“Take me out traveling, you’re a traveling man. Show me something that I’ll understand. I’m not what I was, things aren’t what they were.”
BELFAST, Northern Ireland — At the end of his second night in Belfast in November, Bob Dylan stunned the audience with a cover of Van Morrison’s “Going Down to Bangor.”
I thought nothing would top the last night of Dylan’s London run in 2022 at the Palladium, but this might be the most magical moment of any Dylan concert I’ve attended. The crowd was appreciative, and it seemed Dylan fed off that energy.
Whether it’s London, Belfast or, yes, Akron, Ohio, attending Bob Dylan concerts has been a great way to see and experience places I might not have otherwise visited. So, maybe not London, but definitely Cardiff.
In talking with a few gents at the hotel bar after the first Belfast show, they seemed stunned that I traveled all the way to Northern Ireland for a Dylan show. I’m apparently not as well-traveled as an Australian couple I met at the show in Glasgow a few years ago, but it’s always good to have goals.
I’m not going to try to pretend to analyze Dylan’s songs. I’ll leave that up to the professional charlatans.
What I will say is that Dylan’s lyrics often provide perspective and a chance at introspection. That’s precisely what I find when I visit new locations.
I don’t know what’s in store for the promised 2026 iteration of the Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour 2021-2024, I mean 2025 or rather 2026.
Belfast is one of those cities I’ve always wanted to visit. Its history is unique, and I didn’t realize how distinctive it is until I started talking with the locals.
Now, it’s one of those cities I can’t wait to visit again, regardless of whether Dylan is in town. However, that doesn’t preclude me from visiting some exotic new destination where Dylan may be performing.
