Dylan's return to Europe started with two shows in Ireland. At his Dublin concert it was noticed that Dylan still has the ability to attract a crowd of all ages. One reviewer, Aine Byrne, was slightly taken aback by some "unrecognisable" arrangements, the poor sound at the venue and the lack of interaction between Dylan and his audience. However, she stated "[Dylan] may be old and beat up, but the man has some punch in him yet". She also noted that the venue was full and praised the quality of the backing band. "A good concert, not the best, but to see and hear a living legend playing on form was a very pleasant experience indeed". The Irish Mirror also called the concert a "rich theatrical experience". In Bucharest the choice of instruments that the band chose to use to back Dylan were applauded. The show was called "Sometimes tender, sometimes playful and sometimes formidable – but always with venerable composure and poetic dignity". In Vienna it was noted that Dylan is obviously comfortable with the material he is now playing and the order in which songs played was helped the sound and of the concert to create an "authentic theatre experience". In Poland it was noted that Dylan's secondary 'festival' set list featured minimal materiel from the last few albums, the inclusion of a large amount of recent material became standard feature in set lists of recent years. In Kristiansand, the inclusion of "Girl from the North Country" was met with a highly positive response, while the concert itself was deemed average, with on-and-off vocal performances. This kind of report on his vocals lacking the smoothness of earlier in the year continued to the end of the tour.
