In 1975, Bob Dylan Spent Thanksgiving in Bangor, Maine

Bob Dylan has maintained one of the longest ongoing tour schedules in modern history, so it's safe to say he's no stranger to the road -- or being away from home at the holidays.

It was Nov. 27, 1975, when Dylan's "Rolling Thunder Revue" rolled into Bangor, Maine, on a snowy Thanksgiving Day.

The show in Bangor was announced at the last minute, and Dylan fans from around the area lined up to get $8.50 tickets at the old Bangor Auditorium.

Among them was Eric Furry, who, upon learning of the show, made haste to the ticket line -- only to settle for what remained -- fourth-row seats behind a pillar. It didn't matter, though, Furry said, because "once the lights went out, everybody just moved."

Rolling Thunder Revue Rolls Into Bangor, Maine

By all accounts, it was an unforgettable four-hour show at the "old barn."

Even though it's been five decades, Furry -- the owner of Pro Libris Books in Bangor --  remembers quite a bit about the day, including Dylan's "totally emotionless" performance during his set.

Similarly, A Bangor Daily News reviewer noted Dylan's "deadpan pose ... broken only when he and Joan Baez clownishly fumbled through "The Times They Are 'A-Changin'."

Dylan 75

Article from Nov 29, 1975 The Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine)

While we weren't able to find any video of the Bangor show, there are some images from the trip, which included a Thanksgiving dinner for Dylan and the crew at the Holiday Inn on Main Street in Bangor. The hotel was torn down in 2006 to make way for Hollywood Casino.

 

 

 

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Bangor Provides Snowy Backdrop for Famous Photoshoot

The trip is also famous for providing the images by photographer Ken Regan of Dylan and Baez in the Bangor snow. We're not sure exactly where the photos below were taken, but it does look cold.

Plus, rumor had it that Dylan wasn't feeling well during his stay. While that might have affected his on-stage energy, he did power through the Maine leg of the tour -- and the freezing Bangor photoshoot. (Doesn't it look like Baez is trying to keep Dylan warm?)

The Rolling Thunder Revue was a big deal in Bangor. It was the first time the music icon performed in the city -- and he brought along with him the likes of Baez and Joni Mitchell, the latter of whom reportedly told the crowd she was in the area on her way to a ski trip.

The fall leg of the tour preceded the release of Dylan's acclaimed -- No. 9 on the list below -- Desire album, which includes the tracks "Hurricane" and "Isis" -- both of which were performed that Thanksgiving night at the sold-out Bangor Auditorium.

Dyaln's History Performing in Bangor

Since then, Dylan has performed in Bangor three times -- the last of which was in 2025 with the Outlaw Music Festival. That show, which featured another music icon in Willie Nelson, also drew a huge crowd -- essentially filling the 16,500-seat Maine Savings Amphitheater.

The latest Bangor stop came amid the release of the 2024 Bob Dylan biopic, "A Complete Unknown," which chronicled Dylan's early days in New York, leading up to his infamously electric performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 -- a decade before the Rolling Thunder Revue hit the road.

"A Complete Unknown," which starred Timothee Chalamet as Dylan, also brought a new wave of fans to the Nobel Prize-winning poet and musician — and arguably the greatest songwriter in history.

Like reviews of the 1975 show, there were some rumblings about Dylan's stage presence -- or lack thereof -- at the Outlaw Music Festival. To discourage video recordings of the set, Dylan sat behind a piano at the back of the stage with lights in the foreground, making it difficult to see anything but the top of his head.

But, hey. Dylan's always been among the most mysterious of minstrels. That's Dylan being Dylan, right?

Dylan's Thanksgiving Plans a Mystery

Speaking of Dylan being Dylan, his "Never Ending Tour" continues in Europe, but it looks like he might be taking the day off this Thanksgiving -- also on Nov. 27. His last listed tour date is Nov. 25, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland.

If that's the case, we hope you enjoy the day off. Have a great Thanksgiving from everyone here in Bangor, where many people still remember that historic 1975 show.