Bob Dylan tops the lineup of all-star performers set to appear at the upcoming Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland this summer. Dylan is scheduled to perform at the annual fest on July 1.
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The 57th edition of the festival will take place in Montreux, Switzerland over two weeks from June 30 through July 15. For his performance, Dylan, 81, will perform his 2020 album Rough And Rowdy Ways in full to a more intimate room full of 4,000 inside the main Auditorium Stravinski.
Situated on the Lake Geneva shoreline, the venue is one of two — in addition to the Montreux Jazz Lab — where all acts perform during the festival.
Other featured artists at the 2023 Montreux Jazz Festival include Sam Smith, Lionel Richie, Iggy Pop, Chris Isaak, Simply Red, Lil Nas X, Jon Batiste, Maluma, Caroline Polachek, Wet Leg, Norah Jones, Chilly Gonzales, and Christine and the Queens, along with a closing night performance by Nile Rodgers & Chic, Janelle Monáe, and Mark Ronson.
Jazz greats, including Buddy Guy, guitarist Pat Metheny and bassist Marcus Miller, are also set to perform. Brazilian artist Gilberto Gil will return to Montreux for the 15th time as part of his farewell tour. On July 10, Mavis Staples will also celebrate her 84th birthday on the day of her Montreux performance.
“It’s difficult to point to one name that outshines the others,” said Montreux festival director Mathieu Jaton, who unveiled the 2023 lineup on April 5, “as there are so many emotional moments planned.”
In 2022, Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s band The Smile recorded portions of a live album from their show at Montreux Jazz Festival. The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Sting, Phil Collins, and Michael Jackson, are among the many artists who have also recorded at Mountain Studios at Montreux.
Last year also saw the return of large crowds, from pre-Covid years, with more than 250,000 people attending the festival.
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