Christmas Day brings the release of “A Complete Unknown,” a Searchlight Pictures biopic of the legendary Bob Dylan.
While the 141-minute, R-rated film largely focuses on the singer’s life and times in the early-60s, Dylan beyond that period has had a long and celebrated musical relationship with Arizona spanning 44 years.
Although Dylan would eventually play live in Arizona 28 times (and counting), it did take the folk-rock pioneer a while to get to the Grand Canyon State. Dylan’s first live show here took place in November 1978 when he performed at the ASU Activity Center in Tempe. In fact, between regular appearances in Tempe and Tucson, Dylan wouldn’t debut in Phoenix proper until 1986.
