Dylan Gives Concert Crowd a Choice: Listen or Take Photos

Bob Dylan proved to fans that he means it when he says no photos allowed when he's onstage. In fact, if fans had a pool Tuesday night in Vienna, the answer to "During what song would he stop singing and scold the crowd?" was "Blowin' in the Wind." He got one verse in, Rolling Stone reports, before stopping to snap: "Take pictures or don’t take pictures. We can either play or we can pose. OK?" The crowd answered, per Minnesota Public Radio, with "Play!" He did, briefly, singing a shortened version of "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry." Then he left the stage. The band ended the show with an instrumental version of "Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues."

The concert also was notable because it's rare for Dylan to say anything to the crowd at all. He quit introducing the band a couple of years ago, per Rolling Stone. Fans are told—not by Dylan himself—before the concert that photos aren't allowed. Ushers in New York last year patrolled with flashlights, shining them on fans using a phone. (More Bob Dylan stories.)