The War on Drugs are 28 shows into a giant cross-country tour. Most nights they’re sticking to their own material, especially 2021 album I Don’t Live Here Anymore, but at a few shows they’ve busted out some interesting covers. Though they only, so far, have covered dudes named Bob.
The bigger surprise of the two was Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind.” They performed it just one time, at a show in St. Paul, MN, as frontman Adam Granduciel’s birthday present to himself. It fits in perfectly with the War on Drugs sound, like classic-rock radio heard through a hazy fog. The song’s having a real indie-rock moment these days; Cat Power covered it on her new album this month too.
And at seven shows now, the band has covered a real Bob Dylan deep cut: Under the Red Sky tune “Born in Time.” Longtime fans might have found this less surprising, since they’ve played it before – but not since 2015, before they became as big as they are now. It should remain a setlist staple; like “Against the Wind,” it fits their sound perfectly. They should tackle “Series of Dreams” next.
Check out more covers by The War on Drugs here.
