Bob Dylan: When are the Edinburgh Usher Hall shows, how to get tickets, why are phones banned

He is the iconic voice of musical masterpieces such as Blowin’ In The Wind and Like A Rolling Stone.

Now Bob Dylan is returning to Edinburgh to perform in the Scottish capital for the first time in 15 years, in what is set to be one of the most in-demand tickets for any event this year.

The 83-year-old singer is one of the most acclaimed songwriters of all-time, winning ten Grammys and being nominated on 38 further occasions. Dylan has had six UK top ten singles and nine UK number one albums.

Here are the details for the American icon’s two shows at the Usher Hall - and how music lovers can get tickets to one of the performances.

When are Bob Dylan’s Edinburgh shows?

Dylan will perform on back-to-back nights at the Usher Hall on November 5 and 6.

Doors will open for each performance at 6pm, with Dylan to take to the stage at 7.30pm.

The performances are part of a UK run of ten shows, starting with a visit to Bournemouth at the Windsor Hall on November 1 and culminating in three performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

How can I get tickets?

Tickets for all shows on Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways  2024 UK tour will go on sale on Friday, November 19 from 9am.

The price of tickets starts from £69.85, plus booking fees, with £97.35 or £130.35 price categories also available. There will be a limit of six tickets for each person booking. More information about ticket sales is available at the Usher Hall website.

Why are phones banned at Bob Dylan’s shows?

The promoter has announced that mobile phones and video cameras will be banned at all of Dylan’s shows on the UK tour, including both of those in Edinburgh.

Concert goers will be asked to put their phones in a pouch when they arrive at the venue. Each pouch will close automatically when in the Usher Hall before unlocking again in the venue's concourse.

Mobile phones have been banned at shows for the duration of the tour.

In a statement issued on making the tour phone-free, Dylan's representatives said: “We believe it creates better times for everyone in attendance. Our eyes open a little more and our senses are slightly sharper when we lose the technological crutch we've grown accustomed to.”

Has Bob Dylan performed in Scotland before?

Dylan’s return to Scotland to perform comes just over two years since his last visit. That last stop-off was a two-night stand at Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus Armadillo in October 2022.

The Usher Hall shows in November will be the Minnesota-born singer’s first performances in Edinburgh for 15 years and just his fifth and sixth ever, his only prior visits having been to the city’s old ABC Theatre in 1966 and Greenside Place’s Playhouse twice in 1995 and once in 2009.

Dylan has enjoyed a strong connection to Scotland, with the folk music hero having owned a retreat in the Scottish Highlands up until it was sold last year for more than £4.25 million.

Aultmore House near Nethy Bridge, which sits in 24 acres, had been bought by the singer and his brother 18 years ago.

Dylan began his career in 1962 with the single Mixed-Up Confusion, which failed to chart in the UK and US.

But he shot to stardom with a string of successful singles in 1965, including The Times They Are A-Changin', Subterranean Homesick Blues and Like A Rolling Stone. Dylan's songs have been covered by the likes of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Rolling Stones and Adele.