Bob Dylan paid tribute to his longtime friend and collaborator, Van Morrison, during a tour stop in the latter’s Northern Ireland on Thursday evening. The performance took place at The Waterfront in Belfast. It ended with a debut, a first-time cover of “Going Down to Bangor,” a track that initially appeared on Morrison’s 36th studio album, 2016’s Keep Me Singing.

Last night’s concert began like the vast majority of Dylan’s previous appearances during the ongoing European leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, coasting through “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” on baby grand piano, and “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” which saw the addition of harp by the bandleader. Behind two rows of keys, he played “I Contain Multitude,” “False Prophet,” “Black Rider,” “My Own Version Of You,” “To Be Alone With You,” and “Crossing the Rubicon.” 

Following the halfway point of the program, Dylan continued with his own “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,” and “Mother of Muse,” which featured bandmate, Bob Britt on lap steel. Before introducing his band, he led “Goodbye Jimmy Reed.” Following the earned acknowledgement of fan response, the ensemble played through “Every Grain on Sand.”

If patterns informed their next move, the concert would have come to a close. Instead, the group bumped up their live entries from 17 songs to 18 with the first-time arrival of Morrison’s “Going Down to Bangor.” The song’s arrival was somewhat predictable for the region, which is home to the soulful Irish singer, a friend and collaborator of Dylan’s.

Dylan and Morrison crossed paths in the 1970s, both friends of The Band and participants in the Canadian ensemble’s notorious farewell concert, The Last Waltz. In 1984, Morrison joined Dylan for parts of his European tour. In 1989, they met in Athens, Greece, where they recorded an acoustic jam session on Philopappos Hill. It later became a ‘91 documentary, One Irish Rover. 

The pair embarked on a joint run of live shows in 1998, including appearances with the great Joni Mitchell. In one of their final performances before the aughts, Dylan and Morrison covered
“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” 

Most recently, in 2023, Morrison spoke to Vintage Rock magazine about his relationship with Dylan. He was quoted as saying, “Well, I’m just nothing like Bob Dylan, so I guess what I was trying to say was, like, I’m coming from the place that I’m a singer first. I’m a singer. Right? And I write songs. So Bob Dylan and I are, like, worlds apart. What he does and what I do, you know, it’s nowhere near.”

Despite pointing out their differences, Dylan’s admiration was clearly on display during his stop in Northern Ireland on Thursday night.

Bob Dylan 

The Waterfront – Belfast, Northern Ireland 

Nov. 20, 2025

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, To Be Alone With You, Crossing the Rubicon, 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 Muse, Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Every Grain of Sand, Going Down to Bangor+

Notes: 

+ Live debut

Setlist and notes via boblinks.com.