Photo: Wenn
Bob Dylan has requested armed guards on his tour during two performances tonight and tomorrow at the auditorium Manzoni Bologna in Italy - in the wake of the weekend's terrorist attacks in Paris.
As reported by the Daily Corriere della Sera, Dylan has asked to up security as he's set to perfom a number of songs from his prolific collection of albums.
This request comes after terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday that claimed the lives of a confirmed 129 people, with 118 people losing their lives at The Bataclan Theatre during an Eagles Of Death Metal show.
There will be police outside the venue guarding the entrance and up to 12 armed guards inside, some of whom will be dressed as civilians in the crowd. Giorgi Zagnono, the artistic director of the Bolognese auditorium told Italian newspapers that Bob Dylan contacted a security agency to guard the entrances of the hall, the stage and backstage area.
"This is the first time an artist asks us to strengthen this security so consistently. But given the situation, after what happened in Paris, we consider the request from Mr. Dylan to be more than understandable," said Zagnoni.
He went on to explain that eberybody behind the scene at the venue is doing everything possible to reassure Dylan and his band, which consists of 40 people. "It will be all super armored and security measures will not be those of a normal concert. If we considered that the conditions were not met, we not would have confirmed" added Zagnoni to Milan daily.
U2, Foo Fighters, Prince and a number of other high profile artists have cancelled their live dates after the brutal attack on concert goers at an Eagles Of Death Metal show at The Batlacan in Paris. Brandon Flowers recently commened on the fact that many musicians are choosing to abandon their live performances.
Members of Duran Duran also recently spoke out about a campaign attempting to push Eagles Of Death Metal's cover of their track 'Save A Prayer' to No. 1.
