Bob Dylan's almost-annual appearance at the NEC is always a nervous affair. Notoriously hit or miss, the pre-gig talk is rife with speculation. Poring over setlists from previous gigs on this leg of his never-ending tour offers no clues.

Previous recent gigs had seen little in the way of familiar songs played, but Birmingham was blessed on this occasion.

Ripping through what amounted to a greatest hits set, Dylan dropped surprise after surprise.

His voice was on form too. Not the crazy frog rasp, but something approaching a grizzled croon.

Kicking off with a blistering Maggie's Farm, a great chunk of the show was drawn for the holy trinity of Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde On Blonde and Bringing It All Back Home. Translated into jaw-dropping moments, this meant Like A Rolling Stone, Ballad of A Thin Man, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues and, astonishingly, a tender and timeless Visions Of Joanna.

Dylan's road-tested band were immaculate, as always and Bob himself stuck to electric piano throughout. Closing with a fantastic All Along The Watch Tower, this was one of those Dylan gigs that will be spoken of reverentially for years.

Andrew Cowen