25-Oct-09 Wamu Theater, New York Concert Review
Here's Dan's review:
If Van's Waterbury show was "loud, fast and out of control," as Art Siegel colorfully put it, then last night's show at the Wamu Theater at Madison Square Garden was silky, sensual and saturated with carnal and spiritual knowledge. I was too conquered in a theater seat to keep a formal setlist, but there were no major variations from his recent Denver and Las Vegas non-Astral Weeks gigs. Still, many of what are now becoming those same old songs left lasting impressions. All in the Game build in a slow, steady burn before exploding down by the pylons. Van let out an ecstatic scream during the finale, true squealin feelin. Philosopher's Stone continues to excel, the audience lifted into the song's upward spiral. The audience always roars when Van's vocal re-enters after the harmonica sunburst. Another devotional In the Garden, pure trancelike healing power, summoning down the holy guardian angel with a voice like soothing balm before hitting the chorus hard,
washing over the audience like a warm wave. A giddily lustful Help Me was one of my personal favs. Van at the start singing softly and cooing a creamy blues before bringing it up into harmonica heaven again. "I'm not tired,
but this old man feels like lying down!" Morrison declared.
The final 20 minutes of the gig saw Van reaching for the stars, the ones that shine in his eyes and the ones that glitter in his memories. On Hyndford Street was a tour de force last night, a masterpiece of contemplative solace,
winding on and on down through the decades of a singer's life. With the band providing another gorgeous backdrop, Van kept boring deeper and deeper until he was bent over humming, bleating, the emotion spilling over. Morrison did not recite the lyrics. He sang them with as much beauty and meaning as he knew how and created another time and place. A storming Gloria propelled the audience back into the world on 7th Avenue. Van seems as pleased as ever with the band, which just gets better and better. At one point in the show, as Jay Berliner spun his magic, Van just smiled and watched him: saying that's right, yeah, that's good.
Setlist
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
The Mystery
All in the Game
Moondance
Philosopher's Stone
Little Village
Help Me>Early in the Morning
Have I Told You Lately
In the Garden
On Hynford Street
And the Healing Has Begun
Gloria
Big Hand For The Band
Paul Moran
Tony Fitzgibbon
David Hayes
Richie Buckley
Jay Berliner
Bobby Ruggiero
Richie Buckley
Michael Graham
Terry Adams
Rick Schlosser
Monday, October 26, 2009
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3 comments:
While I probably haven't seen Van as often as some who visit this site, I have seen him close to 20 times over the years.
Last night was my favorite show ever--and that includes one during the No Teacher, No Guru days that reached dizzying heights.
Van actually played none of my favorites last night, but the set was so gorgeous, so coherent, that it mattered even less than it usually does to me. (I don't so much care what he sings, only that he sings.) Last night, though, was, in some ways, like being at a play, seeing something really developing and taking shape. (The friend I took with me thought the same thing.)
Dan talked about the band; I concur with everything he said. Usually I dislike "Moondance" in concert; it has the feel of a drill done too many times. But "Moondance" came alive last night; the solos ended up adding up to something, with Van's sax punctuations. There were sounds and moods created in some of the other songs that had me on the verge of tears they were so stunning.
It was really everything last night--the band, the voice, the acoustics, the crowd. Often when I've seen Van, the crowd was either unwilling or unable to go where he wanted to take them. Last night, it felt to me like we all went somewhere else together (until, as Dan says, "Gloria" brought us back).
I believe we transcended.
Well done June, thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! Sounds like it was a very special evening. - John
"true squealin feelin" you got that right! A wonderful way to close a weekend that began with Leonard Cohen in the main arena on Friday night.
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