The Bob Dylan Rolling Thunder Revue box set collectors have been waiting on lands this Friday. On November 6, Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings release The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1976 Live Recordings, a 39 disc set that gathers every professionally recorded show from the second leg of the most chaotic, theatrical tour Dylan ever put on the road.
It is a huge set, and it is mostly new. Of the 381 tracks inside, 371 have never been released in any form. Searches for the Rolling Thunder Revue 1976 box set have been rising since late October as release day closes in, so if you want one on day one, now is the time to lock in an order.
Rolling Thunder Revue 1976 box set: what's inside
The second leg opened April 18, 1976 at the Civic Center in Lakeland, Florida and wrapped May 25 in Salt Lake City, twenty-seven dates in all, and almost every one of them is represented here, all drawn from the original tapes. The run takes in a string of Florida shows, an unaired taping for the late-night music show The Midnight Special, and the complete May 23 show in Fort Collins, Colorado, remixed from the original multitrack tapes.
That Fort Collins night is the heart of the legend. It became Hard Rain, a television special broadcast on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) network once and then essentially never seen again. In his liner notes, writer Mikal Gilmore calls the "Idiot Wind" from that broadcast one of the most rageful and brilliant performances Dylan ever gave on camera. The box also includes a booklet with Gilmore's essay and rare photographs from the tour.
- Format: 39 compact discs (CDs)
- Tracks: 381, with 371 previously unreleased
- Coverage: every professionally recorded show from the spring 1976 leg
- Extras: booklet with Mikal Gilmore liner notes and rare photographs
The band, and Joan Baez
The 1976 leg is rougher and angrier than the celebrated 1975 shows, and the company on stage is a big reason why. Dylan reunited with Joan Baez for duets across many dates, including "Blowin' in the Wind" and the traditional "Railroad Boy." Behind him were bassist Rob Stoner, violinist Scarlet Rivera and drummer Howie Wyeth, all from the chart-topping Desire sessions, plus guitarists Mick Ronson of David Bowie's Spiders from Mars, Steven Soles, David Mansfield and T Bone Burnett.
Burnett has the best line on the whole thing. He calls the Rolling Thunder Revue the first national punk rock tour, the one that opened the door for The Clash, Elvis Costello and the Ramones. Listen to the setlists, with "Idiot Wind," "Isis" and "Maggie's Farm" played hard and fast night after night, and it is hard to argue.
The Fort Worth 1976 3LP for vinyl buyers
Not everyone needs 39 discs. On the same day, Columbia and Legacy release the complete May 16, 1976 show from Fort Worth, Texas as a three-record vinyl set. It runs 22 tracks, remixed from the original multitrack tapes, and 18 of them are previously unreleased. You can hear "Going, Going, Gone" from that show right now. The official store also lists the Fort Worth show as a 2CD set for anyone who wants the single concert on disc.
If you are building a holiday list for the record collector in your life, the 3LP is the easy pick and the box is the grail. Our best gifts for record collectors guide has the gear to go with it, and the Record Store Day Black Friday 2026 list covers the next big vinyl date on the calendar.
Rolling Thunder Revue 1976 release date and where to buy
The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1976 Live Recordings and the Fort Worth 3LP both release Friday, November 6, 2026. Preorders have been open since the set was announced in September. Buy direct from the official Bob Dylan store: the 39 CD box set and the Fort Worth 3LP. Check the store for current pricing and availability. For more reissues worth chasing, see our look at SOUND FUJI's Japanese rare groove vinyl.
