Earlier this 12 months when he introduced the return of his Eaux Claires competition in Wisconsin, Justin Vernon additionally revealed that he’d take part within the occasion not as Bon Iver however as somebody, or one thing, dubbed Bon Dylan. Now, he’s lastly providing a clearer image of what that really means — and it’s not Bon Iver as traditional.
As a substitute, Vernon will take the stage over the July 24-25 weekend as a form of full-tilt avatar of Bob Dylan, channeling the songwriter circa 1994 whereas performing materials from throughout his catalog. The one-off efficiency may even mark Vernon’s solely dwell look of 2026; Bon Iver had not toured since 2019.
“I haven’t felt very similar to being what I’ve been,” Vernon says in a newly launched teaser video, which doubles as the primary actual glimpse into the mission. Soundtracked by a skeletal tackle “Not Darkish But” recorded throughout early rehearsals final month, the clip frames Bon Dylan as one half novelty, one half inventive reset. “So I believed it’d be cool to attempt to be Bob Dylan for an evening. I’m making an attempt to show Bon into Bob.”
The thought traces again to a Dylan present in Eau Claire final 12 months, the place Vernon attended together with his dad and “16 associates” and says impressed Eaux Claires’ revival because of the sensation of group within the room. When it got here time to determine whether or not Bon Iver would return as a headliner, Vernon opted for transformation over repetition.
Bon Dylan’s backing band encompasses a rotating solid of shut collaborators, together with Sean Carey, Phil Prepare dinner, JT Bates, JP Brooks, Camaja Byrd, Sean Carey, Ben Lester, Michael Lewis, Katira Lutterman, John Pieter, Courtland Pickens and Jeremy Ylvisaker. The musicians will probably be joined by as-yet-unannounced visitor singers.
It additionally traces up with Vernon’s current stance on touring. As he’s urged in previous conversations, the Bon Iver frontman has grown uneasy with the expectations tied to his personal catalog. Bon Dylan affords one thing of an escape hatch: a technique to carry out with out revisiting the identical emotional terrain, and to interact with a completely totally different songwriting language.
Vernon has additionally seemed again by means of his live performance vault for the primary launch in a long-percolating new archival sequence, VOLUMES, which got here out April 3. The debut installment, VOLUMES: ONE “SELECTIONS FROM MUSIC CONCERTS 2019-2023 BON IVER 6 PIECE BAND”, rounds up 9 performances from the group’s final 4 years’ price of touring earlier than the break, plus — regardless of the album title — a solitary observe from 2017.
