Van Morrison's New Album
 Available For Pre-Order

Born To Sing: No Plan B

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Sneak preview of Van Morrison's forthcoming new album for Blue Note, Born To Sing: No Plan B, out in October, suggests it's his best in ages.
-Jazzwise (@Jazzwise) August 3, 2012

Pre-Order From amazon.com

07-July-2012
Montreux Jazz Festival
Stravinski Hall
Montreux, Switzerland

Setlist (Thanks to Ben)
Brown Eyed Girl
Only A Dream
Days Like This
Don't Start Crying Now/Custard Pie
Precious Time
Bye Bye Blackbird
It's All In The Game/Burning Ground
Enlightenment
Haunts Of Ancient Peace
I'm Not Feeling It Anymore
Unchained Melody
Wavelength
St. James Infimary
Moondance
Star Of The County Down
Help Me
Ballerina

Big Hand for The Band!
Chris White (saxophone)
Alistair White (trombone)
Dave Keary (guitar)
Paul Moore (keyboards)
Paul Moran (bass)
Jeff Lardner (drums)
Rod Quinn (percussion)

06-July-2012
North Sea Jazz Festival
Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Two years ago I swore I'd never go and see Van Morrison in a festival setting again, after having witnessed the by now infamous Peer concert. But there I was again, two years later, in the Nile hall of the Ahoy building in Rotterdam for Van's performance at the Northsea Jazz Festival the first Morrison concert in Holland in ages. I'm glad I went. It wasn't the best show I've seen, but it was a memorable one, musically speaking, nevertheless. It was the first time I saw Van striking a chord with a 5000+ audience, with the audience reacting, and Van reaching deeper and deeper inside as a consequence for about four minutes. This happened during the extended coda of Unchained Meldody the most outstanding track on yesterday's setlist, which included a relatively large number of jazz standards and few ballads.

The show started rather funny, when an announcement was made (in Dutch) that Van would come on five minutes late with the band launching straight into Brown-Eyed Girl and Van hitting the stage right thereafter.

If I'd have to give the show a title, I would suggest Van Morrison sings songs of love and regret. Something was on Van's mind yesterday, and it seemed to involve a woman, an argument of some kind. Although at first appearing distracted, Van became very talkative as the concert progressed (particularly after Paul Moran had played a beautiful line in Haunts Of Ancient Peace, to which Van responded with 'yeah, that's it!'), and I haven't seen him go through such a wide range of emotions in over 100 minutes (which would have been more if the Northsea crew hadn't asked him to stop during Ballerina, to which Van reacted by putting five fingers in the air). In my view, these emotions included distraction, anger, grief, regret, love, aggression, fun, power, cheerfulness and surrender. I've never heard Van sing so aggressively as he did in the second part of yesterday's concert (for instance, Ballerina sounded like a whole band storming into a ballroom to tell a ballerina they loved her). Among others, he mentioned 'being the only one who could be trusted' in a relationship, whispered 'don't let me break down in Rotterdam baby, you know you can stop this!', really exclaimed some of the lyrics of I'm Not Feeling It Anymore and rather casually sang that he didn't want to be bothered anymore by 'something about fingertips' in It's All In The Game. Juxtaposted to this, he did an impersonation and asked the audience who he was portraying, told the audience that he would now 'like to do some theatre', because that was what people often wanted, and remarked (after a lengthy power cut that marred Enlightenment) that he felt like 'being at a rugby match', given the crowd's cheery reaction when the power was restored.

I really enjoyed the show, and feel that Van has assembled a great, versatile band that is getting better and better (although I do miss Jay Berliner's contributions but I have to admit that the band is tighter than ever before). Even if he decides to throw in an extra verse, switches choruses and verses, or asks for a song the band hasn't played before, they can follow him on the spot. I wonder how big the book is they can currently choose from! OK, it was a festival setlist yesterday and it didn?t beat last year's Cardiff show, or what I've heard about the Brighton/Bournemouth sequence earlier this year, but what I saw was really good. I hope the Montreux show today will be at least as interesting!
-Ivo

Setlist (Thanks to Ivo)
Brown Eyed Girl
Only A Dream
Days Like This
Don't Start Crying Now/Custard Pie
How Can A Poor Boy?
Fever
Real Real Gone/You Send Me 
Haunts Of Ancient Peace
Bye Bye Blackbird
Foggy Day In Old London Town
Unchained Melody/The Waiting Game/Too Late To Stop Now
Moondance
Enlightenment
I'm Not Feeling It Anymore
It's All In The Game/You Know What They're Writing About
Ballerina
Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!
Chris White (saxophone)
Alistair White (trombone)
Dave Keary (guitar)
Paul Moore (keyboards)
Paul Moran (bass)
Jeff Lardner (drums)
Rod Quinn (percussion)

30-June-2012 Jersey Folklore Festival, People's Park
 Jersey, England

Back On The Rock (source)
I was necking a beer in the hospitality tent when the opening bars of Brown Eyed Girl struck up, sending us all scurrying for the main tent. The Man Himself was in town. And he didn’t disappoint. Complete with cravat, dark glasses and trilby the legend that is Van Morrison was playing the People’s Park, a bit surreal in itself. Backed by half an orchestra, heavy on the brass, Morrison gave a great show. No chatting, no banter with the audience, just 90 minutes of his back catalogue which, of course, we were there to hear.

Going way back to his Taste days many of his classics were there; Bright Side Of The Road, Days Like This, Moondance, In The Midnight Hour, Whenever God Shines His Light, my favourite Have I Told You Lately and many more.

Morrison’s voice is as good and strong as ever. He has no chat but he gives his performance all he’s got and the excellent band play no small part in the deliverance. And, having opened with BEG there was never a doubt what was going to close the show. As The Man disappeared offstage, never to reappear, a stunning, loud Gloria outro by the band will have kept the neighbours awake a while longer.

29-June-2012 Hammersmith Apollo, London, England

via: zimbio

The Importance of Being Musical (source)

Van, you're the man
The tickets were really expensive - the £30 ones went real quick; so I was left with the next "cheap" option of £45-60 (I definitely wouldn't consider paying £100 plus). And all that, for a blues selection that possibly wouldn't move me.

I would've much preferred a focus on the dreamlike Astral Weeks, or Moondance. No matter my love for these albums, the videos I had seen of him "playing the blues", well past his prime, hadn't convinced me to spend that kind of money.

But... it's still Van. I had to see him live at least once in my life.
Luckily, the £30 ticket (for a £45 seat) that eventually someone sold me at the door was more than worth it.

It's not the setlist that counts; it's not even the fact that, in good luck once more, that night I caught him on great form. You see, he's famously grumpy, if you didn't already know; and he admitted as much on stage ("With these men around me - nodding at his band - who wouldn't be grumpy?").

But even on a grumpy night, I can't imagine that voice not moving mountains. It breathes with depth and truth and quality, and the rest, doesn't really matter.

He opened with the classic Baby, Please Don't Go and, via Route 66, he moved on to a couple of my beloved Astral Weeks extracts (like Ballerina). But even though I didn't have the pleasure of listening to my favourite title track, or Moondance for that matter, there wasn't a moment I didn't feel blessed by his presence.

Over an hour later he wrapped things up with a marathon version of Gloria that set our seats on fire and got the people dancing. But, as it turned out, I could've easily gotten by without an all-time hit. Van's voice is the essence, and the weight of his talent and presence sweeps all resistance away. To hell with the old man grumpiness. Here lies true treasure!
Review by Danai Molocha.

Setlist
Baby Please Don't Go
Don't Start Crying Now/Custard Pie
Keep Mediocrity At Bay
Talk Is Cheap
All In The Game/Burning Ground
I'm Not Feeling It Anymore
That's Life
Route 66
Philosopher's Stone
Real Real Gone
St James Infirmary
Little Village
These Dreams Of You
How Can A Poor Boy
Ballerina
In The Garden
Help Me
Gloria