02-Aug-08 Audley Concert Review

Hertfordshire Mercury:

A DAY of drizzle and ominous grey skies backed off to leave Audley End partying on a balmy summer's evening to one of music's greatest living legends.

Van Morrison has something of a reputation for being a bit of an uncommunicative curmudgeon with his live audiences and didn't break the mould on this occasion, but he's evidently content to let his music do the talking for him and a frothy set mixing classics with more recent material certainly spoke volumes to this happy crowd.

Opening with Domino and running through Magic Time, Keep it Simple, Behind The Ritual and End of the Land, his band found its feet from the first note, the fat brass, crisp percussion and rhythm sections working in perfect harmony up to the pleasing standard Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile).

It's a pity this led into the only down-note of the set, a somewhat ragged and not-terribly-inspired cover of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb (and I'll add the caveat that this opinion is as much due to my adoration of Floyd as it is to any musical shortcomings of Van Morrison and his band), but they recovered swiftly with a fistful of tracks including Rough God Goes Riding, Fire In The Belly and Can't Stop Lovin' You.

The final section of the concert kicked off with a sparking and ecstatically received Bright Side Of The Road and steadily kept up the tempo through Wild Night, Real Real Gone and Healing Has Begun before climaxing in an all-stops-out Gloria.

An encore would have been nice, considering the enthusiasm bellowed at the stage, but nobody was complaining about the rich feast of soul and R&B served up this evening.
-Paul Newman

Dail checks in:
A Brilliant Brilliant Concert! And What a setlist for outdoor concert.
The Best Outdoor Concert I have attended so far...
It is really is all about the music... Van was so bloody good tonight.
A Happy Bunny I am!
My Best
-Dail

Setlist:
Domino
Magic Time
Keep It Simple
Behind The Ritual
End Of The Land
Jackie Wilson
Comfortably Numb
Rough God
Fire In The Belly
Can't Stop Lovin You
St Dominic's Preview
Cyprus Avenue
In Th Afternoon
Bright Side Of The Road
Wild Night
Real Real Gone
Healing Has Begun
Gloria/ Who Do You Love

Thanks to Dail For Setlist

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
Katie Kissoon & Vanessa Haynes, background vocals