30-Sep-09 Massey Hall, Toronto Concert Review
Toronto Sun
With roughly three dozen studio albums under his belt, it took more than four decades for Van Morrison to return to one of his and rock music’s landmarks.

And despite the fact it wasn’t played in the same running order as the 1968 record, the Irish soul singer ensured that Astral Weeks was the focal point of his near capacity show Wednesday night at Massey Hall.

With a large backing band – including a small string section – Van Morrison sat behind a black piano to start the 100-minute set with some other non-Astral Weeks efforts. Northern Muse (Solid Ground), the first of several tunes that dabbled almost simultaneously in folk, blues, country, Celtic and soul, set the tone for most of the first half highlights.

Not one for idle banter, Van Morrison, 64, left the piano for good and did a rather ordinary run through of Brown Eyed Girl as the audience eagerly helped out. But it was the ensuing number Fair Play which symbolized the magic of the man and his muse.

Often leading the very attentive group with subtle hand cues and gestures, the performer took Fair Play down a rather lengthy and lovely musical road, giving guitarist Jay Berliner (who played on Astral Weeks) and fiddler Tony Fitzgibbon time to shine as Van Morrison let the song guide him and not the other way around.

The only low moment of the night might have been when Van Morrison figuratively and literally blew it during Little Village. Attempting a saxophone solo, but not quite hitting the desired notes, the singer quickly got help from Paul Moran who fleshed out the horn portion on trumpet.

Nonetheless, the draw to this particular tour is Astral Weeks. Earlier this year Van Morrison released Astral Weeks: Live At The Hollywood Bowl as a live CD and DVD. Next year a documentary entitled To Be Born Again will be released revolving around his return to this particular masterpiece.

After a brief announcement stating Astral Weeks was commencing, the musician opened with the melodic title track, often playing off David Hayes plucking his standup bass. The song was also met with some heads bobbing and toes tapping throughout the audience.

Probably the night’s highlight was the middle section where the blues-tinged Slim Slow Slider found its groove early on, bobbing and weaving as Van Morrison strummed his acoustic guitar with more verve. Singing at times a bit off microphone but with a voice that rarely needs amplification, he nailed the swaying, melodic Sweet Thing which he occasionally slowed to a crawl.

The combination of Ballerina and Madame George also soared, the former met with hoots and hollers while the latter – with the song again steering Van Morrison – concluded with a standing ovation, proving it was well worth the steep price to get in.

Closing with the warhorse Gloria, Van the Man thanked the band, took a bow and exited the building, leaving the audience pleased to have witnessed such a rare sweet thing.

****1/2(4.5 out of five stars)
-JASON MacNEIL


The Star
Van Morrison's only got but so much to give and that seems to be all right with his fans.

Clad in trademark black fedora, dark suit and sunglasses, the 64-year-old Irish native delivered a perfunctory 90-minute set at Massey Hall Wednesday night.

The folk-rocker didn't banter with the audience or crack a smile. (He'd even requested the venue not serve alcohol).

The only bit of flash was the giant "M" in the centre of his microphone stand. You assumed his occasional side-to-side rocking meant he was having a good time.

The first half was dedicated to the musician's "classic songs," including "Brown Eyed Girl" and "In the Garden." Since enunciation didn't seem to be a priority, singing gave way to scatting with no jarring.

But the vocal delivery was adjunct to the penetrating and heavily improvised musical palette, courtesy of a nine-piece band that included flute, fiddle and cello.

Through clearly working from a set list, Morrison who accompanied himself on acoustic guitar and also played harmonica and sax, kept the musicians on their toes with unexpected solo cues.

The remainder of the concert was a slightly rearranged front-to-back rendition of his 1968 critically acclaimed Astral Weeks.

He's been touring that routine since debuting it with a pair of successful Hollywood Bowl concerts last fall that were released on DVD.

The Massey Hall gigs (he's back Friday night) are billed as "the most intimate setting to date."

Funny though, with the full orchestration, songs such as "Beside You," "The Way Young Lovers Do" and "Sweet Thing" were not as intimate as the recordings by 23-year-old Morrison.

With that blues-laced voice less in the forefront, the angst-ridden tales of his Belfast upbringing didn't connect in the same way.

But the near capacity crowd lapped it up and lingered hopefully for the encore that never came.
-Ashante Infantry

Setlist
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
The Mystery
Little Village
In the Garden
Astral Weeks
Beside You
Slim Slow Slider
Sweet Thing
Cypress Avenue
The Way Young Lovers Do
Ballerina
Madame George
Listen to the Lion
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