EDMONTON - Poor Van Morrison. He is by far the most prominent victim of the curse of high expectations in the history of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
This guy has been producer Terry Wickham's dream booking for so long that it became a running joke -- and now that he was finally here Wednesday night, Van Morrison could've cured cancer, achieved world peace, parted the Red Sea and still be slammed for not doing Domino.
He didn't do Domino.
But he did do Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance, Into the Mystic and Gloria, the classic rock songs, the "hits" that will be remembered long after their creator is forgotten. He played piano, sax and guitar -- none of them better than Bob Dylan can play harmonica, but points for multi-instrumentality. He also played harmonica in a terrific rendition of the blues standard Help Me, better than Dylan. Besides, Van's fellow band members were always close at hand to pick up the slack, solo-wise. He had an awesome band. Longtime guitarist Jay Berliner was especially strong. The sweet interplay between the violin and saxophone was unusual, but a welcome wrinkle. Arrangements and melodies were twisted, freshened up. And he sang as only Van Morrison can sing: With taste, power and as much soul as a white man is legally allowed to possess. He didn't say much to the crowd or even acknowledge their delirious cheers with so much as a "thank you." Like, would it kill him to shout "Ed! Mon! Ton!" and soak up the cheers? Apparently, it would. And the concert ended precisely after 90 minutes. There was no encore.In short, it was a typical Van Morrison concert.
"Typical" maybe isn't the right word. Fans know he can be unpredictable, temperamental, even, sometimes disappointing, sometimes great, depending on his mood. The show Wednesday night veered more towards the great end of the Van Morrison spectrum. Much fun was had in playing "name that tune." Brown Eyed Girl was easy. He got that mouldy old albatross out of the way early. But it took at least one minute into Moondance before the cheers of recognition came. Likewise with the languid version of Into the Mystic. Gloria, last song, was also an easy winner. The candle-brandishing folks on the hill rose to their feet and shouted the chorus, which doesn't happen very often at this event.
Van is a strange cat. He loves his music, he hates the fame that comes with his music -- even the ephemeral stardom that comes from being the centre of attention for 20,000 eager fans at an outdoor music festival. It explains why he doesn't interact with his fans much. He used to suffer from stage fright. In addition to being the perfect iconoclastic punk rocker long before that sort of thing became cool -- not showing up for his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction was typical -- he comes off as a rare example of someone who puts his music above himself. He serves the songs first, his ego second. This was clear from the generous solos given to his musicians, often before or just after one of his own much less impressive instrumental forays. Paradoxically, Morrison seems to sing for his own enjoyment, not to please the crowd. He expresses soul for his own satisfaction. On a good night, and this was one, he digs deep to make every song memorable. And if people pick up on that, that's the whole trick, isn't it? It's the answer to why Van Morrison is "the Man" at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.Opening the show in low-key style (and this was the place to do it) was the Bobby "Blue" Bland Band featuring the legendary Bobby "Blue" Bland -- say that five times very fast. The ensuing cabaret-style set of Memphis-flavoured blues standards would've seemed quite ordinary if one didn't know that this guy actually invented a big chunk of this stuff. Was this another case of legend exceeding performance? Bland, at 80, might be the first person to admit he's past his prime. But while his voice was thin and reedy and afflicted with an unfortunate tendency to snort out every now and then, he sang with obvious joy and love of his songs, his blues, which, as mentioned, he helped bang into shape with seminal recordings from the '50s and '60s. Bland's band, a bit sloppy around the edges, grooved and cooked where it counted, featuring great solos from saxophonist Charles Campbell and guitarist Charlton Johnson. Running the gamut from barroom shuffles to tear-jerking ballads, the material dealt mainly with loneliness, doing wrong, having been done wrong to and generally having only bad luck for lack of any luck at all. Them's the blues, as they say.
-Mike Ross
Edmonton Journal
There are many Van Morrisons. The party rock version ( Gloria), the wedding dance Van Morrison ( Brown Eyed Girl), the mysterious Van Morrison ( Moondance) and the heartbroken genius Van Morrison ( Astral Weeks). They are united by the most powerful force in music, and life: Sex.
On Wednesday, several generations gathered in Gallagher Park to witness the magic. Morrison isn't just a voice, though from the first whoop of his opening song, Northern Muse, it was the voice that enchanted the sellout crowd at the opening-night fundraiser of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Those of us who weren't seated ran to see him, to ensure it was really real.
Though Morrison is credited with performing one of the best recorded live shows in history, It's Too Late to Stop Now, in 1974. More recently, he has become famous for his reticence. On Wednesday, it's true, he did not ask how all 20,000 of us are doing tonight, nor did he praise the local sports team or recount the amusing story of how he almost missed his flight or visited the mall. This was, to some people, cold. To others, those who had gathered to watch their favourite singer sing, it was a benediction.
Some artists are seducers, like Leonard Cohen. Others, like many of the artists at this festival, are affable. You could imagine taking a pint with them. Morrison drew back to allow his fellow musicians to play their solos, he led the band masterfully to crescendos and back down to whispers. He turned away from the audience at times. At times, he shouted at them. Morrison was not cold, Wednesday night, but he was cool.
Morrison and his seven-piece band, including the legendary guitarist Jay Berliner, who played on Astral Weeks, concentrated instead on a graciously loose and inventive set of songs everyone knows.
He sang Brown Eyed Girl, Into the Mystic and Gloria, all those sexy songs; and fans hugged, kissed, touched each other, looked around and smiled at strangers. Plenty warm, plenty warm.
In the recent past, Morrison has toured stadiums with a large R&B band dominated by horns. Wednesday night's outdoor show was gentler and more intimate, dominated by strings, the piano and flute, and that indescribably beautiful voice. He wore a black shirt and suit, a black hat and black glasses, a hint at history.
-Todd Babiak
Sean sent this review:
Van took to the stage at the Edmonton Folk Festival at exactly 8:25 PM after a wonderful hour long set from Bobby "Blue" Bland. Bobby laboured a little bit getting on and off the stage but still retains his immense charisma and that trademark snort. Van entered all in black and immediately settled into Solid Ground with great gusto. The first shock of the evening was the sighting of a new fiddle player in the position occupied so wonderfully by Tony. The new fellow, yet to be identified, was just an absolute joy to listen to. He played the first of many wonderful solos on the opening song and Van dug deep down into the heart of down as he brought the song home. BEG followed and was BEG as Van moved from the piano to play some sax centre stage. The version of Fair Play that followed contained what to me will live on as showcasing one of the most gracious acts of Van's vulnerability that I've witnessed. Jay began to play a wonderful solo; Van just stood and listened to him play. He let Jay play for a long time and it was just magical to listen to the sound he was making and to watch Van watching Jay. That seemed to me like as close an apology that Van is likely to offer. We know that Van had some harsh words for Jay at the last show the band played in Belgium. Fair Play went on and on and evolved into No Prima Donna/All Change that was unexpected and worth the hassle of standing around in some archaic cattle car fenced in nightmare that we spend the day suffering through. The version of The Mystery that followed was full of explosive dynamics and it had already become so obvious that Van was totally engaged in this evenings performance. His vocals were full of passion and commitment. Talk is Cheap was as good as it can be and was followed by unique version of Moondance. My travelling companion described it as sounding "islandy." All that was missing was the steel drums. A great version of a song that for tonight, at least, seemed brand new. Keep it Simple showcased just how tight the band was. It seemed apparent that the addition of the new fiddle player has injected a lot of enthusiasm into the band. He plays with a very aggressive style and it reminded me of the sound Toni Marcus created so many years ago. Van sung about how he had to keep it simple or else "he would get screwed...again and again and again" before telling us to "Save Yourself" at the end. School of Hard Knocks was straight ahead and well performed. The instrumental that began next unfolded into something wondrous as Celtic Excavation went on and on before transitioning into a masterful Into The Mystic that, even more so than BEG, captured the crowd. Van held the massive audience in the palm of his hand as he weaved what may have been his best vocal performance of the evening. Amazing...It seemed too early in the set for Healing Has Begun but we weren't about to argue. Van played lots of electric guitar on this one as he again let Jay play on and on. The final two verses of this song were highlighted by a seemingly infinite number of Backstreet Jelly Rolls and Dig a Digs that were a joy to behold. Playhouse was next and although it's never been a song I long to have in the setlist this one was different. Van asked the new fiddle player to "pick it" which he did with great panache and Van asked Jay to "play like Les Paul" which, of course, Jay did effortlessly. Have I Told You Lately was a great crowd pleaser and featured a luscious solo by Paul Moran. I had mentioned to my friend during Bobby Blands opening set that we were sure to get a steamroller of a version of Help Me tonight. We weren't disappointed and Van yelped and growled and did his best Junior Wells impression. The version of Ballerina that came next was strong yet vulnerable at the same time. I cannot recall Van allowing himself to be transported by the words of this song the way he did this evening. He seemed to float along with the music as he spread his wings and allowed himself to fly awhile. In the Garden was another standout as this feeling of new life, of a new breath that has been instilled in this band just spilled over. The band was in perfect synch all evening and the dynamics of this great song showcased that beautifully. Gloria got this respectful and gracious audience up singing along as Van wound down what had been one of the best shows I've had the privilege to see. And I've seen a bunch...Two "big hands for the band" a lovely half bow along with a thank you and he was gone. He gave us a lot tonight. It's on to Calgary tomorrow in an altogether more intimate venue. Van effortlessly made this large outdoor festival seem like it was the most intimate of venues.
Setlist
Solid Ground
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play
Mystery
Talk is Cheap
Moondance
Keep it Simple
School of Hard Knocks
Celtic Excavation->Into the Mystic
Healing Has Begun
Playhouse
Have I told You Lately?
Help Me
Ballerina
In The Garden
Gloria
Big Hand for The Band
Jay Berliner-electric guitar
David Hayes-double bass
Bobby Ruggiero-drums
Ralph Allin-violin, viola
Richie Buckley-flute, saxophone
Paul Moran-grand piano, trumpet & organ
Images via Hugh Lee
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