Earlier today, Bob Dylan debuted the iconic Grateful Dead standard “Truckin'” while visiting Tokyo’s Tokyo Garden Theater in part of his current Rough And Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour. The rendition of the song penned by Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Robert Hunter and Bob Weir came on the second of five evenings at the venue in place of his usual “That Old Black Magic.”

Dylan arrived in Japan last week in Osaka to share his album Rough And Rowdy Ways, which he’s been doing since its release in 2020. The artist’s fond interpretations of tracks from the Grateful Dead’s songbook have been slowly rolling out, and nearly a year ago, he shared “Friend Of The Devil” while in Oakland, Calif.

Notably, “Truckin’” is one of the 60 tracks Dylan wrote about in his 2022 book, The Philosophy Of Modern Song. He called the American Beauty standout one of the Dead’s “signature songs,” saying, “This could easily be a Dead song from one hundred years earlier.”

“This song is medium tempo, but it seems to just keep picking up speed,” Dylan wrote. “It’s got a fantastic first verse, which doesn’t let up or fizzle out, and every verse that follows could actually be a first verse. Arrows of neon, flashing marquees, Dallas and a soft machine, Sweet Jane, vitamin C, Bourbon Street, bowling pins, hotel windows, and the classic line, ‘What a long strange trip it’s been.’ A thought that anybody can relate to.”

Dylan’s familiarity with the song and complete understanding can be vividly heard in the live recording, as he rolls out the iconic lyrics “Arrows Of Neon And Flashing Marquees Out On Main Street/ Chicago, New York, Detroit, It’s All The Same Street/ Your Typical City Involved In A Typical Daydream/ Hang It Up And See What Tomorrow Brings.”

Listening to a recording of the live performance below.