sensibly sized plate of spaghetti proved the perfect prelude to the last night.

I repeated the seating strategy from the night before and again had an unobstructed view. The third concert was a near-perfect performance by Bob and the band. There was broad agreement afterward that it ranked among the standout shows of recent years. The phrasing was incisive, the pacing disciplined, and the band dynamic tightly woven around the piano lines.

Coda

After the show we returned to the restaurant across from the venue for more conversations, gratitude for what we had just heard, and a round of Daily Dylan stickers that sparked a few new acquaintances. Now, over a final hotel breakfast and on the train back to Frankfurt, I am left with the feeling of having experienced something that will remain a vivid memory. These were high-intensity days, with several excellent concerts and even more meaningful encounters. The anticipation for the next stop, Paris on October 31, is already palpable. It is a Never Ending Tour.

Thank you to everyone who helped make these days unforgettable.

Daniel