Bob Dylan is proving to still be full of surprises, with jazz maestro Julian Lage an unexpected addition to his current touring band. But it’s unclear how long he’ll stick around for.
The hard-working and highly esteemed guitarist has entered the fray under the radar, stepping out on stage with Dylan and company without fanfare, a press release, or an excited announcement about what is a very exciting meeting of worlds.
Lage has replaced Doug Lancio, who first joined the band for 2021’s Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, but no one seems to know why, and for how long.
The Los Angeles Times, which was in attendance at his Santa Barbara Bowl show last week, is even reporting that a spokesperson for the Like a Rolling Stone songwriter was unable to confirm if this will be a fleeting few appearances for Lage or the start of a more substantial relationship.
The move is typical Dylan; a man who has spent his 85 years on the planet dancing to his own beat is at it again.
Of course, Lage may just be filling in for Lancio – the fact he’s six shows deep into the tour doesn’t necessarily point to him being a more permanent addition. But either way, he’s proved a smart pick, with the LA Times in particular highlighting his “tender and spooky” playing on Tryin’ to Get to Heaven, “where every 30 seconds or so the chords would go in some direction I could never have predicted,” Mikael Wood writes.
Interestingly, Lage never mentioned his then-impending work with His Bobness when Guitar World interviewed him just a few weeks back. Lage’s socials have shed no light on the matter, either.
A further snoop around online for more information about the Lage-Dylan tie-in suggests his arrival has prompted a change to the set list.
Instagram page Liveformusic says that “the setlists have taken a more stable and predictable format,” blending Rough and Rowdy Ways cuts with classics like All Along the Watchtower, When I Paint My Masterpiece, and Watching the River Flow. There’s also been a handful of covers chucked into their set, including songs by blues greats Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bobby “Blue” Bland.
Despite working with everyone from Nels Cline to Yoko Ono and Virgil Donati, Lage has yet to reach household name status. He’s still very much a guitarist’s guitarist, and in those circles his reputation more than precedes him; this once child prodigy has grown into a very skilled, stylish, and accomplished player.
As one Instagram commenter says, it’s perhaps a little strange to see this guitar phenomenon reduced, in a way, to being a sub to a star, but who would rightly turn Dylan down? It’s a collaboration we should probably soak up while it lasts.
In related news, Lage and Al Di Meola sat down for a revealing roundtable chat with Guitar World, where the chemistry was flying, and no topic was off the table.
