Simply two weeks after Bob Dylan guitarist Doug Lancio vanished from the tour and was changed by jazz virtuoso Julian Lage, Bob Britt — who has performed guitar in Dylan’s band since 2019 — has apparently left the group as effectively. Over the weekend, Britt wrote “Sayonara Bobby” on his Fb web page web page together with a picture of a airplane flight from Austin, the place the subsequent Dylan present is ready to happen on the Moody Amphitheater, to Nashville. Within the feedback, he informed a fan, “I stop.” (A shoutout to Dylan superfan Harold Lepidus for flagging the posts.)
Britt didn’t instantly reply to Rolling Stone’s request for remark. He did, nevertheless, write a message to followers on Fb. “Apparently there are fairly a couple of threads on the market with individuals speculating about my departure from the Bob tour,” he wrote. “I’d prefer to clear it up. I used to be not fired however left of my very own accord for causes I would favor to maintain non-public. I’ll miss my band mates and crew. I’m trying ahead to getting again to doing classes (give me a name) and in addition ending up Etta’s gospel document. So far as any touring goes, we’ll see what the longer term holds. In the meantime, I’ve some flower beds to weed.”
The shock announcement prompted an enormous stir within the Dylan-fan group, since Lage has an occasion June 29 at Nationwide Sawdust in Brooklyn, that means he’ll even be unavailable to carry out in Austin. At this level, the one remaining members of Dylan’s band, a minimum of recognized to the general public, are bassist Tony Garnier and drummer Anton Fig.
The least possible state of affairs for the Austin present is that Dylan takes the stage with none guitarist, and is backed solely by Garnier and Fig. The Nationwide Sawdust present has been on the books for fairly a while, and Dylan absolutely knew that Lage wasn’t a long-term band member. He has manner too many different commitments. It’s possible that both Lancio is returning or Dylan employed a brand new, full-time guitarist.
But when Britt stop the band as abruptly as his Fb publish appears to counsel, Dylan had little time to rent a second new guitarist. He hasn’t performed with a naked lineup of a drummer, bassist, and only one guitarist for the reason that earliest days of the By no means Ending Tour. As soon as pedal metal participant Bucky Baxter joined the band in 1992, there’s additionally been a minimum of two guitar gamers.
As is usually the case with the By no means Ending Tour, we’ll haven’t any clue who’s within the band till the lights dim and the musicians stroll on the stage. We will say that the set listing is unlikely to vary dramatically. Regardless of the shock look of the Basement Tapes supreme deep minimize “Child, Gained’t You Be Me Child” at a few exhibits earlier this month, shattering the document for the longest hole between the recording of a track and the stay debut, the units have been largely static.
Anticipate to listen to him open with both “To Be Alone With You” or “Watching the River Movement,” after which get away “All Alongside the Watchtower,” “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven,” “After I Paint My Masterpiece,” “Beneath the Pink Sky,” and oddball covers like Bo Diddley’s “I Can Inform” and Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Share Your Love With Me.”
Someplace in Austin, a few guitarists are fairly probably taking a crash course in these songs. We want them each one of the best of luck. And we hope neither of them finish their Dylan story with a “Sayonara Bobby” publish on Fb.
[This story was updated at 3:13 p.m. ET on June 29 with Britt’s new message on Facebook.]
