Nellie McKay Among Performers for 'Blonde on Blonde' Concert at Bob Dylan Center

In celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Bob Dylan’s classic album Blonde on Blonde, Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center will present a major multi-artist concert featuring an array of musicians, including musical theater performer Nellie McKay (Broadway's The Threepenny Opera, Atlantic Theater Company's Let's Love!)

The one-night-only event will take place on Friday, February 20, 2026 at Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa’s 100-year-old honky-tonk where Dylan himself has performed. 

With Emmy-winning “The Daily Show” co-host and senior correspondent Jordan Klepper serving as emcee, the concert will highlight all of the songs on “Blonde on Blonde,” including “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” “Visions of Johanna,” “I Want You,” “Just Like a Woman” and “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” as well as an assortment of other Dylan songs from across his expansive discography, all performed by a house band and a rotating cast of featured artists. The concert title is inspired by the album track “One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later).” 

Confirmed participants include (in alphabetical order): singer-songwriter brothers duo The Cactus Blossoms; singer-songwriters and founding members of X and The Knitters Exene Cervenka and John Doe; singer-songwriter Fantastic Negrito; singer-songwriter Craig Finn (The Hold Steady); Bob Dylan Center inaugural artist-in-residence and former three-term U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo; La Santa Cecilia lead singer La Marisoul; singer-songwriter and The Walkmen founder Hamilton Leithauser; gospel trio and former Dylan accompanists The McCrary Sisters; singer-songwriter and Broadway performer Nellie McKay; singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant; New York City rock ‘n’ roll mainstay Willie Nile; and singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet. 

An exclusive presale begins on Wednesday, January 14 at 10 a.m. for Bob Dylan Center members in good standing as of last Friday, January 9. As with the "Blood on the Tracks" fiftieth anniversary concert presented by the center in Jan. 2025, tickets are expected to sell quickly. Due to limited supply, membership does not guarantee the opportunity to purchase tickets. Any remaining tickets following the members-only sale will go on sale on Friday, January 16. 

As with the “Blood on the Tracks” fiftieth anniversary show presented by the Bob Dylan Center in Jan. 2025, event co-curator Doug Keith will serve as music director and lead the house band featuring accomplished musicians including (in alphabetical order): indie-rock band Chatham County Line (Greg Readling, John Teer, Dave Wilson); solo artist and in-demand session musician and producer Phil Cook; Ben Folds Five drummer Darren Jessee; and bassist Michael Libramento, all fixtures of the North Carolina music scene.  

“Sixty years on from its initial release, ‘Blonde on Blonde’ still sounds like the future,” says Steven Jenkins, senior director of the Bob Dylan Center. “Dylan’s pursuit of what he called ‘that thin wild mercury sound’ led him to create this extraordinary double album, which our amazing roster of guest artists will transform anew.” 

"It’s been a blast to dig deep into the endless complexities and surprises of ‘Blonde on Blonde’ and rework the songs with our house band and featured vocalists,” says music director Doug Keith. “We’re tackling other songs from the Dylan songbook as well. I’m really looking forward to sharing the results on what is going to be a spectacular evening of music at Cain’s Ballroom." 

“’Blonde on Blonde’ is an obvious high-water mark in a singular career full of them,” says Craig Finn, who has covered Dylan in the past. “I’m thrilled to be heading to Tulsa to celebrate these songs and the legacy of Bob Dylan with such a talented group of artists.” 

Photo credit: Ahron R. Foster