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Key developments
Joel Paterson joins Dylan after guitar departures
Bob Dylan brought in Chicago roots guitarist and steel-guitar player Joel Paterson after guitarist Doug Lancio left the Never Ending Tour and Bob Britt also exited the band. Paterson made his Dylan-band debut at the June 29 Moody Amphitheater show in Austin, playing all guitar parts alongside Dylan, bassist Tony Garnier and drummer Anton Fig, then continued at New Braunfels on June 30.
Why it matters
The move stabilizes Dylan’s live band during an active tour after multiple guitar-chair disruptions.
Sources & driving stories
ROLLING STONE CANADA
Rolling Stone Canada coverageCULT FOLLOWING · Ewan Gleadow
Cult Following coverageBob Britt says Dylan exit was voluntary
Bob Britt clarified in a June 28 Facebook post that he was not fired from Dylan’s tour and that his departure was voluntary. Reporting also notes that Britt plans to return to session work and help complete Etta Britt’s gospel record, while the reason for Doug Lancio’s exit remains unclear.
Why it matters
The clarification narrows what is known about Dylan’s band shakeup while leaving one major departure unresolved.
Sources & driving stories
CULT FOLLOWING · Ewan Gleadow
Cult Following coverageROLLING STONE CANADA
Rolling Stone Canada coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
June 30 setlist documented
Cult Following reports Dylan’s Whitewater Amphitheatre set included “Watching the River Flow,” “I Contain Multitudes” and “Every Grain of Sand,” with Lucinda Williams and The John Doe Folk Trio opening.
WORTH NOTING
Cash-Dylan influence revisited
Far Out Magazine revisits Dylan’s memoir praise for Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” as “mysterious and revolutionary,” connecting it to Dylan’s later “Man in the Long Black Coat.”
WORTH NOTING
New essay reassesses “Idiot Wind”
Tony Attwood’s latest blog post frames the 1974 song as a potentially life-changing Dylan work, focusing on its lyrical vitriol, harmonic movement and final-verse turn toward shared human foolishness.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Is Paterson a temporary or lasting replacement?
Coverage confirms his June 29 debut and June 30 continuation, but does not establish whether Dylan has made a permanent band change.
OPEN QUESTION
Why did Doug Lancio leave?
Britt’s departure has been publicly clarified, but Lancio’s reason remains unreported and could affect expectations for future tour lineups.