By Juan Del Castillo
September 22, 2026 | Florence, Italy

I never imagined I would be the one writing the final installment of On Track with DSB Bob. But with a heavy heart, here we go.

There are fans. There are friends. And then there was Bob Bacon. Or, as so many of us came to know him, simply DSB Bob.

Bob started attending DSB shows back in 2012, and over the years, he attended more shows than I could possibly count. Somewhere along the way, he stopped being someone we recognized in the audience and became someone we expected to see there. And eventually, he wasn’t really a fan anymore. He was our friend.

Bob loved DSB. Anyone who followed our social media probably remembers his comments. They weren’t exactly brief. In fact, calling them “comments” might be generous. They were essays. Sometimes reviews. Occasionally dissertations. You’d start reading one and wonder if you should grab a cup of coffee before continuing.

But that was Bob.

He loved to write, and he loved this band. Eventually, those two things came together in On Track with DSB Bob, his own column and editorial. And I think that became something much bigger for Bob than any of us initially realized.

It gave him a creative outlet. It gave him a voice. It gave him a community. Maybe even a new sense of purpose. And, yes, it gave him a little bit of celebrity.

Bob absolutely loved being “DSB Bob.” He loved walking into a show and having people recognize him. He loved being part of what we were doing. And we loved having him there. Because over the years, Bob became part of our fraternity.

He would check in with a quick hello, a funny observation, some completely random question that seemed to come out of nowhere, or sometimes just a message to let us know he was thinking about us.

But the messages I will remember most were the spiritual ones. Bob had a deep faith. God was his compass. And when Bob sent you one of those uplifting messages, there was never anything superficial about it. He meant every word. He wanted you to know that someone was thinking about you, praying for you, rooting for you.

That’s who Bob was.

Music has an incredible way of bringing people into our lives who otherwise never would have found one another. We started DSB because we loved these songs and wanted to perform them. We could never have anticipated all the friendships, relationships, and lives that would become intertwined with ours because of it.

Bob was one of those gifts.

His love of music led him to DSB. His love of writing gave him a way to become part of our story. And his friendship made him part of our family.

I know how much DSB meant to Bob. But I hope he knew how much DSB Bob meant to us.

There will be shows in the future when I’ll look out into the audience and, for a moment, expect to see him there. There will be moments when I wish my phone would light up with one of his “hot off the press” columns. Or, even better, a random question or one of those messages reminding me to keep the faith.

But I also believe Bob would remind us that faith tells us goodbye isn’t forever. So today, while our hearts are heavy, I’ll choose to be grateful.

Grateful that Bob found us. Grateful that we found him. Grateful for every show, every conversation, every absurdly long comment, every prayer, and every mile of this journey we were fortunate enough to share.

Rock in Peace, Brother.

You’ll always be a part of DSB, Bob.