Bob Dylan Loses Two Guitarists Mid-Tour as Bob Britt Quits

Bob Britt's cryptic ‘Sayonara Bobby' social media post confirmed his exit, while electric guitarist Doug Lancio had already quietly departed.

Bob Dylan's Long Hot Summer tour is rolling on with a reshuffled band after two guitarists departed mid-run. Acoustic guitarist Bob Britt, a Dylan sideman since 2019, confirmed his exit with a since-deleted social media post reading ‘Sayonara Bobby,' while electric guitarist Doug Lancio had already quietly left the touring lineup. Dylan had not publicly commented on either departure as of the time of reporting.

Bob Britt Confirms Exit With Cryptic Social Post

Britt, who had been Dylan's acoustic guitarist since 2019, posted an image of a plane route from Austin to Nashville alongside the caption ‘Sayonara Bobby.' When a fan asked about the post in the comments, Britt replied simply, ‘I quit.' The post was subsequently deleted, but screenshots had already circulated widely among Dylan's fanbase, first surfacing via @hlepidus on Bluesky and spreading through the Bob Dylan subreddit.

The bluntness of the departure stands out. Britt had been a fixture in Dylan's live band for six years, a significant tenure given how frequently Dylan has rotated musicians throughout his Never Ending Tour era. A one-line social media farewell is an unusual way for a long-serving sideman to exit, and the deletion of the original post only added to the intrigue.

Doug Lancio Also Out; Julian Lage Steps In

Britt's exit follows the quieter departure of electric guitarist Doug Lancio, who had been part of Dylan's band since the 2021 Rough and Rowdy Ways world tour. Lancio's absence was first noted in the Los Angeles Times' review of Dylan's June 17 show in Santa Barbara, California.

Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist Julian Lage performed at the Santa Barbara concert and has appeared at every show since. Whether Lage is a permanent addition to the band or a temporary fill-in has not been confirmed. Dylan's camp has not issued any statement regarding either guitarist's status.

Lage is a well-regarded figure in contemporary jazz, known for his technical fluency and a discography that spans straight-ahead jazz to Americana-adjacent territory. His presence alongside Dylan, whose late-period work has leaned into jazz and blues tonalities, fits the musical direction Dylan has pursued on recent records and tours.

Long Hot Summer Tour Continues

Dylan's Long Hot Summer tour launched June 4 in Oregon and is a 35-date run. The next scheduled performance is June 29 at Moody Amphitheater in Austin. The tour wraps August 1 in Nashville.

The timing of both departures, mid-tour rather than between legs, is notable. Dylan has historically kept his touring operation running with minimal public commentary on personnel changes, and that pattern appears to be holding here. Fans tracking the shows will be watching to see whether the band stabilizes around Lage or whether further changes emerge before the Nashville finale.

What we know

• Bob Britt has been Dylan's acoustic guitarist since 2019 and confirmed his departure by writing ‘I quit' in response to a fan comment on a since-deleted social media post.
• Britt's post featured the caption ‘Sayonara Bobby' and an image of a plane route from Austin to Nashville.
• Electric guitarist Doug Lancio, who joined Dylan's band during the 2021 Rough and Rowdy Ways world tour, also left the touring lineup.
• Lancio's absence was first reported in the Los Angeles Times' review of Dylan's June 17 show in Santa Barbara, California.
• Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist Julian Lage performed at the Santa Barbara show and every subsequent gig, though it is unclear whether he is a permanent or temporary replacement.
• Dylan's Long Hot Summer tour is a 35-date run that began June 4 in Oregon and concludes August 1 in Nashville.
• Dylan had not commented on either guitarist's departure at the time of reporting.

The take

Dylan's Never Ending Tour, which has run in various forms since 1988, has always been a fluid operation. Musicians cycle in and out with little fanfare, and Dylan himself rarely addresses lineup changes publicly. What makes this moment unusual is the visibility of Britt's exit. A social media post aimed directly at ‘Bobby,' however briefly it was live, is a departure from the quiet handshakes and gradual fade-outs that typically mark the end of a Dylan sideman's run. It suggests the split was not entirely amicable, though the specifics remain unknown.

The arrival of Julian Lage is the more musically interesting development. Lage occupies a rare space in contemporary music, technically rooted in jazz but comfortable across folk, country, and Americana contexts. Dylan's post-2020 live work, shaped heavily by the Rough and Rowdy Ways material, has leaned into jazz phrasing and blues structure in ways that reward a player of Lage's caliber. Whether this is a permanent pairing or a stopgap, it signals that Dylan continues to push his live sound toward more harmonically sophisticated territory rather than settling into a classic-rock comfort zone. For a touring artist now in his mid-80s, that restlessness remains one of the more remarkable things about his career.

Why it matters

For Dylan fans following the Long Hot Summer tour, these changes reshape the sound of the live show in real time. Britt's six-year tenure made him a familiar presence, and his acoustic work was a textural anchor in the band. Lancio's electric role is now filled by one of the more distinctive guitarists working today. More broadly, the public nature of Britt's exit is a rare crack in the usually opaque wall around Dylan's touring operation, giving fans an unusually direct look at the human dynamics behind one of rock's longest-running live institutions.

What's next

The Long Hot Summer tour continues June 29 at Moody Amphitheater in Austin and runs through August 1 in Nashville. Fans attending upcoming dates will be watching to see whether Julian Lage remains in the lineup and whether any further personnel changes emerge before the tour closes.

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