Bob Dylan’s long-serving guitarist Bob Britt has confirmed why he left the touring group after seven years on the road.
Britt announced his departure from Dylan’s touring unit last week. He had been absent for a handful of shows on the Summer 2026 show and has since confirmed the absence is now permanent. Fans praised the guitarist for his work on the tour and questioned who would replace Britt as one of two guitarists on-stage. He and Doug Lancio worked with Dylan for almost a decade, with Britt first joining the line-up in 2019. But the expert musician has since departed the group and has shared why he did so in a post to his Facebook page.
He wrote: “Apparently there are quite a few threads out there with people speculating about my departure from the Bob tour. I’d like to clear it up. I was not fired but left of my own accord for reasons I would prefer to keep private. I will miss my band mates and crew. I am looking forward to getting back to doing sessions (give me a call) and also finishing up Etta’s gospel record. As far as any touring goes, we will see what the future holds. Meanwhile, I have some flower beds to weed.”
His statement comes shortly after posting a flight path and the words “Sayonara, Bobby” to his Facebook page. In the comments of said post, Britt confirmed he had quit the band. The exact reason is not known, though Britt has cited private reasons for his departure.
Users of the Expecting Rain forum also shared their well-wishes for Britt. One gig-goer wrote: “Blessings to Mr. Britt. He and Doug worked very hard to build beautiful textures and structures to the last few tours since when they joined. It was very touching Mr Britt’s Harrison touches. Best wishes to your new time. Enjoy home.”
Another fan noted the mood of the show, saying it was a less-than-stellar experience. They wrote: “A poor show. Bob has seemingly given up on performing anything interesting. Bob Britt was totally checked out the whole time – he seemed pissed off about something (not sure I blame him to be honest, sidelined to acoustic background noise), and that notably angered Bob trying to get his attention.
“Julian Lage was great, although again it was just background noise. A few good concentrated jams but not enough to offset the overall poor set. It’s so plodding! So pedestrian! It’s boring! What’s going on?”
Some fans believe Lage is not a permanent addition to the group and is merely a transitional member of the band until Dylan finds a more suitable replacement. A fan speculated: “I don’t think we’ll see Julian Lage again on stage with Dylan. Going back and forth between two guitar players would make very little sense financially, logistically and would be difficult to accomodate musically as well, with the ever-changing arrangements?
“Colin Linden subbed for Charlie Sexton, because he, Sexton, was the long term replacement. We know Julian Lage is not the long term replacement, so it’ll be someone else, I’d imagine.” Replacement guitarist Joel Paterson has since been drafted in to play with Dylan. He featured on the June 29 performance after Britt quit and Julian Lage was unable to perform due to prior commitments in New York.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
