Editing Desolation Row (section)

== Live performance ==
Dylan debuted "Desolation Row" at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in [[Queens, New York]], on August 28, 1965, after he "[[Electric Dylan controversy|controversially went electric]]" at the 1965 [[Newport Folk Festival]]. It was part of the acoustic set Dylan played before bringing on his electric band. Of the performance, music critic Robert Shelton stated that "the song, another of Mr. Dylan's musical Rorschachs capable of widely varied interpretation ... It can best be characterized as a "folk song of the absurd."<ref>Shelton, Robert. "Folk Singer Offers Works in 'New Mood' at Forest Hills". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2018.</ref> The displaced images and [[Kafkaesque]] cavalcade of historical characters were at first greeted with laughter.<ref>Heylin, ''Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades Revisited'', pp. 219-226.</ref>

Live versions are included on Dylan's albums ''[[MTV Unplugged (Bob Dylan album)|MTV Unplugged]]'' (1995; recorded November 1994), ''[[The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966, The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert]]'' (1998; recorded May 1966), ''[[The 1966 Live Recordings]]'' (2016 boxed set; multiple recording dates, with one concert released separately on the album ''The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert''), and ''Live 1962–1966: Rare Performances From The Copyright Collections'' (2018; recorded April 1966). The song has been featured in live performances as recently as November 19, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2012 |title=Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center |website=The Official Bob Dylan Site |url=http://www.bobdylan.com/us/tour/2012-11-19-wells-fargo-center |access-date=July 25, 2013 |archive-date=August 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804162654/http://www.bobdylan.com/us/tour/2012-11-19-wells-fargo-center |url-status=live}}</ref> The song is included on some set lists on Dylan's current tour and was played in Bournemouth on May 4, 2017. Dylan once again performed the song at the Outlaw Music Festival Tour in 2024, a performance that gained media notoriety for his use of a small [[wrench]], which he rhythmically tapped to the side of his microphone.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greene |first1=Andy |title=Watch Bob Dylan Resurrect ‘Desolation Row’ While Clanking a Tiny Wrench |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-dylan-desolation-row-tiny-wrench-1235105396/ |access-date=5 March 2025 |work=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=18 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250217171606/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-dylan-desolation-row-tiny-wrench-1235105396/ |archive-date=17 February 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>