From Newsgroup: rec.music.dylan

Bob Dylan's Live Band Faces Sudden Shake-Up as Bob Britt Exits and Julian Lage Steps Into the Spotlight

Bob Dylan's Long Hot Summer Tour '26 has taken an unexpected turn, with one longtime guitarist reportedly leaving the road and another already absent from the stage.

Dylan's current tour has quietly become one of the most closely watched runs of his late career not only because of the songs being played, but because of what appears to be a sudden reshuffling of the band around him.

The biggest change concerns guitarist Bob Britt, who has been part of Dylan's live setup since 2019. According to reports, Britt posted a now-deleted social media message showing a flight path from Austin to Nashville with the caption "Sayonara Bobby." When asked by a fan what it meant, Britt reportedly replied, "I quit."

Dylan has not publicly commented on Britt's departure, and no official explanation has been given.

Britt's exit is significant because he was not simply a touring sideman. His connection to Dylan stretches back decades. He contributed to Dylan's Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind era and later worked with him again around Rough and Rowdy Ways. In interviews, Britt has said that Dylan first noticed him playing in Nashville, which eventually led to recording work and later to the live band.

The apparent departure follows another quiet change: Doug Lancio, Dylan's electric guitarist since the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour began in 2021, was absent from Dylan's June 17 show at the Santa Barbara Bowl. In his place was acclaimed jazz guitarist Julian Lage, who went on to play several full Dylan shows afterward.

As of now, Dylan's camp has not confirmed whether Lage is a permanent member of the band or only a temporary substitute.

Lage is a striking choice. He is widely regarded as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation, with a background that runs through jazz, classical, American roots music and improvisation. He began playing guitar as a child, was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated short documentary Jules at Eight, and has built a major reputation as both a bandleader and sideman.

That makes this more than a routine personnel change. Dylan's late-career bands are not anonymous backing units; they shape the nightly feel of songs that Dylan continues to rework onstage. Britt and Lancio helped define the darker, blues-heavy sound of Dylan's recent touring years. Lage, by contrast, brings a more fluid, precise and harmonically adventurous style.

A review of the Santa Barbara show noted that Lage's playing was especially effective on "Tryin' to Get to Heaven," where his guitar lines helped push the arrangement into unexpected places.

The official setlists also show that Dylan is mixing eras in a way that gives a guitarist room to matter. Recent shows have included newer songs such as "I Contain Multitudes," "False Prophet," "Black Rider," "Crossing the Rubicon" and "Goodbye Jimmy Reed," alongside older material including "It Ain't Me, Babe," "Man in the Long Black Coat," "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and "Every Grain of Sand."

One important unanswered question is whether Lage can remain on the tour at all. Dylan's official schedule lists a June 29 show at Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. However, Lage has also been listed for a June 29 event at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York. That scheduling conflict makes the next Dylan show especially revealing: it may show whether Lage was only a short-term guest, whether Dylan has another guitarist ready, or whether further changes are coming.

For now, the safest conclusion is that Dylan's band is in a genuine mid-tour transition. Britt appears to have exited, Lancio has been absent, Lage has stepped in for several shows, and Dylan has offered no public explanation.

That silence is not unusual for Bob Dylan. His career has long been defined by sudden turns, unexplained decisions and reinvention without warning. But this particular change is still notable because it affects the sound and feel of a tour built around songs that continue to evolve from night to night.

The Long Hot Summer Tour '26 continues through July, with upcoming dates in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia before the listed August 1 finale in Nashville.


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From Newsgroup: rec.music.dylan

MummyChunk wrote:
Bob Dylan's Live Band Faces Sudden Shake-Up as Bob Britt Exits and Julian Lage Steps Into the Spotlight

Bob Dylan's Long Hot Summer Tour '26 has taken an unexpected turn, with one longtime guitarist reportedly leaving the road and another already absent from the stage.

Dylan's current tour has quietly become one of the most closely watched runs of his late career not only because of the songs being played, but because of what appears to be a sudden reshuffling of the band around him.

The biggest change concerns guitarist Bob Britt, who has been part of Dylan's live setup since 2019. According to reports, Britt posted a now-deleted social media message showing a flight path from Austin to Nashville with the caption "Sayonara Bobby." When asked by a fan what it meant, Britt reportedly replied, "I quit."

Dylan has not publicly commented on Britt's departure, and no official explanation has been given.

Britt's exit is significant because he was not simply a touring sideman. His connection to Dylan stretches back decades. He contributed to Dylan's Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind era and later worked with him again around Rough and Rowdy Ways. In interviews, Britt has said that Dylan first noticed him playing in Nashville, which eventually led to recording work and later to the live band.

The apparent departure follows another quiet change: Doug Lancio, Dylan's electric guitarist since the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour began in 2021, was absent from Dylan's June 17 show at the Santa Barbara Bowl. In his place was acclaimed jazz guitarist Julian Lage, who went on to play several full Dylan shows afterward.

As of now, Dylan's camp has not confirmed whether Lage is a permanent member of the band or only a temporary substitute.

Lage is a striking choice. He is widely regarded as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation, with a background that runs through jazz, classical, American roots music and improvisation. He began playing guitar as a child, was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated short documentary Jules at Eight, and has built a major reputation as both a bandleader and sideman.

That makes this more than a routine personnel change. Dylan's late-career bands are not anonymous backing units; they shape the nightly feel of songs that Dylan continues to rework onstage. Britt and Lancio helped define the darker, blues-heavy sound of Dylan's recent touring years. Lage, by contrast, brings a more fluid, precise and harmonically adventurous style.

A review of the Santa Barbara show noted that Lage's playing was especially effective on "Tryin' to Get to Heaven," where his guitar lines helped push the arrangement into unexpected places.

The official setlists also show that Dylan is mixing eras in a way that gives a guitarist room to matter. Recent shows have included newer songs such as "I Contain Multitudes," "False Prophet," "Black Rider," "Crossing the Rubicon" and "Goodbye Jimmy Reed," alongside older material including "It Ain't Me, Babe," "Man in the Long Black Coat," "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and "Every Grain of Sand."

One important unanswered question is whether Lage can remain on the tour at all. Dylan's official schedule lists a June 29 show at Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. However, Lage has also been listed for a June 29 event at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York. That scheduling conflict makes the next Dylan show especially revealing: it may show whether Lage was only a short-term guest, whether Dylan has another guitarist ready, or whether further changes are coming.

For now, the safest conclusion is that Dylan's band is in a genuine mid-tour transition. Britt appears to have exited, Lancio has been absent, Lage has stepped in for several shows, and Dylan has offered no public explanation.

That silence is not unusual for Bob Dylan. His career has long been defined by sudden turns, unexplained decisions and reinvention without warning. But this particular change is still notable because it affects the sound and feel of a tour built around songs that continue to evolve from night to night.

The Long Hot Summer Tour '26 continues through July, with upcoming dates in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia before the listed August 1 finale in Nashville.

Thanks for the update.

Bib Dylan will be back in Atlanta Georgia on July 31st I and some friends are thinking about catching the show again.


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From Newsgroup: rec.music.dylan

MummyChunk wrote:
Bob Dylan's Live Band Faces Sudden Shake-Up as Bob Britt Exits and Julian Lage Steps Into the Spotlight

Bob Dylan's Long Hot Summer Tour '26 has taken an unexpected turn, with one longtime guitarist reportedly leaving the road and another already absent from the stage.

Dylan's current tour has quietly become one of the most closely watched runs of his late career not only because of the songs being played, but because of what appears to be a sudden reshuffling of the band around him.

The biggest change concerns guitarist Bob Britt, who has been part of Dylan's live setup since 2019. According to reports, Britt posted a now-deleted social media message showing a flight path from Austin to Nashville with the caption "Sayonara Bobby." When asked by a fan what it meant, Britt reportedly replied, "I quit."

Dylan has not publicly commented on Britt's departure, and no official explanation has been given.

Britt's exit is significant because he was not simply a touring sideman. His connection to Dylan stretches back decades. He contributed to Dylan's Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind era and later worked with him again around Rough and Rowdy Ways. In interviews, Britt has said that Dylan first noticed him playing in Nashville, which eventually led to recording work and later to the live band.

The apparent departure follows another quiet change: Doug Lancio, Dylan's electric guitarist since the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour began in 2021, was absent from Dylan's June 17 show at the Santa Barbara Bowl. In his place was acclaimed jazz guitarist Julian Lage, who went on to play several full Dylan shows afterward.

As of now, Dylan's camp has not confirmed whether Lage is a permanent member of the band or only a temporary substitute.

Lage is a striking choice. He is widely regarded as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation, with a background that runs through jazz, classical, American roots music and improvisation. He began playing guitar as a child, was the subject of the Academy Award-nominated short documentary Jules at Eight, and has built a major reputation as both a bandleader and sideman.

That makes this more than a routine personnel change. Dylan's late-career bands are not anonymous backing units; they shape the nightly feel of songs that Dylan continues to rework onstage. Britt and Lancio helped define the darker, blues-heavy sound of Dylan's recent touring years. Lage, by contrast, brings a more fluid, precise and harmonically adventurous style.

A review of the Santa Barbara show noted that Lage's playing was especially effective on "Tryin' to Get to Heaven," where his guitar lines helped push the arrangement into unexpected places.

The official setlists also show that Dylan is mixing eras in a way that gives a guitarist room to matter. Recent shows have included newer songs such as "I Contain Multitudes," "False Prophet," "Black Rider," "Crossing the Rubicon" and "Goodbye Jimmy Reed," alongside older material including "It Ain't Me, Babe," "Man in the Long Black Coat," "When I Paint My Masterpiece" and "Every Grain of Sand."

One important unanswered question is whether Lage can remain on the tour at all. Dylan's official schedule lists a June 29 show at Moody Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. However, Lage has also been listed for a June 29 event at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York. That scheduling conflict makes the next Dylan show especially revealing: it may show whether Lage was only a short-term guest, whether Dylan has another guitarist ready, or whether further changes are coming.

For now, the safest conclusion is that Dylan's band is in a genuine mid-tour transition. Britt appears to have exited, Lancio has been absent, Lage has stepped in for several shows, and Dylan has offered no public explanation.

That silence is not unusual for Bob Dylan. His career has long been defined by sudden turns, unexplained decisions and reinvention without warning. But this particular change is still notable because it affects the sound and feel of a tour built around songs that continue to evolve from night to night.

The Long Hot Summer Tour '26 continues through July, with upcoming dates in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia before the listed August 1 finale in Nashville.

The reason why Bob Dylan's guitar player quit last week:

"I'm a professional musician. Julliard. 30 years of sessions. You get tired of playing D C G night after night."


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