15-November-2013
Waterfront Hall
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Van Morrison Receives Freedom of Belfast
"He united us in the past, he's united us tonight and he will unite us in the future."
Independent (Source)
Van Morrison gave the thumbs up sign when he was awarded the freedom of Belfast in his home city tonight.
A specially invited audience of over 2,000, including his mother Violet, gave him a standing ovation as the Lord Mayor Mairtin O Muilleoir described the singer as the city's greatest son.
He declared: "He united us in the past, he's united us tonight and he will unite us in the future.
"This represents our love, respect and gratitude for Van Morrison from the 'dark side of the street to the bright side of the road'."
Morrison was presented with a special scroll and gold ceremonial key just before his opening set.
His daughter Shana was among his backing group on stage at the Waterfront Hall.
He opened with the instrumental Celtic Mist - Morrison played the saxophone - before playing two of his biggest hits, Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl.
The Lord Mayor said: "Instead of a long speech, Van is going to give us the concert of our lives."
Tickets for the concert were allocated to members of the public in Belfast through a lottery system free of charge. But there was some controversy after it emerged 500 had been reserved for VIPs and that the 51 councillors would receive four each.
There was also criticism from some councillors when it emerged that even though Morrison was performing for free the star's band was being paid £36,000 for the performance.
Belfast City Council unanimously agreed in September to grant its highest honour to the singer, who is only the second person in 10 years to receive the accolade.
In May, former Olympic champion Dame Mary Peters was awarded the Freedom of the City at a civic ceremony in Belfast City Hall.
Other previous recipients include the Merchant Navy, the poet John Hewitt and former prime minister Winston Churchill.
Throughout his 50-year music career, Morrison has risen from the Irish showband scene to global stardom, winning six Grammy Awards and a Brit as well as places in both the Rock and Roll and the Songwriters' Halls of Fame.
Known to fans across the world as "Van the Man" the shipyard worker's son from east Belfast has drawn inspiration from the area where he was born and raised for hits such as Cypress Avenue and Hyndford Street.
Clemmie from Belfast sent in the review
15th November. Waterfront Hall, Belfast. Free gig to accept Freeman of Belfast City.
It was simply one of those nights. We knew he was going to be awarded the freedom of the city but the fact the tickets were free changed things. Following the the ticket lottery people felt they had found a golden ticket to the Chocolate Factory. People knew this was going to be special.
The Waterfront Hall is an ideal venue for Van - who responded to the crowds cheers during the opening speeches with a double thumbs up. Everyone knew this was special.
Van played the set like a man who wasn't playing for money. For one night only it wasn't his job. He played songs he believed in - almost every one of them proving he had thought about the set; choosing to speak to the crowd about Belfast with songs. He knew people wanted their favourites and he played them - not a new concept but different when, during Brown Eyed Girl, he told the signing crowd "yea, just like that".
The heart he put into his singing lifted songs like "Sometime we Cry" and "Whenever God shines his Light". His sax playing reminding us that is where he started and that is what he enjoys. An exceptional, slower version of Day Like This - sung in front of his mother - started an amazing second half. "Baby Please Don't Go" was hard, hard rock n roll.
The concert started to close with Help Me as we glided toward the traditional Gloria finish. But at the end of Help Me everything stopped. The lights went down except one as Van took us down On Hyndford Street. There was darkness and a bow sounding across a low and hollow double bass - and Van talking about the days before rock n roll. You could hardly see him as thousands sat in the dark silence and listened. People were stunned.
He went out to the the sound of the crowd chanting the word Gloria - what other word would do? People knew this was going to be special and it was. So much so they screamed for the encore that Van never gives - surely on this special night there would be an exception? The chants grew. People started to believe it would happen. It never did but the fact we believed it could shows you how special that night in the Waterfront Hall was.
-Dave McClements
Brendan was at the Van gig as well
Van Morrison’s Freedom of the City of Belfast concert at the Waterfont Hall on 15th November, 2013
What a great privilege it was to be one of the 2,000 gathered to pay homage to the musical genius that is Van Morrison. The fact that the actual conferring ceremony took place on the stage of the Waterfont immediately before Van’s concert added hugely to the occasion and while Van didn't say much you could tell he was quite chuffed. His daughter Shana who was also on stage was visibly beaming with pride while Van’s mother Violet was in the audience and was given a great ovation.
The concert itself was always likely to be laced with a mixture of songs with a Belfast theme together with some of his better known numbers and that is exactly what transpired. Opening with Celtic Swing, Van moved on immediately to renditions of Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl. When introducing Brown Eyed Girl Van said it was time for some Tommy Cooper and each time the audience sang the chorus back at Van he uttered the late comedian’s catch phrase “just like that!”. Two duets with Shana followed in Sometimes We Cry and That Old Black Magic.A nice version of Magic Time was followed by the highlight of the evening for me in Mystic of the East with Van on piano. This song had a couple of false starts as Van continually looked for a “G”before he was prepared to proceed. Ordinarily this might have caused some tension but on this night of nights the audience just roared laughing and then give a big cheer when Van was happy to proceed. And it was certainly worth the wait.Another duet with Shana on Whenever God Shines His Light (which included particularly brilliant trombone and bass solos) was followed by Days Like This (he was always going to play that one!). Next up was a blistering Baby Please Don’t Go with plenty of harmonica from Van which brought the house down. The seldom played Orangefield followed much to the delight of the hometown audience before a couple of jazz standards in Who Can I Turn To and That’s Life which featured Van rolling himself up into a big ball! We were now entering the closing stretch and the high energy Help Me was followed by the subtleties of Hyndford Street with Van playing guitar and taking us way way back. Gloria brought proceedings to a lively end with Van disappearing into the night as the band played on and cut loose with long individual solos.
This was a night to savour and one which will live long in the memory of the residents of Belfast (and one or two infiltraters like myself) present who were afforded the opportunity to share in the City’s official recognition of one of music’s genuine living legends.
-Brendan Hynes
Setlist
Celtic Swing
Moondance
Brown Eyed Girl
Sometimes We Cry
Ol' Black Magic
Magic Time
Mystic of the East
Whenever God Shines His Light
Days Like This
Baby Please Don't Go
Orangefield
Who Can I Turn To
That's Life
Help Me
On Hyndford Street
Gloria
