04-Mar-09 Beacon, New York Concert Review
Once again Dan's review:
The final NYC gig at the Beacon tonight was the butter cream icing on the Astral Weeks cake. Van adorned the music with a palpable sense of joy, and his voice was as clear and pure and true as it has been all week.
There was a sense of euphoria on the stage and in the audience as Morrison performed highly emotional versions of Northern Muse, All In The Game, Slipstream, Caravan, and And the Healing has Begun. Healing was the final song of the first set, and it built to a thrilling release. Other first set songs included Wild Night, Moondance, St. James Infirmary, I Can't Stop Loving, BEG, and Comfortably Numb.
The Astral Weeks songs were not extended as far as in past shows, but they still shone with great clarity and purpose and bursts of brilliance. Van bathed much of the music in pure vocal beauty tonight, filling the show with a rush of lyrical and lovely moments. The band was completely relaxed, and Jay Berliner made jaw dropping guitar runs filled with exquisite delicate feeling.
Van finished up with a fabulous Common One that built to a ferocious gospel chorus with the souls in wonder flying way up in the clouds.
The audience went home exhilarated and satisfied with another ripping Mystic Eyes into Gloria.
and now it's time for slumber.
There is much more to say about these gigs. I am sure there are some great overviews still to be written. Looking forward to them.
It was great to see so many jubilant faces of fans and friends.
Setlist:
Northern Muse(Solid Ground)
Wild Night
It's All in the Game
Moondance
St. James Infirmary
Queen of the Slipstream
I Can't Stop Loving You
Caravan
Comfortably Numb
Brown Eyed Girl
And the Healing has Begun
Astral Weeks
Beside You
Slim Slow Slider
Sweet Thing
The Way Young Lovers Do
Cyprus Avenue
Ballerina
Madame George
Common One
Mystic Eyes/Gloria
Big Hand For The Band(s)!
Tony Fitzgibbon
Bobby Ruggiero
Sarah Jory
Jay Berliner
Paul Moran
Liam Bradley
Richie Buckley
Bianca Thornton
David Hayes
John Platania
Terry Adams
Nancy Ellis
Rick Schlosser
Pauline Lozano
10 comments:
I love these reviews. I saw the first concert at Wamu. Amazing. Van played TB Sheets at that first one. Sounds like he didn't play it at the other three. Does anyone know if he's EVER played that song in concert before, and if so, where and when?
Thanks!
Great review. I have been a fan for 40 years, and this was my first Van Morrison concert. He was fantastic, as were his musicians and singers. I cannot think of any concert I have ever been to where the artist and audience were as exuberant together. Van soared in his soulful renditions of these great songs. He's a master artist at his craft.
setlist.com lists 4 other times:
4/21/75 San Francisco
9/10/94 Modena, Italy
12/15/95 Waterford, Ireland
7/9/99 Loreley, Germany
they're still waiting for someone to post the WaMu show on 2/27/09
Bill O'H
He did TB Sheets in Germany back in 1999. Youtube used to have it on video but it has since disappeared.
As for the 3/4 review and set list -- no Cyprus Avenue?
The last Beacon show blew me away! Van certainly got me on his wavelength! I had seen him three other times-Atlantic City in 05, Philadelphia and the Patriot Center in 06-all good shows-but Wednesday was a unique experience. I love the whole concept of revisiting past albums. I hope he considers doing it again-perhaps with Veedon Fleece-or after Wednesday's Caravan-maybe with Moondance? Having bought and listened to AW Live already, I liked the way he didn't just recreate the live recordings-he played more with Ballerina in the Beacon show-and put an almost country flare to Slim Slow Slider-truely a master at his craft.
Wednesday's show was the first time I've seen Van the Man.
Wow...what an INCREDIBLE show. "Caravan" is my favorite Van song, although Van's rendition of "Comfortably Numb" is amazing too.
And the whole "Astral Weeks" set was magical for me.
I flew in from Illinois just to see the show. Thank God I did!
Anonymous said...
"As for the 3/4 review and set list -- no Cyprus Avenue?"
3:58 AM
Van did perform "Cyprus Avenue" on Wed. night at the Beacon.
I believe that it was between "The Way Young Lovers Do" and "Ballerina"
Took bus up from DC for this, my first Van concert (even if I did wear out 2 copies of "and the Street Choir" album years ago). Anyway, he was, as others have said, in great form. I thought the band and Van really did a great job on the Ray Charles number...and winding up the show with the Gloria encore was time travel at it's best.
Have been listening to the live AW album for 2-3 weeks getting ready for the show and was impressed that Van didn't just phone that same version in.
one correction to the setlist - according to mine, it was "cyprus avenue" followed by "the way young lovers do", not the other way around. but thanks for posting your list, there were first set songs i didn't know...
They were filming Wednesday night at the Beacon. Is there to be a film/DVD on the WAMU/Beacon concerts? Separate from the Hollywood Bowl DVD?
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