Van Photo Of The Day

Phil Lynott, Marie Osmond & Van Morrison. London 1979.

12-Jun-10 Norwegian Wood, Oslo, Norway Concert Review

Correspondent Michael C. sent this review:

Mellow musical magic
A crowd of around 6,000 had gathered on Saturday evening to welcome Van back to the Norwegian Wood festival, scene of some of his memorable concerts during the late 1990s.

The persistent rain of the previous 24 hours had mercifully stopped by nine when the gig commenced. The stage is located at the base of a gentle sloping field and the concert area forms a natural amphitheatre. A perfect setting for Van and his fantastic band, aptly compared by one Norwegian reviewer to a jazz/folk/blues chamber orchestra

Highlights this year were a beautifully lilting “Fair Play”, another marvellous rendition of “Moondance” – how many times have I heard this song live, and yet always with a new arrangement – plus a fresh take on “Baby Please Don’t Go” that merged into “Parchman Farm”. There was in fact a nice blend between the crowd pleasers and the surprises.

On a personal note, there is one number I would love to hear this particular band perform: “Autumn Song” from “Hard Nose The Highway”. Has it ever been played live, I wonder? It certainly stems from that same mellow period as the “Veedon Fleece” repertoire, which has been a notable feature of this and recent concerts.

Throughout the performance Van’s voice was powerful and evocative, his phrasing and inventiveness as compelling as ever. The ninety minutes were over all too soon, but we were treated to a tremendous finale with one of my, and many other fans’ all-time favourites, the exquisite “In The Garden”. Van slowly left the stage, leaving his superb, hard-working band to play on for a little while longer to the accompaniment of some rapturous applause.
-Michael C.

Jens sent in his review:
Had been raining all day. Dark clouds covering the sky. Looked like an evening one could not expect much from. Suitable for staying in doors with a bottle of wine and a mystery story. Raymond Chandler's "The Killer In The Rain". There are two artist capable of catching magic. One by words, Chandler, the other by music, Van Morrison.

Last time Van played in Oslo, the magic was wearing thin. One could have been better off listening to muzak in an elevator. Now, some years later, with the rain pouring down, attending an outdoor concert by the very same Van was not tempting. But tickets had been bought, other engagements canceled and being a student at the school of hard knocks, there was no talk off turning back.

Right before the concert started, the rain stopped. The clouds did not lift, but the darkness kind of drifted away. One by one the musicians entered the stage. Jay Berliner sat quietly down on his stool. David Hayes picked up his bass. It all happened so casually the audience did not pay much attention. Then Van entered the stage and the evening became full of magic. It was poetry, rythm and blues, jazz, rock and more poetry; in the voice, the words and all the time in each and every note.

The music carried us from the etheric dreams of Astral Weeks to the confinement of Parchman Farm. From up above Bukka White tipped his hat. Sonny Boy appeared in Help Me, and walked with us through a short visit to Lonely Avenue, before we were transcended in the garden, wet with rain. A phenomenal concert. If you don't know what a 'killer in the rain' looks like, then watch out for a guy with hat, sunglasses, a long scarf around his neck, playing a white guitar.
-Jens D.

Setlist (Thanks Michael C.)
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
The Mystery
Astral Weeks->Purple Heather
Moondance
Have I Told You Lately
Into The Mystic
Talk Is Cheap
Keep It Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Baby Please Don't Go->Parchman Farm
Playhouse->Lonely Avenue
Help Me
Ballerina
In The Garden

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ

10-Jun-10 Hampton Court Palace, London, England Concert Review

Daniel R. sent in this review:
Although it was a bit disappointing to be at a beautiful venue like Hampton Court Palace and to have fairly miserable weather, the mood at Hampton Court was good and the crowd were clearly looking forward to the Van show. This was borne out by the fact that the majority of people dotted around the picnic area had brought rather impressive arrays of picnic food with them and were making the most of the elegant surroundings. The rain and drizzle was clearly not going to dampen everybody’s spirits.

Before the show started, the crowd who seemed to be comprised of varying ages, made their way into the beautiful palace courtyard area. The stage and the seating area was nicely laid out and gave a nice feel of intimacy to the show.

As ever, Van rocked up on stage almost dead on time, surprisingly not in his usual resplendent black outfit, but actually sporting a combination of green coloured trousers, leather jacket and of course the ubiquitous fedora and shades.

Anyone who has ever seen Van before will be aware that he likes to get straight on with things and isn’t really one for engaging with the crowd or for that matter, acknowledging them.

As was expected, he manned the piano for the first number, Northern Muse (Solid ground), which felt a little bit bumpy and he seemed to show signs of weariness as would be expected in consideration that it is has been his standard opener for at least the last year . In fairness, the mood wasn’t really settled as latecomers were still streaming in trying to locate their seats. It was a bit distracting from where I sat, but it didn’t seem to phase Van and he marched on.

Without pausing for reflection, the evening moved swiftly into ‘Brown Eyed Girl’, which was very well received. It did occur however that over the course of the evening, the well known hits like ‘BEG’ and ‘Moondance’ seemed a bit patchy and strained. There seems to be an irony with these types of tunes because performers like Van no doubt receive a lot of pressure to play the old favourites rather than trying to educate the crowd with some of the more obscure and forgotten songs, yet the billionth rendition of the classics is bound to be somewhat stagnating for performers of Van’s lengthy experience and obvious need to reinvent and stretch himself.

It did seem that Van hit his stride though when he went into numbers like ‘The Mystery’, which felt far more coherent and got things on track and there was definitely some very magical moments. ‘Slim Slow Slider’ stuck out as a high point as did the rendition of ‘And The Healing Has Begun’, which was beautifully augmented by a slower, darker version of ‘Burning Ground’. The lyrics came across very well and definitely added a very haunting feel to that part of the evening, particularly in the regal surroundings.

Like the beginning, the end was familiar and before we knew it, Van was rattling through ‘Help Me’ and as normal, the proceedings were brought to a conclusion with ‘Gloria’. As ever, there was no bidding of farewell from Van who ducked out several bars before the conclusion of ‘Gloria’. The likelihood of an encore was never really in doubt.

Great news that Van has announced a further UK date at the Royal Albert Hall, I now feel less envious that the US had so many dates this year and look forward, as ever to witnessing more of the magic of Van Morrison.
-Daniel R.

Setlist
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
Mystery
Moondance
School of Hard Knocks
Keep it Simple
Astral Weeks->Purple Heather
Slim Slo Slider
Ballerina
Healing Has Begun->Burning Ground
Help Me
In The Garden
On Hyndfrod Street
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Tony Fitzgibbon-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ

Hymns to the Silence: Inside The Words and Music of Van Morrison

"It's a critical study, not a biography."says Peter Mills who teaches at the School of Cultural Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University of his latest book, Hymns To The Silence: Inside The Words and Music of Van Morrison. While books on Van have never been discussed on this blog, I feel this book deserves recognition for focusing strictly on Van's incredible body of work.

The book takes several intriguing angles. It looks at Morrison as a writer: specifically as an Irish writer, who has recorded musical settings of Yeats poems, collaborated with Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan and Gerald Dawe, and who regularly drops quotes from James Joyce and Samuel Beckett into his live performances. It looks at him as a singer, at how he uses his voice as an interpretive instrument. And there are in-depth chapters on his use of mythology, on his stage performances, and on his continuing fascination with America and its musical forms.

Hymns to the Silence is a detailed investigative study of Van Morrison’s remarkable career. Mills engages with his subject in a fresh and accessible style – often challenging the received wisdom. He looks at Morrison as a songwriter and specifically as an Irish writer, yet one who has worked primarily with American musical forms. Key themes and motifs are examined, as well as the ideas of place, home and exile and Morrison’s periodic use of through-composition in major case studies of four of his best-regarded albums. Each section is full of detailed scrutiny and illuminating examples drawn from right across his recording and stage career, including his 2009 return to Astral Weeks. The book is also studded with fresh and original quotes from people who know about the music, including Maria McKee, Kevin Rowland, Kate Rusby, Ben Sidran, and Fiachra Trench.

If you love Van's music, then you will treasure this great book.

Available at Amazon.com