25-November-2013
The Theater at Madison Square Garden
New York, USA

Pete from NYC sent in this review
It was very different from other VM shows I’ve seen. For one thing, it didn’t immediately blow me away. While the sound was excellent right from the start (as it always is at this venue), the energy seemed a bit on the mellow side at times. There were parts that I thought seemed a bit phoned in, such as “Open the Door” and “Whenever God Shines His Light”. And I thought he was playing a lot of mellow songs overall. Well, I thought, maybe this would be kind of an uneventful show.

But something else was different about this show – right after “Moondance”, Van started talking to the audience. He said he had a special treat for us, three “masters of vocalese” – Jon Hendricks (who is 92 years old!), Aria Hendricks and Kevin Burke. I had actually heard of Jon Hendricks because of Joni Mitchell’s cover of “Twisted”, which was originally done by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. I’d never heard him talk to the audience before, and it seemed like he didn’t want to shut up. He had a laid-back, light-hearted vibe that was very different from anything I’d seen him do before. The vocalese trio were amazing, and I knew we were getting something special and unique to that evening’s show.

The set list seemed kind of heavy on 80s and 90s deep cuts, which was fine. “Enlightenment” was really nice, and at the end of the song he sang, “Enlightenment, don’t care what it is.” It was the most relaxed and least cantankerous version I’ve personally seen of VM, and his changing that line seemed aligned with that. I was really happy to hear “Days Like This” and at one point I shut my eyes and just listened, and that’s where the show started to become transcendent for me.

Van was saving the high energy stuff for the end of the show, with an extremely fun and entertaining stretch beginning with “Baby Please Don’t Go” all the way to the end. “Brown Eyed Girl” was the longest, jammiest version I’ve ever heard. For “It’s All in the Game”, he was unbelievably chatty and was cracking jokes left and right! This was a side of Van I’d never seen and I feel so blessed to have gotten to experience it. “Gloria”, of course, closed the show, with a balls-to-the-wall drum solo after Van left the stage. What a night! We left happy.
-Pete S.

Setlist (Thanks to Michael S.)
Celtic Swing
Moondance
Centerpiece w/Jon Hendricks, Aria Hendricks & Kevin Burke
Sack of Woe w/Jon Hendricks, Aria Hendricks & Kevin Burke
Open the Door (To Your Heart)
Sometimes We Cry w/Shana Morrison
Old Black Magic w/Shana Morrison
Enlightenment
Whenever God Shines His Light
Days Like This
In the Midnight
Baby Please Don't Don't Go (Dedicated to Bert Berns)
Here Comes the Night
Brown Eyed Girl
It's All in The Game/Time is Running Out/No Plan B
Help Me
Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!
Chris White (Saxophone)
Alistair White (Trombone)
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Paul Moore (Bass)
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Jeff Lardner (Drums)
Shana Morrison (Vocals)
Bobby Ruggiero (Percussion)
Jay Berliner (Guitar)