Bob Dylan plays show for lone fan

Bob Dylan played a gig for just one fan as part of an experimental film series.

Dylan and his band took to the stage at Philadelphia Academy Of Music in the US this week to play a show for 41-year-old fan Fredrik Wikingsson.

The concert was filmed for Swedish film series Experiment Ensam, which allows people to experience something on their own that is usually reserved for large audiences.

Previous editions have seen people alone in a comedy club or a karaoke bar.

Wikingsson tells Rolling Stone: “I thought some asshole would walk onstage and just laugh at me. I just couldn’t fathom that Dylan would actually do this.

“I was a fucking wreck. Part of me was thinking, ‘Maybe this won’t happen and it’ll be for the best. I don’t want to impose on Mr Dylan. I don’t want him to stand there and be grouchy, just hating it.’”

But Dylan and his band appeared and played a set which included Buddy Holly’s Heartbeat, Fats Domino’s Blueberry Hill and Chuck Willis’ It’s Too Late (She’s Gone).

Wikingsson adds: “I was smiling so much it was like I was on ecstasy. My jaw hurt for hours afterwards because I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Self-confessed Dylan super fan Wikingsson got the opportunity through his friend Anders Helgeson, who is the director of the series.

He says: “I had an endless series of meetings where I managed to convince people my extreme fandom made me the best candidate for the enviable task.”

A 15-minute documentary of the event will be available on YouTube on December 15.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.