Where The Winds Hit Heavy On The Borderline

"Bon Dylan" at Eaux Claires and a pilgrimage to Hibbing, MN

Last week I went traveling in the North Country.

After a series of roadbumps getting out of SFO—there are always roadbumps getting out of SFO—I landed in Minneapolis around 11 PM on Thursday. The new Strokes record had gone live while I was in the air, so I gave that an inaugural listen on my way to the hotel (much more on that here). The next morning, I picked up a rental Hyundai Elantra, swung by Cecil’s Deli for a fine plate of eggs with my pal Steven Hyden, then zipped out east for the 2026 edition of Justin Vernon’s Eaux Claires.

I was there for one reason and one reason only: Friday night’s headline set from “Bon Dylan”—AKA JV and co. cosplaying as Bob Dylan. The rest of the lineup was solid enough, but I’m long past my hardcore festie days when I would sprint from stage to stage in a vain attempt to catch every good set on the bill. These days, I take it easy and focus on one or two specific performances. Anything else is gravy.

I got a nice extra helping with the “Bon” set, a last-minute addition in place of Kevin Morby, who dropped out to be present for the birth of his child with Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield. This was a rare win-win-win scenario: Morby became a father; Vernon got to perform his own material with zero pressure; and I didn’t have to twiddle my thumbs through a Kevin Morby performance. Sometimes things just work out.

Photo by Graham Tolbert

The Bon performance (don’t call it “Bon Iver”) was a total gem: just Justin, an acoustic guitar, and a well-placed bandana around his now-fully-bald dome. After a Morby cover to start, Vernon dug out several classics, including “Beach Baby,” “Flume,” and “Re: Stacks.” The early Bon Iver material works as well today as it ever did, mostly thanks to the combination of Vernon’s exquisite singing and his elliptical writing. The mystery of a phrase like “Everything that happens is from now on / This is pouring rain, this is paralyzed” is fully elucidated by the delivery. It’s tough to get it off the page, but as soon as you hear it, you know exactly what he means.

Vernon has been cagey about his future as a performing artist, declining to tour the most recent Bon Iver record after several cycles of stadium headliner status. It’s a perfectly understandable decision, especially for another recent father. Still, it would be a real loss for rock music if he stepped away for good. He’s such a powerful performer, and his songs are so transmutable that they can work anywhere, from a streetcorner soapbox to the main stage of Coachella. In any case, he seemed to enjoy himself during the Bon set—maybe it’ll be a step towards an eventual full-fledged return.

Or maybe he’ll just go all-in on the covers act. If the debut “Bon Dylan” performance is any indication, Vernon has a bright future as the John Mayer of the Bob Dylan universe.