On Tuesday evening, Bob Dylan brought the European leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour to a close after making a stop at Dublin’s 3Arena. In an interesting series of recent events, Dylan has integrated purposeful cover placements into the final slot of his setlists at the last three stops of his run. During his concert on Nov. 20 in Belfast, Dylan debuted Van Morrison’s oddity, “Going Down to Bangor.” And, on Nov. 23 in Killarney, he returned to the Paul Brady-associated traditional “Lakes of Pontchartrain,” ending a 34-year gap in plays. Both covers nodded to the Greenwich Village bard’s previous collaborators and performed in those friends’ hometowns. Sticking to the trend, Dylan went with The Pogues’ “A Rainy Night in Soho” as the final piece of his Dublin closeout, as an offering of admiration for the late Shane MacGowan. 

Just as expected, Dylan’s concert mainly consisted of the same 17-song landscape as performances past, leaning on his 2020 album and tour namesake, Rough and Rowdy Ways, and other material performed on baby grand piano, guitar and harp. “Mother of Muse” was trailed by band introductions, and the anticipated arrival of “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” and “Every Grain of Sand,” which brought the night’s song count to the projected number. But, like finales in Belfast and Killarney, Dylan’s Irish nostalgia proved to be too much and resulted in a nod to The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan by way of “A Rainy Night in Soho.” 

Before MacGowan’s passing on November 30, 2023, the primary lyricist of the Celtic punk band and Dylan shared a history and mutual admiration. Notably, The Pogues were invited to open for Dylan on his 1989 North American tour, although MacGowan did not participate. The pair made headlines in 2017, sharing dinner and reportedly discussing Sam Peckinpah’s film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

In 2022, Dylan called out his friend who was in the audience during his concert in New York City, sharing his admiration by performing The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.” Following MacGowan’s death, a tribute exhibition opened at The Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, offering a look at The Pogues and MacGowan’s musical histories. 

While last night’s cover did not represent a bust-out, it did include a prior timestamp: May 13, 2025, the date the song entered Dylan’s catalog. Tuesday, Nov. 25, represented the last live date on Dylan’s calendar, and the nearest to MacGowan’s Nov. 30th birthday. 

Scroll down to view last night’s setlist.

Bob Dylan 

3Arena – Dublin 

Nov. 25, 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 Muses, Goodbye Jimmy Reed, Every Grain of Sand, A Rainy Night in Soho+

Notes:

+ Second ever cover, nod to Shane McGowan of The Pogues, and performed in the late musician’s hometown.

Setlist via https://boblinks.co