Bob Dylan announces strict concert rule all fans must follow - and it's caused uproar

Bob Dylan is set to return to the UK and Ireland later this year as part of his Rough and Rowdy Ways world tour - but fans hoping to capture the moment on their phones will be out of luck. The 84-year-old icon has confirmed a 13-show run, with performances scheduled in Dublin, Glasgow, Swansea, Brighton, Leeds, Coventry, and more.

The tour follows a successful string of shows last year, including a three-night stint at the Royal Albert Hall. In line with his recent performances, Dylan will enforce a phone-free policy at every venue. Attendees must seal their devices inside Yondr pouches, which automatically lock upon entry and can only be opened in designated areas outside the main performance space.

Dylan’s team confirmed: “We’ve been proud to keep these shows phone-free to preserve the intimacy and connection of the live experience.”

He’s not the only artist advocating for more present audiences. Nick Cave and Chrissie Hynde have both criticised the modern reliance on filming during gigs, calling for fans to engage directly with the music. Jack White and Alicia Keys have taken similar steps to restrict smartphone use at their concerts.

The issue has become a wider cultural conversation, especially after Oasis’ much-hyped return. Following their reunion announcement, fans flooded social media with old concert clips.

According to UK site Compare and Recycle, an estimated 17.3 million minutes of Oasis’ upcoming 33-gig tour will likely be recorded which is the equivalent of 33 continuous years of footage.

Dylan’s latest tour announcement arrives at a time of renewed interest in his storied career. A Complete Unknown, a biopic released last year starring Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, explores his early years and the seismic moment in the mid-1960s when he famously "went electric."

In recent shows across Texas, Dylan has performed a mix of classics and deep cuts, including Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, I Can Tell, and Under the Red Sky.

A towering figure in music history, Dylan has won 10 Grammy Awards, received 38 nominations, and landed nine UK number one albums. Though his 1962 debut single Mixed-Up Confusion didn’t chart, he quickly found success with anthems like The Times They Are A-Changin’, Subterranean Homesick Blues, and Like A Rolling Stone.

In 2016, Dylan made history again as the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Swedish Academy praised him for “creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

Tickets for the UK and Ireland dates will go on sale Friday, July 18 at 10am.

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