28-October-2012
Knocknarea Arena 
Sligo, Ireland

Our Irish Correspondent, Brendan, sent in this review
Driving from Dublin to Sligo on Sunday I had a great sense of anticipation about what lay ahead. Ever since this particular evening of music and poetry was announced it was clear that this was likely to be quite a different performance with the 'emphasis on words' according to the publicity. Having heard a preview of some of the material in Canterbury last week, which certainly whetted my appetite even more, I was somewhat concerned that the performance might suffer from the omission of the band’s brass section as the Sligo Live publicity material had clearly indicated that Van was to be accompanied by a rhythm section only.Such concerns were quickly removed upon entering the arena as it was clear that the full band would be performing after all.

The tickets had indicated that there would be no support but Shana Morrison took to the stage at 7.35 pm for a short but enjoyable set to set things up nicely for Van who arrived on stage 5 minutes ahead of the scheduled 8.00 pm start time. It was clear that there was going to be nothing predictable about this performance.

Van opened with a lively version of A Town Called Paradise before moving onto a sublime Foreign Window. This was followed by a couple of songs off the new album including Open The Door which actually fitted in with the type of material performed on this special night. Van draw very heavily on the No Guru, No Method, No Teacher album including Oh The Warm Feeling, Got to Go Back,Tir Na Nog (when did he last play that?) and the always magnificent In the Garden which was a real show stopper. This was quickly followed by a beautiful Haunts of Ancient Peace (with Van on piano) after which most of the audience were in some sort of trance I reckon. The seldom performed Coney Island was followed by a terrific duet with Shana on Sometimes We Cry before Ballerina was delivered to a tumultuous reception. Celtic Excavation merged into a beautiful Into the Mystic which was then followed by Moondance and Crazy Love. Hyndford Street brought proceedings to a close all to early (the usual annoying 90 minute curfew had been reached) with Van leaving the stage to a five minute standing ovation. He did not return for an encore but Gloria would probably have been somewhat out of place among this material.

For those Van Morrison fans who favour the mystical material over any of his other work this was quite simply a concert made in heaven. Superb.
-Brendan Hynes

Irish Times
HEY SAID it would be a night of lyrics and poetry with “Emphasis on Words” but it was probably no surprise that, as always, Van Morrison let the music do the talking when he topped the bill at the Sligo Live festival last night.

He was early – in fact he strode on to the stage in the Knocknarea Arena at IT Sligo five minutes before schedule – much to the shock of those scurrying in the door up to 20 minutes later.

It must be hard being a performer when your dad is, literally, the Man, but Van’s daughter, Shana, a US-based singer-songwriter was not just the support act last night. She also provided backing vocals and father and daughter delighted the crowd with a double act on Sometimes We Cry from his 1997 album The Healing Game.

The evening started with a few numbers from the new album Born to Sing: No Plan B but it was the familiar lyrics from the spoken song Coney Island – “Out all day bird watching/And the craic was good”– which drew the first animated cheers of recognition from a crowd which spanned all generations .

Not only was Van early but he clearly enjoyed himself. While George Ivan Morrison isn’t famous for banter and over-the-top exuberance, there was very little evidence of his grumpiness or as the PR material put it “noted reserve” last night.

Although Van being Van there was just a little bit of impatience at the end towards one of his musicians who got a reproving command of “long notes” as the 90-minute set came to a close.

‘There were plenty of treats for the diehard fans – Moondance got the loudest cheers but there were also favourites like Crazy Love and Into the Mystic which had old fans in raptures. The real treat at the end was On Hyndford Street named for the Belfast street where he was born which, like Coney Island, is a spoken song. There had been rumours that Van would share with audiences some of the autobiographical and literary influences in his songs, but fans were happy enough he stuck with the music.

Before he left, he did introduce his daughter but there was no encores. For the 1,200-strong audience, however, there are plenty of good memories and a night when Van did really deserve the sustained applause and the standing ovation which continued long after he was gone.
-MARESE McDONAGH

Belfast Telegraph
Van Morrison and daughter shine in Sligo

What is it about Sligo and legendary singer-songwriters in hats?

Last night in a sold-out Knocknarea Arena at IT Sligo, veteran singer songwriter, Van Morrison (67) invoked the spirit of WB Yeats and held a rapturous audience in thrall.

He was following in the footsteps of Canadian troubadour, Leonard Cohen, who wove magic in two memorable concerts at nearby Lissadell House in 2010.

Both icons acknowledge the deep influence of Yeats on their illustrious careers. Marking the special occasion, and indicating a new departure for the singer, who is continually reinventing himself, Morrison showcased his most ethereal music.

The night began with the singer powerhousing through a set of songs from his newest album 'Born To Sing -- No Plan B', beginning with 'A Town Called Paradise'.

Adding a touch of glamour to the night was his talented singer-songwriter daughter, Shana, who supported the artist and joined him on stage providing backing vocals.

The pair performed a duet on 'Sometimes we Cry'.

Morrison's partner and former model, Michelle Rocca and their family accompanied the Belfast born singer to Sligo and watched the gig from the wings.

He was the headline act in the Sligo Live Festival, which despite the recession, drew record crowds to scores of venues all over the town throughout the Bank Holiday Weekend.

On Saturday night, singer/songwriter Joan Armatrading played to a capacity crowd in the same venue.

Morrison has been described as an 'Irish poet' and 'an enigma shrouded in Celtic Garb'.

Last night there were glimpses of all but it was Morrison, the romantic mysticist, who triumphed.
-Anita Guidera

Setlist
A Town Called Paradise
Foreign Window
Born To Sing
Open The Door (To Your Heart)
Oh The Warm Feeling
Tir Na Nog
Got To Go Back
These Are The Days
Coney Island
Sometimes We Cry (w/Shana Morrison)
Ballerina
In The Garden
Haunts of Ancient Peace
Celtic Excavation/Into The Mystic
Moondance
Crazy Love
On Hyndford Street

23-October-2012
Marlowe Theatre 
Canterbury, England

Setlist
Foggy Day In London Town
Brown Eyed Girl
Only A Dream
Born To Sing
Got To Go Back
Oh The Warm Feeling
These Are The Days
A Town Called Paradise
Drumshanbo Hustle
Baby Please Don't Go
Thanks for The Information
The Lion This Time
Magic Time
Moondance
Sometimes We Cry
Days Like This
Ballerina
Benediction
Enlightenment

20-October-2012
Europa Hotel 
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Setlist
Bye Bye Blackbird
Only A Dream
Let's Get Lost
Who Can I Turn To
Open The Door To Your Heart
Mystic Of The East
Baby Please Don't Go
Brown Eyed Girl
Moondance
Precious Time
Enlightenment
How Can A Poor Boy
KeepMediocrity At Bay
That's Life
All In The Game/Burning Ground
In The Garden
Ballerina
Benediction
Star of the County Down

03-October-2012
Ronnie Scott's 
London, England

Photos via Paolo

Mike reviews the 4 gigs over 2 days at Ronnie Scott's
So now that the haze has passed, here's my quick re-cap of a brilliant two night stand at Ronnie Scott's famed jazz club in London. This was a much anticipated return in the very intimate setting of this renowned venue, circa 1959 after around a 5 year absence.

Of course the event was quickly sold to Ronnie's "Premium" members - those who buy a membership and have the opportunity to partake in special events before the general public. Unfair that may be, the house was filled with jazz and music fans who appreciate a great artist and a great performance. They got both in the 2 night, 4 gig stand by VM.

Really, Van is very suited to this kind of environ these days. With a compact jazz band of really spectacular proportion --- the young Chris and Alistair White on horns, the great Paul Moran leading and playing piano and trumpet, percussion by Rod Quinn, great bass from Paul Moore, superior guitar work from Dave Kearny, Jeff Lardner magic on drums -- and Van moving from sax to piano to guitar, to harp, integrating jazz standards with brand new material and some long form Van classics -- each gig took on it's own personality and each was decidedly different. Much to the delight of many, even the expected was unexpected and some of the endless classics that appear and re-appear did just that.

And for some, the lack of a rousing Gloria may have been hoped for. My personal sense was that Van was playing to this room, a jazzy, quiet, hushed but then uproarious group, when the mood suited the audience. Gloria was perhaps too electric, too boisterous, too rousing. And Van likes the classics so what better venue than Ronnie Scott's to play That's Life, Who Can I Turn To, Bye Bye Blackbird, Foggy Day in London Town, St. James... and add a touch of blues....Take Your Hand Outta My Pocket, Help Me... and some well tested favorites like Into the Mystic (long extended), All in the Game (workshop version/then No Plan B, then Burning Ground -smoldering!), Jackie Wilson Said, Moondance of course but not every gig, BEG - a couple times to open and "get this out of the way", and a couple interspersed but lapped up by the audience, lovely Enlightenment, one revisit with Precious Time, and a couple times with Them (Baby Please Don't Go/Here Comes the Night).

But he did the new album right. Each gig, Open the Door, Mystic of the East, a couple Close Enough for Jazz (much lauded), and one Pagan Heart and the final closing number of the run was a lush and beautiful Ballerina....

It is notable that Van chatted more in these gigs than most any other --- A number of his "grumpiest gigs in town" commentaries but most notable was this just before Open the Door during one gig. Van said, "By way of explanation of this new material.... I had NO intention of releasing this. I had NO intention of EVER releasing another new album. But met Don Was - who is the President of Blue Note. Don liked this and said "I've got to release this" .... So you can thank Don Was for this...." And then he played Open the Door (To Your Heart) which is really a nice new "hit", getting good crowd response and lots of airplay. In fact, BTS is now in ALL Starbucks stores across the USA --- a very interesting and unexpected distribution for Van Morrison, which will give this new release tremendous exposure like no other previous release. Who knows whether that may cement in his mind the notion of future releases. He's got a wealth of material in the can as most of us know and there's really no reason not to let a record company take on the risk if they so choose. That would make we Van fans, very happy indeed. The album debuted in the UK at number 10 on the UK charts. Next week we will know how it enters the US market. But records don't sell like they used to and record companies are struggling. The real money for an artist in on tour. We know Van gets offers from all over the USA and elsewhere so it's up to him.... He seems very content and very comfortable staying close to home, playing gigs in environments he can control and this may be where he finds himself going forward. Expect some US dates eventually but until that time, there are a wealth of opportunities to see Van in Europe and he's back to touring again after a year sabbatical so we should be happy for him and happy to have him back, recording, singing, creating and memorizing us with his immense talent.

And what about that band? All-stars.
-Mike S.


Setlist (Early show) Thanks Mike S.
Bye Bye Blackbird
Only a Dream
Foggy Day in London Town/I Get a Kick Outta You
Into the Mystic
Open The Door (To Your Heart)
Mystic of the East
Real Real Gone/You Send Me
That's Life
Who Can I Turn To?
Brown Eyed Girl
Pagan Heart
Baby Please Don't Go
Take your Hand Out Of my Pocket
Moondance

Setlist
Bye Bye Blackbird
Only A Dream
I Get a Kick Outta You
Who Can I Turn To
Precious Time
Open The Door (To Your Heart)
Can't Stop Lovin You
Early In The Morning
Take your Hand Out Of my Pocket
Jackie Wilson Said
All In The Game/Burning Ground
Brown Eyed Girl
Ballerina

02-October-2012
Ronnie Scott's 
London, England

London Evening Standard
Curmudgeonly Van Morrison brings moments of 'raw intensity' to audience of legendary Ronnie Scott's

“Welcome to the grumpiest gig in town,” said Van Morrison, midway through last night’s show at Ronnie Scott’s.

The singer’s status as something of a curmudgeon is the stuff of legend but he has reason again to smile of late. Born to Sing: No Plan B — his first album of original material since 2008’s Keep It Simple — has met with near-universal praise.

The record sees the Northern Irishman rail against everything from economic folly to “phoney pseudo-jazz”. It’s the most irritated he’s sounded in years — and also the most alive.

Backed by a sensational seven-piece band, Morrison began last night’s show with a jazzed-up take on Brown Eyed Girl. “We like to get that one out of the way early,” he said, only half-jokingly, to chuckles from the well-heeled crowd.

There were a number of solos on the night — from saxophone to trombone to guitar — but Morrison’s voice was the highlight. Whether crooning his way through Only A Dream or filling Born To Sing with some inspired skatting, at 67 he remains one of the world’s most distinctive vocalists.

While this was essentially supper-club jazz, performed to a seated audience, there were moments of raw intensity. Goldfish Bowl saw Morrison attack celebrity culture and its attendant “psychic vampires”; Burning Ground built to a transcendent crescendo.

“Got no plan B, no safety net,” sang Morrison over the rush of drums and brass.

On this kind of form, he needs neither.
-Rick Pearson

Setlist (Early show)
Brown Eyed Girl
Only A Dream
When the Leaves Come Falling Down
Open the Door (To Your Heart)
Mystic of the East
Close Enough for Jazz
Gold Fish Bowl
Days Like This
Who Can I Turn To
Born to Sing
Enlightenment
All in the Game/Burning Ground/No Plan B
Help Me
Moondance

Setlist (Late Show)
Brown Eyed Girl
Only A Dream
Yo
Open the Door (To Your Heart)
Mystic of the East
Close Enough for Jazz
Who Can I Turn To
St James Infirmary
Enlightenment
Poor Boy
Early In The Morning/Rock Me Baby
Put Your Hand In My Pocket
Baby please don't go
Here Comes The Night
Jackie Wilson Said
Help Me
Moondance

Van Morrison In Conversation With Producer Don Was

Van Morrison talks to record producer Don Was, who produced his new album, Born to Sing: No Plan B, which draws on his early blues influences. They also discuss how the sounds of the modern world have changed the way we listen to music