Dylan bans cell phones at Italian concerts.

Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is to perform five concerts in Italy this summer, in Milan, Lucca, Perugia and Rome, with tickets for some of the shows already on sale.

Dylan, 81, will play two concerts the Arcimboldi Theatre in Milan on 3-4 July; at the Lucca Summer Festival on 6 July; in Perugia on 7 July as part of Umbria Jazz; and in Rome at the Auditorium Parco della Musica on 9 July.

On his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour in Italy, Dylan will promote his latest album of the same name as well as playing classic hits from the past.

• Bob Dylan exhibition at MAXXI in Rome

The veteran singer has banned the use of smartphones at his Italian gigs, requiring concertgoers to lock their phones into specially-provided pouches.

The move is ostensibly to "improve the concert experience" though many see it is as an effective way of preventing unauthorised video footage being posted online.

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