Quite why there should be so much excitement surrounding the current European leg of Bob Dylan’s “Never Ending” tour is something of a mystery. Yes, he has a new album, Together Through Life, released next Monday, and he remains one of the pre-eminent surviving superstars from the 1960s. But that doesn’t altogether explain why he has become such a hot ticket again.

Perhaps it is because we have learnt more about Dylan in the past four years than we did in the preceding four decades. He has published his memoirs. He has astounded with the grace and wit of his Theme Time Radio shows. He has given the first public exhibition of his artwork. He has even granted a handful of interviews.

However, the one area in which he remains as stubbornly enigmatic and uncommunicative as ever is in the manner of his live performance style. He offered not a word of greeting as he opened his British tour in the 13,500-capacity Sheffield Arena last night, nor an introduction to any of the songs — none of which were from the new album. His long-serving, five-man band were arranged in a semi-circle, as if for a rehearsal, with Dylan standing behind his keyboard facing the other musicians. Dressed in black with a black hat, he looked like a cross between a toreador and a Mafia don as the band kicked off with the lively R’n’B swagger of Cat’s In The Well followed by a drastically restructured It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.

Dylan’s singing has become a caricature of itself and it is testament to the enduring appeal of his songs and lyrics that they still shone through despite the rough handling.

Strapping on a guitar, he stepped forward to give a plangent performance of Boots of Spanish Leather during which he dashed off a couple of solos in his uniquely staccato, dishevelled style. The bold, up-tempo swing of The Levee’s Gonna Break prompted a superb performance from the band, particularly Tony Garnier on upright bass, although the repetitive lyric tended to underline the fact that once Dylan gets hold of a groove he doesn’t let go of it in a hurry.

The momentum dissipated as he embarked on a string of songs from his 2001 album Love and Theft, including a slow, ramshackle Po’ Boy followed by a disorganised Make You Feel My Love that was peppered with dodgy attempts at a falsetto. But a sturdy Highway 61 Revisited followed by the moody minor-key blues of Love Sick got things back on track, before the band signed off with a lovely version of Like A Rolling Stone.

While the spiritual bond between Dylan and his audience clearly runs deep it was not the most demonstrative of performances nor receptions. “That was the most expensive nap I’ve ever had,” said one punter on the way out.

O2 Arena, London SE10, tonight; Roundhouse, London NW1, tomorrow; Cardiff International Arena, April 28; NIA, Birmingham, April 29; Echo Arena, Liverpool, May 1; SECC, Glasgow, May 2; Edinburgh Playhouse, May 3; O2 arena, Dublin, May 5 and 6.

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