Bob Dylan Covers Van Morrison’s ‘Going Down To Bangor’ In Belfast

Bob Dylan brought his Rough And Rowdy Ways Tour to Belfast, Northern Ireland over the past two nights. The legendary singer-songwriter debuted a cover of Belfast native Van Morrison's “Going Down To Bangor” during Thursday’s show at Waterfront Hall.

As towering singer-songwriter figures, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison naturally gravitated toward one another. Morrison reportedly moved to Woodstock, New York in 1967 after the dissolution of the band he fronted, Them, to kindle a relationship with Dylan. The musicians would both be on hand for another Woodstock group, The Band, at their famous “The Last Waltz” concert.

In 1989, the musicians jammed together in Athens on Philopappos Hill, the place where the ancient Greeks believed the muses resided. The pair performed Van’s “Crazy Love” and other songs.

A decade later, Morrison and Dylan toured together along with Joni Mitchell. They have covered each other’s songs numerous times. Bob tackled tunes like “Tupelo Honey” and “Carrying A Torch” while Van nodded to his friend with “Just Like a Woman” in 1971.

More recently, Dylan debuted the excellent Van Morrison song “Into The Mystic” in Spain on his Rough And Rowdy Ways Tour 2023. His latest nod was “Going Down To Bangor.”

Dylan concluded his concert in Belfast, Van’s hometown, with the track off Morrison’s 2016 album Keep Me Singing. Dylan stuck fairly close to the bluesy number heard on the LP. Listen below:

Setlist (via BobDylan.com)

Set: I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, It Ain’t Me Babe, I Contain Multitudes, False Prophet, When I Paint My Masterpiece, Black Rider, My Own Version of You, Crossing the Rubicon, To Be Alone with You, Desolation Row, Key West (Philosopher Pirate), Watching the River Flow, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You, Mother of Muses, Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Every Grain of Sand, Going Down To Bangor