New box set revisits Bob Dylan’s first Japanese concerts

Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings

Bob Dylan played his first shows in Japan 45 years ago, and now, those iconic concerts are being celebrated in a new box set. 

Bob Dylan – The Complete Budokan 1978, dropping Friday, November 17, will feature two full shows recorded at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan hall on February 28 and March 1, 1978, all remastered from the original analog tapes. It includes 36 previously unreleased performances, one of which, “The Man in Me,” has just been released, giving fans a preview of the set.

The Complete Budokan 1978 will be released digitally and as four-CD set. There will also be an eight-LP set, available in Japan only, and a two-LP set, Bob Dylan – Another Budokan 1978, with 16 selected tracks. 

The Japan shows were part of the Bob Dylan World Tour 1978, his first international tour since 1966. Dylan played 114 shows on that tour, hitting Asia, Oceania, North America and Europe.

Bob Dylan – The Complete Budokan 1978 is available for preorder now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.