Justin Vernon’s mysterious Bon Iver/Bob Dylan hybrid, teased in the announcement of the 2026 Eaux Claires Festival, has been unveiled today in a video outlining a promised one-time-only show at the event. The set, Vernon explains, will be a dedicated suite of 1994 Dylan cosplay, with songs from across the great man’s career while dressed—well, a bit like he is above. Watch the video, soundtracked by a Bon Dylan rehearsal of “Not Dark Yet” recorded last month, below.
Vernon says in the video, “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.”
The Bon Dylan show—Vernon’s first and only planned for the year, under any hat—will feature bandmates including JT Bates, JP Brooks, Camaja Byrd, Sean Carey, Phil Cook, Ben Lester, Michael Lewis, Katira Lutterman, John Pieter, Courtland Pickens, and Jeremy Ylvisaker. Eaux Claires takes place July 24-25.
