Bob Dylan has brought an end to his hectic US tour by recruiting one final guitarist to his ever-changing live lineup: blues legend Jimmie Vaughan.
Dylan finished his tour with one more guitar player rotation after a dizzying few months that have seen him flanked by five different foils.
The folk legend has been keeping the guitar community on its toes with his appointments. One of the world’s greatest jazz players, Julian Lage, was the first surprise addition. Lage quietly stepped into the shoes of outgoing Doug Lancio, who first joined in 2021.
Three weeks later, there were two more stealth recruits in Jad Tariq and Joel Patterson. Fans have speculated that Tariq was filling in for Lage, whose solo commitments prevented him from playing certain dates with Dylan.
That said, it makes Jimmie Vaughan’s surprise appearance on the last night of the tour all the more confusing.
Vaughan, brother of the late blues great Stevie Ray, has a deep-rooted relationship with Dylan. He supported him on a 2006 tour and has since shared the stage with him in 2024, replacing Lancio for nine songs in Austin, Texas.
Performing at the Ascend Federal Credit Union Amphitheater in Nashville, Tennessee on August 1, opening act Vaughan reemerged for three songs during Dylan’s set. He first played False Prophet, and a cover of Bo Diddley’s I Can Tell, before returning for the penultimate track, Goodbye Jimmy Reed.
According to Dylan superfan Henry Bernstein’s review of the evening, Vaughan “started off quiet but then got more and more brave with his solos.”
He adds that, during False Prophet, “Jimmie got very close to Bob, was playing to him and Bob was smiling, laughing and actually singing some pointed lyrics at Jimmie.”
This final twist in the tail doesn’t bring us any closer to understanding why Dylan is going through so many guitarists, but the 85-year-old is proving to be full of surprises nevertheless.
Interestingly, Lage had spoken to Guitar World just weeks before his first show with Dylan, but didn’t hint at what was on his horizon. He did, though, talk about his ‘pinch me’ moment of sharing a stage with Derek Trucks.
Dylan is back on the road in Europe in October, November, and December. Who knows who’ll be flanking him across the tour. Rest assured, Guitar World will be keeping a beady eye on proceedings.
