24-Oct-10 Royal Albert Hall, London, England

Van reached some incredible heights at the RAH last night. The range in his voice once he opened up with Fair Play, after the toe-tapping ‘greatest hits’ openers, was simply stunning. We saw Van the jazz musician, the blues-man and the pop singer but it is those searching, searing moments of stunning ‘Celtic soul’ that make Van so unique and that bring shivers to the spine and tears to the eyes. And there were plenty of them last night, with Fair Play, In the Garden, Into the Mystic, and Ballerina simply stunning and all worth the ticket price alone. Beautiful, beguiling, rousing, compelling, life-affirming music that just touches something, who knows what…. So, a fantastic show and thank goodness that Van is still performing, still playing and singing these songs. But when a Van show ends though you’re always left wanting just that little bit more which is, I guess, a good thing….Thank you Van.

-Simon

At 45 minutes last night after a sublime In The Garden I thought "This could be the best show ever". He then took us higher still, but it trailed off a bit, and the crowd-pleasing Have I Told You Lately and Bright Side were extremely flat, with a rousing Help Me and Gloria bringing it back up.

Thanks to Paolo for photos.

Fair Play was wonderful, Little Village merely great and Moondance - as ever - let the band stretch out. Although I groaned when it started, Keep Mediocrity At Bay was enjoyable, as was Keep It Simple later - just goes to show that Van does things with songs on stage that don't happen in the studio.

The first hour, after the now traditional throat warmers (Baby Please Don't Go>Here Comes The Night>BEG) was stunning - it summed up the reason why we all do this. All In The Game, In The Garden, a great Celtic Excavation>Into The Mystic and the rendition of Ballerina was the best I've heard - a completely different song - but then..............

But I still came out smiling. I bumped into Simon at the merchandise stand - he thought it a '7', I'd have said '8' - just for Fair Play, Garden and Ballerina. What's great is that Van is performing these songs now as well as - or better - than ever and his voice is still way beyond what anybody else can do. It could have been sublime, but he was merely wonderful. Are we setting our expectations high again, and isn't that great?

The band were on the whole excellent, although the drummer needs a bit of education - I heard him too much. Good to see Paul Moore back on bass. Nobody can ever replace David Hayes, but I thought Paul was good in the shows before the Astral Weeks tour. Jay Berliner continues to be perfect, and Paul Moran holds it all together. The lead guitarist (Andy Jones?) was impressive on his solos without being over-indulgent. The two young horn players, one on trombone, the other on tenor sax, flute, clarinet and oboe, were excellent. As JC said afterwards, it's great that Van uses young players in his band. They played with real confidence. At one point, we had trumpet, trombone and two saxes wailing out - when did that last happen? (I know - Glasgow the night before).

As ever, it was equally wonderful meeting a load of old friends, and even more new ones. I'll forget people, for which usual apologies, but there were fans from Belgium, Holland, France, Spain and probably loads of other places. Great to see Pat again after too many years, the wonderful, Dail, Peter, JC, Brenda, Julia, Marion, Bert, Brendan - the list isn't endless but it may as well be with my memory! Nosey took pains to make introductions - a real Vanbassador.

Just before we left the pub for the show, Nosey and I were talking to a young couple. It was their first van show. He'd always loved his music, her dad had always been a fan and brought her up on it. I hope they enjoyed what we all got.

Cheers

-Jez

This was Van 2010 version. Greatest hits live it was billed as and taking away Keep Mediocrity At Bay that is what we got.

For those of us fortunate enough to have witnessed the sensational Astral Weeks shows at The RAH this show was always going to be difficult one.

Van however was at his professional best. Most importantly he gave 100% to all the songs. The newish band were excellent however Van without Richie Buckley is always a sadness.

The new start with the medley of Baby please don't go, Brown Eyed Girl and Here Comes The Night was fine. Fair Play was wonderful. The £200 price tag was actually made good value by a 15 minute period during which he took us all into that higher ground in a way that only he can.

In the Garden was remarkable - always a strong closing song at his live gigs in the late 80's - his sensitive delivery was just stunning. Definite highlight of the night.

However many times I have seen him play Game live it never disappoints and this version was one of the best.

I have a feeling that we may only see Van on odd occasions in the UK in years to come. I hope that we don't just get greatest hits shows. I will keep going even if it is for those magical few minutes which still enthrall and amaze us.

Also while he still cares it is worth going. There was a sense of real effort last night. Thanks Van - come back again.

-Johnny Longley

Sunshine In London

I knew it was going to be a great Sunday. I woke to see three swans gliding on the glass water of our dock, in the weak autumn sun of a chilly blue sky. It was a majestic start to a day that ended with a Van Morrison concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

If you have read any of my blog posts, you will know I am crazy about Van Morrison’s music. Like silly crazy. So when my husband got this new job, we celebrated by buying tickets for this one-night-only Classic Van concert at the Royal Albert Hall. He knew it was a big treat for me, as I had eyed this show since it was first announced back in June. I think we got the last two tickets in the house. We didn’t even sit together. And our seats were in the “choir” section, above and behind the stage. We had a fabulous view of the band, and – knowing Van and his propensity to turn to face his band – I was pretty confident we’d see more of his face that way. And we did.

We had to brave the cold London evening and cross the city on unreliable weekend public transport, but we arrived a good hour early. The Royal Albert Hall is a beautiful, regal venue in South Kensington, built as part of Prince Albert’s vision for the promotion of the arts and science. It was completed after Prince Albert’s death from typhoid, and opened in 1871. Directly opposite it, in Hyde Park, is the famous golden memorial to the Prince Consort, described as one of the grandest, high-Victorian gothic extravaganzas anywhere. At night it stands in grand, spot-lit splendour against a dark sky.

We went into the Hall as soon as the doors opened, bought some coffee and hung around the foyer and the corridors. We looked at brochures and framed photographs of stars on the hall’s hallowed stages, reckoning we’d take our seats about 15 minutes before the show was due to start. I was so excited I couldn’t stand still … classic Van, man! Does it get better than that? Seriously? I don’t think so.

Our seats were not too bad, one row and about five seats apart. Enough for me to keep looking at my husband and smiling and waving and winking and smiling and waving and, did I say smiling? There was not much leg room between the rows, and I was glad not to be long-legged, nor to have shoes one size bigger. The seat was big enough for me to boogy in, though, and boogy I did!

I sat next to a stiff-lipped English couple, and a cheerful Dutch chappy in a checked shirt. Turns out he was as much of a Van fan as I am – sheesh, he’d flown in from the Netherlands for the concert – and we soon became new best friends.

The band started to arrive on the stage, the lights went down and that big voice said, “Ladies and gentleman, MR VAN MORRISON!” I like that voice. And that’s when I began to scream. And whistle.

Van, in trademark dark suit, dark glasses and black fedora, walked on to the stage, microphone in hand, harmonica in mouth, and opened his show with a medley of Baby, Please Don’t Go and Here Comes the Night. I felt like crying. He went on to sing his well-known favourites like Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance, Have I told You Lately, Into the Mystic, Ballerina, Bright Side of the Road. My personal favourite was All in the Game, which he teased out into the most incredible arrangement with solos from each of his band members: trombonist, pianist, saxophonist, drummer, double bass player, lead guitarist and acoustic guitarist. The double bass player doubled as a bass guitarist, and Van doubled as a saxophonist and harmonica player. I can’t even describe the music they made – just sublime.

I loved watching Van control his musicians with the flick of his hand and a trilling of his fingers. He did what he does so well – brings the music to a stomping crescendo and then right back down to a whisper. I was with him on his every word, every note and I didn’t want to miss a thing. He closed with a rousing version of Gloria, which brought the entire audience to its feet. It was indescribable to experience a packed Royal Albert Hall, filled to the rafters, with Van-loving punters clapping and screaming and whistling for his music never to end. We couldn’t take photographs, but that sight – and feeling – overwhelmed me as it etched itself in my mind.

I made a note of Van’s playlist, lest I forget, and my Dutch neighbour chipped in when he thought I might not know the title – which, believe me, wasn’t often! If I couldn’t sit with my husband, it was wonderful to sit beside another fellow Van fan. After the show finished, we agreed we had just experienced a very very special concert. I told him I had felt like crying, and he said, “Yes, I had some of those moments too.”

One thing about Van’s music is that it is so difficult to categorise. When I look for his music in a music shop, I never know whether to look in the soul section, R & B, jazz, blues, folk. His music could be in any or all of those. But last night, I was reminded that he is in a category all of his own: awesome. Totally awesome.

Setlist
Baby Please Don’t Go->Here Comes The Night
Brown Eyed Girl
Fair Play/Autumn Song
Keep Mediocrity at Bay
Little Village
Moondance
It's All in the Game
In The Garden
Celtic Excavation->Into The Mystic
Ballerina
Have I Told You Lately
Bright Side Of The Road
Keep It Simple
Help Me
Gloria

Big Hand for the Band!
Chris White - Sax
Alistair White - Trombone
Jeff Lardner - Drums
Paul Moore - Bass
Paul Moran - Organ
Jay Berliner - Guitar


Much thanks to Paolo for his amazing photos - see them here. Grazie!

23-Oct-10 Glasgow Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Scotland

Van's performance was very impressive. He was in the centre of a group of exceptional musicians who played quietly for the most part. The effect was entrancing as Van sang beautifully and effortlessly controlled the proceedings.

Band: No band introductions, but no Richie Buckley, no David Hayes
Two short points of note:

In The Garden was performed with the stage bathed in violet light for the duration of the song. This evoked thoughts of his "father and his mother' as well as the No Guru album sleeve. After singing the "father and the son and the holy ghost" once, he changed it to "holy guardian angel" which he repeated many times towards the end of the song.

Secondly, in over thirty years of attendance at Van's Scottish shows this was the first I have experienced with any empty seats. In fact entire rows in the more expensive sections remained unused. It was clearly a reaction to the ticket prices which were double what had been charged for his last visit.

Regards (and thanks for all your great work)

-Stephen McGinn

Thank you, Stephen. Stephen is a long time Van fan and created of the Van Morrison Newsletter over 20 years ago.

Setlist

Baby Please Don't Go/Here Comes The Night

Brown Eyed Girl

Fair Play

Little Village

Playhouse

Keep It Simple

Rough God Goes Riding

Keep Mediocrity At Bay

It's All In The Game/You Know What They're Writing About

Moondance/My Funny Valentine

St James Infirmary

Celtic Excavation/Into The Mystic

In The Garden

Ballerina

Help Me

Gloria

Big Hand for the Band!
Chris White - Sax
Alistair White - Trombone
Jeff Lardner - Drums
Paul Moore - Bass
Paul Moran - Organ
Jay Berliner - Guitar

Solomon Burke 1940-2010

09-Oct-10 Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, USA

Here's Christopher's review:

I was lucky enough to go to both these shows and they were both terrific. Van was in a good mood and in good voice both nights. The set lists were very similar. Ballerina in San Francisco but not Santa Barbara. Precious Time in Santa Barbara. Most importantly, he seemed into the music both nights so there were lots of surprises along the way. During All in the Game in San Francisco, he sang "Open up your heart," while looking straight up in the air and then said, "That's really hard......I don't want to do that." During the same song in Santa Barbara, he sort of got the giggles early on and never really recovered. He kept breaking himself up laughing. It actually seemed like a nice change.

He also tried to tell a joke both nights before Playhouse (in which jazz guitarist Jay Berliner plays an unlikely banjo). I couldn't hear the answer the first night, but it goes, "What's the difference between a banjo and a trampoline?" "You take off your shoes before you jump on a trampoline." (rim shot).

He played In the Garden wonderfully both nights but kept it very quiet for a long time in Santa Barbara. During "No Guru.....," he said something like, "That line came from a man not far from here...Ojai!" A reference to Krishnamurti, I think. Because then he said, "One more time for K" before singing another chorus of "No guru."

The Santa Barbara Bowl is a wonderful outdoor amphitheater. The sound was gorgeous but it's a hike to get in and I wondered if he would stick to his usual on-time start while lots of people were still filing in. I think he actually started almost 5 minutes early.

For awhile, I'm healed...........

- Chris

Setlist

Baby, Please Don't Go

Here Comes the Night

Brown Eyed Girl

Fair Play

Keep Mediocrity At Bay

Little Village

Playhouse

Keep It Simple

Back on Top

Rough God Goes Riding

It's All in the Game

Precious Time

In the Garden

Celtic Excavation->Into the Mystic

Moondance->My Funny Valentine

Help Me

Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

David Hayes

Paul Moran

Jay Berliner

Andy Jones

Richie Buckley

Bobby Ruggiero

Becky Ramsey

08-Oct-10 Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco

Here's Art's Review:

Did you want some hits?  Did you want to hear the blues?  Philosophy? Jazz? Lengthy interior ramblings accompanied by glorious rolling grooves?  or a big, powerful classic ballad?  Anyway, it was all on display last night at the Nob Hill Masonic.  Van was energetic, very committed to every song, even the 60's material played with conviction at the very start.  And did he extend the instrumental part at the end of Brown Eyed Girl a few extra bars because 4 or 5 nubile women were up and gyrating in front of him?  Probably.

From there to the first of the bucolic, meditational pieces, 1974's "Fair Play", with extemporized lyrics about church bells in the distance and beautiful solos, especially Richie Buckley on flute and Paul Moran on both piano and trumpet.  Then uptempo  to a shouted, rousing and defiant "Keep Mediocrity at Bay", which this time around has a harp intro and an infectious New Orleans style groove,  and back down to the sublime "Little Village", highlighted by Jay Berliner ..was he playing jazz banjo on this one? Lengthy scat singing, beautiful sax from Richie Buckley.

Rough God follows, and Van finishes with his bit about ridin' on in like Jesse James, Billy the Kid, and when he gets to Clint Eastwood he turns to the band and says "He's local, right?".  Then some joke about a banjo.. I think it was this one: "What's the difference between a banjo and a trampoline? You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline. "

Playhouse, Jay on banjo and putting the band through their paces, then Keep it Simple, with some new lyrics.  Now he's "down here on the killing floor" instead of "running board", referencing Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf, and he's gotta keep it simple "just to keep from getting screwed".

Now for the traditional centerpiece: "It's All in the Game/You Know What They're Writing About", a superb version of a song that hasn't left his repertoire since the late 70's.  The new violinist, Rebecca Ramsey had a chance to shine on this one, and she added a distinctive voice, sometimes echoing movie music from the 30's, sometimes playing like a string quartet.  When Van gets to the part where the abashed lover is knocking on her door to apologize, he beats repeatedly on the microphone, then comes out with "open up your heart?  that's scary, I won't do that."  One of many standing ovations after this was over.  As Mark Watt said of the Los Angeles performance earlier this week he sang "like a man helplessly in the throes of love, heartbreak, or both.."

My personal highlight, "In The Garden", a great song that took a 7 year hiatus until it started reappearing in the shows starting last year. The band really made this performance, by turns their solos talked of eroticism (Jay), brightness and romance (Richie) and then a statement from Paul and the grand piano:  "This is a Song".  Majestic solos, really.  Then Van seems a little perturbed, but he's getting into the deeper part of the song.. "Long notes, long notes... keep it goin'" he shouts to the band...and that triggers the return of the rolling groove, this time with the long notes that let Van counterpoint with his delirious vocal into a big orgasmic final rave-up.

Moondance follows, the still unnamed band taking turns on their instruments, finishing with Van on sax, Paul on trumpet, Richie on sax.  A typically great David Hayes played a deep and interesting bass solo.  Shana Morrison then came out for a crowd-pleasing duet on "Sometimes We Cry".  She did a fine opening set last night, but started 45 minutes before the ticket said the show started, so she played only to the early and the tipped-off.  "Back on Top", a big, bad "Georgia", then the fourth of the night's quintet of  "deep" pieces, Ballerina.  The new violin was a big part of the success of this one, mixing notes of string quartet, country and Hollywood.  Another loud, standing ovation, and the band noodled through the fairly obscure instrumental "Celtic Excavation", reborn this year as a medley/intro for "Into The Mystic", a song which rolled and tumbled and reached more than one big crescendo, including one with repeated shouts of "rock your gypsy soul" that had the crowd where I was whipped into a frenzy.

"Help Me", Sonny Boy Willamson II's loud blues romp,  started with Van on the harp and moved into great  solos from the sax and Hammond organ.  Van name-checks Sonny Boy and Junior Wells "in the Chicago and Detroit area", and winds it all up with a big chorus of screaming "nightshirt"'s.  Big singalong for "Gloria" ends it all.

In sum, no throwaway material.  Five great adventures into the music, lots of commitment from Van and the band.

Huffington Post
Singing Lessons: The Truth About What Motivates Us To Sing, Play and Hear Music

As we walked in the house that Van built on Friday night, it was like walking into a church in the midst of a ferocious revival. Van was on fire. The band was on fire. The crowd was the kind of crowd that gave its all with gratitude and love. I have heard that that sometimes shows are less inspired, but every time I have seen Morrison in concert, he has never disappointed and this night was the most thrilling.


He wore a dark suit, gray hat and black shades. We couldn't see his eyes. He cracked a few jokes, but Morrison's not gregarious. He accepts you'll come to him or you won't and doesn't seem to care what you choose. Although, you sensed he was pleased to be loved that night.

*****
What Phil (my fiance) and I heatedly discussed Saturday morning was the difference between what we saw and what we heard. Phil thought it was an amazing show, but that Van Morrison couldn't care less about the audience (we saw Chris Isaac recently -- Isaac reaches out to the audience, he cares about the audience). I contended that though Van Morrison doesn't necessarily reach out with banter or facial expression, you often can barely understand what the man is even saying, still -- his voice cries out in such a way that each person is pulled close to his soul. If you close your eyes, what you hear is sheer contact, though what you see may appear to be an introvert. "Of course, Van cares about the audience," I said, "what else would drive him to be there and to sing like that?" I don't think it's money or adulation. He is there because he cares about and feels connected to the music and the audience.


There are performers that come to us and performers that force us to go to them. Bruce Springsteen. Thelonious Monk. There are different ways of connecting.

*****
As a performer, I generally go to the audience. As a singing teacher and vocal coach, I take care not to push my students to do the same, because both kinds of performance are valid. What we connect to is subjective. Who we connect to, from their personalities to what they are saying, how they are saying it, the frequencies of their voices, all of it -- what moves us is subjective. It is about intention and perception. Performance is a two way street. What I bring to a show as a listener is as important as what the performer brings. There are three components to a song: the music, the performer and the listener.


This same concept applies to any communal endeavor. If you have to give a presentation, if you are teaching a class, if you need to inspire your kids to memorize their times tables, what makes it work is connection.


In the book Drive, Daniel Pink says "human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another."


What drives us to perform is connection. What drives us to attend the performance is connection. The show was so good, because we were all in contact.


*****

Sometimes it feels like magic or miracle, but we can approach it technically as artists and individuals and engender connection. The first step is creating a space. (The Masonic felt like Van's house.)


Before I go on stage, I create a space in my mind. I practice sensorial memory, so that wherever I am performing, I can make it my home.


I ask my students, before you go to sleep, lay in bed and use your imagination to create every detail of a space that belongs to you, a beach somewhere, a mountain top, your room. Know the sounds and the smells, build the details. Who is there? Who could be there, so that when you walk on stage, or in front of your classroom, or when giving an important pitch -- you will know where you are, and the room will belong to you.


How you welcome your audience into your space is a matter of individual expression. It does not have to be done with a grin, an incessant shake of your head or wide open arms. If it's your house, we'll feel it. We'll come to you and want to know what it is you are there to say.


Being connected makes us love our work. Being disconnected can make us hate vacation. Connection is what gives us meaning and makes us feel like we're somewhere.


Connection is why we are driven to sing, play and hear.


Van cares, that's why everybody is there.
-Ruth Gerson

Setlist

Baby Please Don't Go

Here Comes the Night

Browned Eyed Girl

Fair Play

Keep Mediocrity At Bay

Little Village

Rough God Goes Riding

Playhouse

Keep It Simple

It's All in the Game

In the Garden

Moondance->My Funny Valentine

Sometimes We Cry

Back on Top

Georgia On My Mind

Ballerina

Celtic Excavation->Into the Mystic

Help Me

Gloria 

Big Hand for The Band!

David Hayes

Paul Moran

Jay Berliner

Andy Jones

Richie Buckley

Bobby Ruggiero

Becky Ramsey

Thanks to Art for photo.

06-Oct-10 Civic Theatre San Diego Concert Review

Here's Sean's review:
Vegas was a very good show featuring a revamped setlist and two new band members. LA Greek was perhaps a notch below although a great Game made the show feel substantial. The crowd in LA was late arriving and extremely chatty. It was also a cool and wet evening which didn't help matters. It all came together last night in San Diego. Van was on fire from the beginning. The setlist speaks for itself. It was the equal and perhaps even a slight notch above the wonderful Calgary show I saw in August. San Diego was one of those special shows. A long time Van follower, Nosey, declared it to be in his Top Ten and that it was "better than the Albert Hall." While another long time Van gig veteran, Dan Murray, noted how Van "made sounds tonight that I've never heard him make before." That ability to make his art new again, to keep us guessing, to drive the band onward and upward, to create that special kind of magic that only he can...All those gifts were on full display last night. I sat beside a woman who had never seen Van perform before. Afterwards she looked at me and said "I feel like I've been taken some place tonight that I didn't know existed." She was seriously considering a flight to SF for the Friday night show when we said our goodbyes. San Diego was the type of show that gets you hooked. Van took us on another one of those ventures into the slipstream last night. Such a rare and wondrous treat. Off to SF...
-Sean

Setlist

Baby, Please Don't Go

Here Comes the Night

Brown Eyed Girl

Fair Play

Keep Mediocrity At Bay

Little Village

Foreign Window

Keep it Simple

End of the Land

Precious Time

Philosopher's Stone->Didn't He Ramble

That's Entrainment

Moondance->My Funny Valentine

Celtic Excavation->Into the Mystic

And It Stoned Me

Playhouse

It's All in the Game

Help Me

Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

David Hayes

Paul Moran

Jay Berliner

Andy Jones

Richie Buckley

Bobby Ruggiero

Becky Ramsey

05-Oct-10 Greek Theatre, Los Angeles Concert Review

Here's Mark's Review:

Tuesday night's show started in low gear despite all the old hits (e.g., "Baby Please Don't Go," "Here Comes the Night," "Brown-Eyed Girl) because the weather was cold and wet, and people kept wandering in to find their seats during the first half hour.  Van found his groove with "Fair Play" (the fourth song) and concluded it with half a minute of brilliant scat singing and humming that reminded me of "Cul De Sac."

"Mediocrity at Bay" was jaunty, almost humorously angry, and more forceful in concert than on the studio album.

"Moondance" was another surprise -- lively, fresh, and intricately arranged with Van playing plenty of saxophone like he did all night.  Maybe this version was so good because it was performed "beneath the cover of October skies" like the song says.  It gave the band a chance to stretch out and impress. The new violinist (Becky Ramsey) and guitarist (Andy Jones) fit in comfortably with the band, and Van called on both of them to solo often.  However, it's going to take awhile before their chops are in the same league as other grand Van veterans like David Hayes (on both stand-up and electric bass tonight), Jay Berliner (on banjo several times as well as guitar), and Richie Buckley (still wailing on sax like a man possessed). 

Tuesday's version of "It's All in the Game" was a tour-de-force jazz singing workshop, one of the best versions I've ever heard.  Van kept his shades on all evening but he came across completely vulnerable in the song tonight, like a man helplessly in the throes of love, heartbreak, or both.  Van all but ascended on this version and earned a rousing ovation for it.

"Ballerina" became another vocal improvisation workshop with Van creating altered states by twisting and distending syllables into different time signatures.  Then the band clicked into place and put the pedal to the metal as Van sang "Here comes the man and he says the show must go on!" 

"Help Me" featured a gruff and gutteral vocal from Van, as he alternated between sax, harp, and vocals.  He put lots of body English on it tonight too, swaying back and forth at the "VM" mike stand.  

In short, Van seemed in high gear for about half of this show, and improvised and rearranged enough to make a lot of the old songs (e.g., "Moondance," "Fair Play," "Help Me") sound fresh again.  The band impressed me more as individual virtuosos rather than as one tight cooking unit, but I'm sure they'll gel more cohesively as the month goes on.  I'm tempted to attend Saturday's show in Santa Barbara so I can see how this band evolves, and whether Van brings out more nuggets from his 45-year-old songbook and finds fresh ways to interpret them.  

Cheers,

-Mark

Setlist

Baby Please Don't Go

Here Comes The Night

Brown Eyed Girl

Fair Play

Keep Mediocrity At Bay

Keep It Simple

Bright Side of The Road

The Mystery

Playhouse

Rough God Goes Riding

Moondance

Real Real Gone

It's All in The Game

Celtic Excavation->Into the Mystic

Ballerina

Help Me

Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

David Hayes

Paul Moran

Jay Berliner

Andy Jones

Richie Buckley

Bobby Ruggiero

Becky Ramsey

03-Oct-10 The Joint At The Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas Concert Review

Here's MM's review:
Van Morrison is music itself. He is more than talented; he is gifted. He came out on the stage on time and immediately started playing. No warm-up band - just Van Morrison all night. This concert is the best concert I have ever been to. Van started with 2 songs fromThem, then went into songs from his solo years - Moondance, Brown-Eyed Girl, and Into the Mystic!! Yes, he played Into the Mystic this time!! Thank you, Van. But, he didn't sing them like they are on the albums. And, unlike any other performer, any version of a song that Van sings is as wonderful (if not better, if that is possible) as the original classic. He is truly an amazing, fascinating talent. Van had the audience in the palm of his hand all night. He was witty, charming (remember "Clint Eastwood - Howdy do, Ma'am"? Hilarious!!), and magical. I will go see Van Morrison every time he comes to town. His band was a talented group as well, from the tender, fluid notes of his violin virtuoso to the sax player, keyboard player, banjo man, and bass fiddle - what a group. They all improvised on several songs, and it was pure joy listening to all of them. Oh, and he also sang "St. James Infirmary" which was magnificent. (An old Louis Armstrong tune from the 1920s.) Van can play any genre - pop, folk, country, jazz, blues - and it stones you just like a jelly roll. And he is so very prolific and has so many classic songs, his concerts could go on much longer and he wouldn't run out of original Van material. Plus, Van was just having fun on stage. He would sing some scat and make the audience scream, whistle, and clap; and when he started listing names of American cowboy folk heros, and he tipped his hat to say "Howdy, Ma'am", he made cry from laughing so hard. Just a perfect, joyous, fun concert. Van still has his voice, his creativity (no mediocrity in Van's music, that's for sure), his sense of humor, his toughness and tenderness. One of the great artists of all time, this man. Thank you so much, Van Morrison, for sharing your music, your talent, and your wit with us.

-MysticMusic

Seltlist

Baby Please Don't Go

Here Comes The Night

Brown Eyed Girl

Fair Play

Keep Mediocrity at Bay

Moondance

Celtic Excavation

Into the Mystic

St James Infirmary

Real Real Gone

And It Stoned Me

Bright Side of the Road

Keep It Simple

Playhouse

Have I Told you Lately

Rough God Goes Riding

The Mystery

Ballerina

Help Me

Gloria

Big Hand for The  Band!

David Hayes

Paul Moran

Jay Berliner

Andy Jones

Richie Buckley

Bobby Ruggiero
Becky Ramsey