FOREST HILLS — After a nearly 51 year absence, Bob Dylan will play a concert at Forest Hills Stadium this summer on July 8.
Dylan will be joined by special guest Mavis Staples for the near-anniversary of his Aug. 28, 1965, concert in Forest Hills when he was nearly booed off the stage during his famous transition from acoustic to electric guitar.
Just a month earlier, Dylan had received a similar reception at the Newport Folk Festival where the jeers from the crowd caused him to cut his set to only 17 minutes. The influence of rock and roll was seen as an act of betrayal to Dylan's folk music fan base.
Despite the uproar at the Aug. 28 concert in Queens, Dylan played a full set that included both acoustic and electric songs, including the debut of a new tune, "Desolation Row." Dylan later said that the song had been influenced by his time living in New York.
"That period of... 'Desolation Row,' that kind of New York type period, when all the songs were just city songs," Dylan said in an interview with Rolling Stone.
This summer, Dylan will likely get a far warmer welcome from fans who are now used to his many sides.
Bob Dylan will perform at Forest Hills Stadium Friday, July 8, at 7 p.m., with special guest Mavis Staples. Tickets go on sale on Saturday, March 19, at 10 a.m.; pre-sale for American Express card holders starts Monday, March 14.
