08-Aug-09 Atlantic City Concert Review

Here's Dan's review:
Nicer venue at Caesars than expected, especially with the name Circus Maximus. About 1,600 seats and a potent, crystal-clear sound system. Much more definition in the instruments and voice than at the DAR in DC. No changes from the Friday night DC setlist, except for Game added in early part of set and Gloria to end the gig. It was another superb performance that was both deeply serious and irresistably joyous and upbeat. Van has broken out that sweet humming he does for these gigs.



The audience was along for the ride, and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Van and the band's presentation has been so quietly dramatic that the audiences have been allowing Morrison to work deeply and mine whatever improvisational vein he wishes.

Morrison's band has been called on to improvise as never before, and all these wonderful players have risen to the challenge. Van and Jay Berliner were going at it so juicily during Ballerina that Morrison laughed in delight. Tony Fitzgibbon and Richard Buckley have been their usual excellent selves, and all the band deserves to be name-checked.

Last night's Arklow locked into a deep Celtic blues. Foreign Window featured Van "sleeping on a pallet on somebody's floor". In Madame Joy George, he warns about the "frickin cops". In Slim Slo, Morrison rhapsodized about the Rock Island Line "a very fine line" and also evoked memories about emerging from the German doctor's office with some railway carriage charms and feeling like he was "walking on air. One pill to take you up, two to take you back down."Sweet Thing into Burning Ground was a showcase for Van's emotional control and power.

This was a marvelous run of gigs, save the runt on Thursday in DC. Boston was magical; 2nd Night DC may have been the most beautiful show I have ever heard from Van; and Atlantic City was filled with a life-affirming sense of wonder. Looks like the train shows no signs of stopping through the rest of the summer and into the days of the leaves.
-Dan M.

Setlist:
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Fair Play
The Mystery
Foreign Window
Streets Of Arklow/You Don't Pull No Punches
All In The Game
In The Garden
Astral Weeks
Beside You
Slim Slow Slider
Sweet Thing>Burning Ground
Cyprus Avenue
The Way Young Lovers Do
Ballerina
Madame George
On Hyndford Street
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
Tony Fitzgibbon
Richie Buckley
Michael Graham
Terry Adams
Bobby Ruggiero
David Hayes
Jay Berliner
Paul Moran
Rick Schlosser

[Image via Taylor Hill/Getty Images]