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This summer, Eaux Claires, the music festival that Bon Iver main man Justin Vernon co-founded with the National's Aaron Dessner, will make its grand return to Vernon's Eau Claire, Wisconsin hometown. It'll be the first Eaux Claires fest since 2018. Earlier this year, Vernon unveiled the festival's lineup, and it includes luminaries like Aimee Mann, Daniel Caesar, Dijon, Lil Yachty, Kevin Morby, and "Bon Dylan." Today, Justin Vernon tells us what "Bon Dylan" is.
When that lineup came out, I jumped the gun and suggested that maybe Bon Dylan would be Bob Dylan himself performing with Bon Iver. Look, I get excited, OK? Anyway, that's not what's happening here. Instead, Justin Vernon says that this will be him performing as "Bob Dylan circa 1994," playing songs from all across the man's career. This is billed as a one-time thing, and it's the only performance that Vernon has planned for 2026. A team of regular collaborators will back him up: JT Bates, JP Brooks, Camaja Byrd, Sean Carey, Phil Cook, Ben Lester, Michael Lewis, Katira Lutterman, John Pieter, Courtland Pickens, and Jeremy Ylvisaker.
Right now, Justin Vernon is 44 years old. That's how old Bob Dylan was in 1985, when he put out Empire Burlesque. But Vernon is not playing this show as Empire Burlesque Dylan. Instead, he'll be the 1994 version of Dylan. Vernon doesn't seem too married to the actual year. His new press photo is a recreation of Dylan's 1969 Nashville Skyline cover art. And today, Vernon shares a version of a 1997 Dylan song.
Today, Vernon shares a new video where he talks about his Bon Dylan set, and it's soundtracked by a version of "Not Dark Yet," Dylan's gorgeously spectral Time Out Of Mind track. Vernon his band recorded it at a Bon Dylan rehearsal in March. In that Instagram clip, Vernon, who recently said he'd be "very surprised" if he ever makes another Bon Iver album, shares this slightly cryptic statement:
Oh, it was about a year ago. Bob Dylan came through town.
I went with my dad and about 16 of my friends.
I’ve lived here for 44 years. And it’s been too long to remember since the town felt that together.
So we thought we’d better get the festival back going.
And then the question of whether Bon Iver should play or not.
It was on the table.
Here’s what I’ll say.
I haven’t felt much like being what I’ve been
Or been seen to have been.
Or what I wanted to have been.
Or what I’ve become.
So I thought it’d be cool to try to be Bob Dylan for a night.
I’m trying to turn Bon into Bob.
Below, check out the Bon Dylan version of "Not Dark Yet," as well as the original track's video.
Vernon previously covered “Not Dark Yet” at his and Aaron Dessner’s 37d03d Festival in Brooklyn in 2019. That "Bob Iver" band, which included Bonny Light Horseman’s Josh Kaufman, also did “All Along The Watchtower,” “Meet Me In The Morning,” “Angelina,” and “Spanish is the Loving Tongue." Here's a video of their take on "All Along The Watchtower:
The Eaux Claires festival comes to Carson Park 7/24-25. You can find all the details here.
English (US) · 