09-June-07 Thetford Forest Concert Review

A lovely sunny day at Thetford Forest...no rain here!

A really good concert, plenty of different songs, Van did This Love Of Mine and a good version of Domino..first time I have heard this at a concert, That's Life a powerful version...no Custard Pie tonight, but we were giving
Magic Time and Real Real Gone.

Van did not speak to the audience...not one word..not even thank-you, instead he just went into one song after another, working the band really hard....plenty of hand signals flying around.


Van played great sax tonight a nice mellow and gorgeous intro of Help Me, I now prefer this to the Harmonica intro.

Before long I was hearing the words "Big hand for the band" and the concert was all but over, Van came back on stage and did Brown Eyed Girl, how many times can you sing this! Wonder if Van gets fed-up with it.

Van was in fine voice as always, a good performance from the band.

Regards Dail




EDP24 Review:
You always know what you are going to get with a Van Morrison concert - not much chat but back-to-back songs from the performer's colossal repertoire.

And thus it was at Thetford Forest on Saturday evening, an evening where the audience was able to enjoy the show in fine, clear weather as the sun went down, as opposed to concert-goers on previous nights who had endured damp, miserable showers.

Appearing on stage in a white panama hat, Van Morrison said hello to the audience and little else for the evening in a show which opened with A Wonderful Remark.


With Van featuring on saxophone for several pieces, there was a particularly laid-back jazzy feel to the songs in this set, with several presented in differing styles to the album tracks the audience had come to love. Have I Told You Lately, for example, was an up-tempo, upbeat version which didn't really work that well and the same for Bright Side of the Road.

It was a night for listening to music in a relaxed setting, and there were some sumptuous picnics around as songs such as Domino, Moondance, When I'm Cleaning Windows and Days Like This followed on.

Also included were Jackie Wilson Said and Brown-Eyed Girl in a set that lasted about 90 minutes.

Yes, the performance was good, not great, but perhaps I am getting a little weary of the stage-style of Van Morrison and it's time for something more in a live show from the maestro.
-MARK NICHOLLS


Setlist:
Wonderful Remark
Playhouse
Stranded
Have I Told You Lately [Las Vegas version]
Days Like This
Jackie Wilson Said
Magic Time
Stop Drinking
Bright Side Of The Road
This Love Of Mine
Domino
Moondance
Who Can I Turn To?
Real Real Gone
That’s Life
Cleaning Windows >Boppin’ The Blues >Be Bop A Lula
Only A Dream
Precious Time
Help Me
Brown Eyed Girl