page_title: Never Ending Tour
section_title: Band
hierarchical_section_title: Never Ending Tour / Band
context_page_description: The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Bob Dylan's endless touring schedule which began on June 7, 1988. During the course of the tour, musicians have come and gone as the band continued to evolve. They amassed a huge fan base with some fans traveling from around the world to attend as many Dylan shows as possible.
  According to Swedish researcher Olof Björner Dylan played his 2,000th show of the Never Ending Tour on October 16, 2007, in Dayton, Ohio. He played his 3,000th show of the Never Ending Tour on April 19, 2019, in Innsbruck, Austria. Dylan has attributed much of the versatility of his live shows to the talent of his backing band, with whom he recorded each of his 21st Century studio albums: Love and Theft; Modern Times; Together Through Life; Christmas in the Heart; Tempest; Shadows in the Night; Fallen Angels; Triplicate and Rough and Rowdy Ways.
context_section_description: For a two and a half year period, between 2003 and 2006, Dylan ceased playing guitar, and stuck to the keyboard during concerts. Various rumors circulated as to why Dylan gave up guitar during this period, none very reliable. According to David Gates, a Newsweek reporter who interviewed Dylan in 2004, "basically it has to do with his guitar not giving him quite the fullness of sound he was wanting at the bottom. He's thought of hiring a keyboard player so he doesn't have to do it himself, but hasn't been able to figure out who. Most keyboard players, he says, like to be soloists, and he wants a very basic sound." Dylan's touring band has two guitarists along with a multi-instrumentalist who plays pedal & lap steel, mandolin, banjo, violin and viola. However since 2018/2019, Dylan has now stuck with one guitarist and back to 5 members since 2004. From 2002 to 2005, Dylan's keyboard had a piano sound. In 2006, this was changed to an organ sound. At the start of his Spring 2007 tour in Europe, Dylan once again began playing guitar. Currently, he plays organ and will play songs on guitar and take center-stage with just his harmonica and microphone. On June 30, 2012 Dylan incorporated an acoustic piano into his set. Most recently, in his October 26th, 2018 performance at the Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Orlando, FL, no acoustic guitar appeared in the performance. Dylan only played acoustic piano and harmonica or, during three songs, sang without performing an instrument. 
  Currently, Bob Dylan's band consists of the following members:
  Bob Dylan — vocals, piano, harmonica, guitar
  Donnie Herron — pedal steel, lap steel, electric mandolin, banjo, violin
  Charlie Sexton — lead guitar
  Tony Garnier — bass guitar
  Matt Chamberlain — drums, percussion
  Bob Britt — guitar
  During a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan spoke about his current band: "This is the best band I've ever been in, I've ever had, man for man. When you play with guys a hundred times a year, you know what you can and can't do, what they're good at, whether you want 'em there. It takes a long time to find a band of individual players. Most bands are gangs. Whether it's a metal group or pop rock, whatever, you get that gang mentality. But for those of us who went back further, gangs were the mob. The gang was not what anybody aspired to. On this record (Modern Times) I didn't have anybody to teach. I got guys now in my band, they can whip up anything, they surprise even me."
  Other notable members include Stu Kimball (Guitar from 2004-2018), Denny Freeman (Guitar, Slide Guitar from 2005–2009), Larry Campbell (Guitar, Slide Guitar, Pedal Steel, Banjo, Cittern, Mandolin & Violin from 1997–2004), George Receli (Drums from 2001-2019), Freddy Koella (Guitar from 2003–2004), David Kemper (Drums from 1996–2001), Bucky Baxter (Pedal Steel from 1992–1999), John "J.J." Jackson (Guitar from 1991–1997) and G.E. Smith (Guitar from 1988–1990). Between the years 2003-2004, Tommy Morrongiello, a technician on the tour, would frequently play guitar with Dylan & his Band. Charlie Sexton, who played the guitar from 1999 until 2002, returned as the lead guitarist in Dylan's band for the fall 2009 tour, replacing Denny Freeman. Sexton was in turn replaced by Duke Robillard for the first half of 2013, before returning on July 3, 2013. Sexton was replaced for seven concerts by Colin Linden before returning once again on July 26, 2013.
  Over the years, many artists have been special guests at shows, playing songs with Dylan & his Band. Artists include Phil Lesh, Jack White, Paul Simon, Ronnie Wood, Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Jimmie Vaughan, Carl Perkins, Elvis Costello, Amos Lee, Patti Smith, Van Morrison, Warren Haynes, Al Kooper, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul James, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dave Stewart, Chrissie Hynde, Nils Lofgren, Dave Matthews, Susan Tedeschi, Dave Alvin, Chuck Loeb, Dickey Betts, Bob Weir, Ian Moore, Roger McGuinn, Cesar Diaz, Boyd Tinsley, LeRoi Moore, Doug Sahm, Aimee
caption: (From left to right) Stu Kimball, Bob Dylan, Donnie Herron, George Recile, Tony Garnier and Denny Freeman performing in Bologna, Italy, November 10, 2005
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "NIKON", "Image Model": "E5200", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "E5200 V1.2", "Image DateTime": "2005:11:10 23:51:56", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "284", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "300", "Thumbnail YResolution": "300", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "4084", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4391", "EXIF ExposureTime": "5/41", "EXIF FNumber": "7/2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "400", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2005:11:10 23:51:56", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2005:11:10 23:51:56", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "127/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2592", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1944", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1054", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "61", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "Low gain up", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}