The last time Robert “Bob” Dylan walked the corridors of Stephens Auditorium was April 7, 1994. The years that followed saw Dylan release nine albums and travel the world with numerous backing bands, but the tour remained the same.

Beginning in 1988, the Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Dylan’s endless circumnavigation of the globe with his guitar in hand. And the caravan continues onward toward Ames this week in promotion of his newest album released this year called “Triplicate.”

Dylan is a Minnesotan born songwriter, singer, painter and writer. He has been integral to popular music and culture for five decades. His accusation-based songwriting birthed songs such as “Blowin’ In the Wind” and “The Times They Are a Changin’,” songs that were anthems during the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-war movements of the 1960s.

Although defined most as one of the key players in the American folk music revival, it was the songs he made for the radio, such as the fulfilling “Like A Rolling Stone,” that garnered his mark on the broadening of popular music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, received a Nobel Prize in 2016 for literature and has been awarded 11 Grammy Awards.  

When Dylan last played in Stephens, he had failed to accumulate a sold-out crowd. At the time, he was noted for being at the top of his game, his wistful singing as intriguing as his boisterous harmonica playing. This time around, however, every seat will be occupied, with only a handful of tickets left up for grabs.

Tammy Koolbeck is the Executive Director for the Iowa State Center, and one of the primary motivators in bringing Dylan back to campus. She is part of the reason the Center enjoys a beaming diversity of international performances of music, theatre and dance, Bob Dylan just her most recent endeavor.

“Anytime you can bring a performer of Dylan’s caliber to the community it’s a positive,” Koolbeck said. “We worked with a promoter out of Kansas City called Mammoth Production. We work with them on a lot of shows and when Dylan announced that he was going out, we expressed our sincere interest in trying to make a date work.”

Dylan’s latest outing on the “Never Ending Tour” is bringing the singer-songwriter to a variety of venues. But his stop at Iowa State will be a more unique stop this time around.

“We are one of the few theatres on the tour, he plays in mostly arenas, so it’s a cool opportunity for fans to see him in this setting,” Koolbeck said. “This is his third trip back to Stephens. I like to think he had such a welcoming experience a decade and a half ago and that’s why he’s back.”

Koolbeck and her team do as much as they can to make Dylan feel at home, but it is really the fans that Dylan reaps the emotional connections from. It’s the fans that keep him on the road and shows like the one at Stephens are great ways for fans in hard to reach places to experience musical royalty.

“It will be a mix of fans,” Koolbeck explained. “He is certainly known for his work in the Civil Rights Movement, and in today’s environment, that may be why he is generating some more interest for younger fans. I think folk artists like Dylan love to perform on college campuses. They are inclined to perform around people more socially conscious.”

Speaking of fans, Koolbeck is one herself.

“I enjoy his songwriting,” Koolbeck stated. “The lyrics are remarkable. ‘Blowin’ In the Wind’ is probably one of my favorite songs ever. I grew up listening to his music, I went to his show in 2000 at Cedar Rapids. It was an artist that was certainly on my bucket list.”

Rhythm and Blues musician Mavis Staples is set to open the show. Staples is a legend in her own right, and fans of musical history should be overjoyed to find her opening for Dylan on this tour, as she could be headlining her own agenda. But this fact speaks volumes to the significance of Dylan’s label as the “Voice of a generation.”

Check Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples off your bucket list by seeing the pair at 7:30 Tuesday, Oct. 24 at Stephens Auditorium. A limited amount of tickets are still available via Ticketmaster.com.