From Cocktail Lounge To Amphitheater Stage: Bob Dylan Recruits Guitarist Joel Paterson To Join Band In Austin

Bob Dylan continued his Long Hot Summer Tour ’26 last night with a concert in Austin. Dylan called upon Chicago-based musician Joel Paterson to handle guitar duties at the Moody Amphitheater.

Coming into the night, it was unclear who would play guitar for Dylan after Bob Britt quit two days prior and Julian Lage had a show of his own on Monday in New York City. Lage had been standing in for Doug Lancio since Dylan's concert in Santa Barbara on June 17.

While Bob Britt announced his departure on Saturday with a since-deleted social media post proclaiming “Sayonara Bobby,” and addressed his departure on Monday, there’s been on word about Lancio’s status. In typical Dylan fashion, he hasn’t mentioned Julian Lage at any of the eight shows the jazz phenom has played and didn’t introduce Joel Paterson in Austin.

Joel Paterson is an acclaimed guitarist out of the Windy City. Paterson and his jazz quartet hold down a Monday night residency at Chicago’s Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. The guitarist and his ensemble instead performed at the iconic Uptown jazz club this past Friday and Saturday nights, leading to speculation Paterson knew he was about to get the biggest break of his career and join Dylan on the road before Britt quit. Paterson’s resume includes playing pedal steel in an episode of Twin Peaks.

Whether Paterson sticks around is still in question, as is whether Lage returns to the tour and what happened to Doug Lancio. Julian Lage has prior commitments on July 4, 11 and 23. The shows on the 11th and 23rd are in Europe.

Some of the questions will be answered tonight when Bob Dylan takes the stage at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels, Texas. Dylan will be on the road until August 1.

Joel Paterson’s first show as a member of Bob Dylan’s band featured a 16-song setlist that was heavy on Long Hot Summer Tour staples, including “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” “Crossing The Rubicon,” “I’ll Make It Up To You,” “Under The Red Sky” and “Soon After Midnight.” Both “Watching The River Flow” and “It Ain’t Me, Babe” were among less frequently played songs trotted out in Austin.

Stream an audience recording of Joel Paterson in action with Bob Dylan on the “Watching The River Flow” opener and “Every Grain Of Sand” closer in Austin: