10-May-08 Berlin Concert Review

Once again, here is Petra's review:
Good news for those of us who thought these times were gone gone gone – The Man’s definitely still got it ! If you believed all of his concerts these days are nothing but routine and on autopilot you get days like this – Van transcending into a special mood and singing as if there was no audience at all. And you almost feel ashamed for listening to what seems to be a very private performance …

Saturday’s set list was similar, but we got no ‘Healing’ …

Instead he played ‘All Work And No Play’ and seemed to enjoy himself a lot. He had to stop the alternate singing part in the end because he was laughing so much – making us smile.

‘Afternoon’ was again stunning on Saturday. This time it was almost the transfigured Van of the early years. When coming into the ‘Raincheck’ part he lingered on the words over and over. He repeated for a long time, it seemed, the words “keep on rockin’”, “like a ballerina”, “stepping’, steppin’” and again “keep on rockin’”. And then, harp still on his lips, he’s breathing and singing thru the harp – making an eerie sound and leaving us all in awe and wonder … It gave me a shiver from the neck down to the spine to witness this performance, taking us way way back …

But reality came back with ‘Precious Time’. A great ‘Help Me’ with fine solos of the band and Van playing harp again, followed by ‘Ritual’ closed another marvellous night in Berlin.

Setlist:
1. This Love Of Mine
2. Magic Time
3. Have I Told You Lately
4. Keep It Simple
5. That’s Entrainment
6. Bright Side Of The Road
7. Song Of Home
8. School Of Hard Knocks
9. Moondance
10. St. James Infirmary
11. All Work And No Play
12. End Of The Land
13. Lover Come Back
14. In The Afternoon > Ancient Highway > Raincheck > So Quiet In Here
15. Precious Time
16. I Can’t Stop Loving You
17. Star Of The County Down
18. Help Me
19. Behind The Ritual

Big Hand For The Band!
Sarah Jory, steel guitar
John Platania, guitar
Paul Moore, bass
Paul Moran, keyboards + trumpet
Tony Fitzgibbon, fiddle
Bobby Ruggiero, percussions
Neil Wilkinson, drums
Mick Green, guitar
Patti Revell, Karen Hamill + Vanessa Haynes, background vocals

[Image via Der Tagesspiegel]