Who knows what will happen when Dylan rolls into town

The last time Bob Dylan opened a tour here, in October 2002 at KeyArena, he caused a sensation among Dylanologists when he abandoned guitar for keyboards.

Of course, every move by the enigmatic artist is seized upon and examined by his fans, because Dylan occupies a hallowed place in American popular music.

Speculation arose as to why he abandoned the guitar. Some say it was because of arthritis in his hands. Others speculated that he had two good guitarists in his band, so why not play something else? Maybe, some say, he was just bored with it.

Dylan has continued to play keyboards in concert, but there's no telling what he'll do when he opens his latest tour, titled simply "The Bob Dylan Show," with three performances at the Paramount on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

It's the first tour since the publication of his acclaimed autobiography, "Chronicles Volume One" (he's signed on for two more volumes, which probably won't arrive for years). The New York Times Book Review named it one of the 10 best books of 2004. It's also a candidate for the prestigious National Book Critics Circle Award, to be announced March 18. Rumors abound that it's even up for a Pulitzer (winners to be announced April 4). The eloquent, fast-paced and somewhat revealing book (he still keeps much hidden) roams from the '50s up until the late '80s, but concentrates on the '60s.

Concert preview

Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard & The Strangers and Amos Lee, 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine St., Seattle; $37-$67 (206-628-0888, www.ticketmaster.com or www.hob.com; information, 206-467-5510, www.theparamount.com or www.bobdylan.com).

Will that hold true with the concerts? He's certainly visited his songs of that era in shows over the past 15 years or so, even emphasized them. They don't sound the same as they did 40 years ago because he always changes them, from the tempos to the lyrics.

The early Dylan is also the focus of a current exhibit at Experience Music Project at Seattle Center, "Bob Dylan's American Journey 1956-1966." He cooperated with EMP on the exhibit, which is the best the museum has ever mounted. Museum officials hope Dylan will see it when he's in town.

That same period will be covered in Martin Scorsese's upcoming two-part documentary, "No Direction Home," which will be broadcast in September on PBS, followed by a DVD release. The 3 ½-hour documentary will include films and photos never before aired or published, as well as material drawn from 10 hours of interviews with Dylan.

One clue as to the concert repertoire is his tour band. For years he's been backed by young rockers, most notably Charlie Sexton on guitar, who seemed to give Dylan an extra kick of energy. But for this tour, according to several Web sites, he's hired musicians associated with folk and country music, including Don Herron of the lively, fun and slightly goofy country/folk/rockabilly band BR549. He plays banjo, mandolin, guitar and fiddle.

Also in the band are a trio of Texas musicians, fiddler Elana Fremerman and guitarists Carolyn Wonderland and Denny Freeman. Apparently still remaining in the band from previous tours are Tony Garnier on bass, George Receli on drums and guitarist Stuart Kimball, making for the biggest band Dylan has toured with in more than 20 years.

The lineup suggests that the shows will have more of a folk and country feel than rock. And with two fiddlers, Dylan may revisit his '70s "Desire" album and Rolling Thunder tour, which both featured violinist Scarlet Rivera.

Dylan reportedly has written new tunes for an upcoming album, and he may feature some of them in his shows. That will get the Dylanologists excited.

Also notable about this tour are Dylan's choices for opening acts. The great country star Merle Haggard is ordinarily a headliner but says Dylan is one of few artists he would open for. "I'm honored to do it for Bob," he told Rolling Stone. His most recent album is "Unforgettable," a collection of standards such as "Cry Me a River" and "As Times Goes By."

The new guy on the tour is opening act Amos Lee, a former teacher who sings folk and soul music. He has just released his first album, "Amos Lee," on Blue Note Records.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com