01-March-2015
Nell's Jazz and Blues Bar
 London, England

Brendan's take on night two at Nell's
After the predicable Celtic Swing opener to the second night of shows at this very intimate venue Van then delivered Close Enough For Jazz and a jazzy Back on Top in quick succession before performing a really strong version of You Don’t Know Me helped in no small part by brilliant vocals from Dana Masters which saw her get a well deserved ovation from the tightly packed audience. Paul Moran did a superb trumpet solo which enhanced this number even further. Think Twice Before You Go saw Van unleash the band at full throttle with a terrific version before we had the first of many surprises with the playing of Wild Honey with Van and Dana exchanging vocals beautifully throughout. Paul Moore delivered a really intricate bass solo towards the end much to Van’s obvious approval as he shouted “yeah” I can’t remember when, if ever, I heard Van sing this live but it was worth the wait. Without giving us any chance to recover Van launched straight into a powerful Foreign Window with some band members looking quite ecstatic with the magic of it all. Whenever God Shines His Light not only gave Dana a further chance to excel on shared vocals but also included nifty guitar from Dave Keary and bass from Paul Moore.

At this stage Van started inviting requests and a very popular gentleman in the front row suggested And The Healing Has Begun to which Van instantly said “ok” What followed was around 10 minutes of musical magnificence with Van totally in the zone. He played guitar throughout and was aided in no small measure by brilliant guitar playing by Dave Keary and a further fine bass solo from Paul Moore. That’s Life was powerfully delivered with Van asking the audience at the end if it was really possible for him to roll himself up in a big ball. Oh how we laughed! Symphony Sid returned us briefly to jazz territory with more great vocals from Dana while Keep it Simple was introduced by Van as a selection of George Formby’s hits.

When Van announced Philosopher’s Stone as a request a woman near the front could contain her excitement no longer and shouted up “you’re a good man Van” to which he replied “I know I am -I have a lot of bills to pay!” To my horror Van then asked “which version?” so fearing a repeat of the infamous fast rhythm and blues version from a year or so ago which desecrated this classic I found myself shouting “SLOW” and without further ado that is what was delivered in superb fashion to an audience which was now quite ecstatic. Centrepiece brought things down slightly before requests were again invited resulting in a welcome airing of Did Ye Get Healed which got a great response.

Van then shifted into blues territory with a tremendous How Can A Poor Boy merging with Pagan Heart and finally I Put A Spell On You. The lucky audience members were reeling at this stage as he performed a beautiful Celtic Excavation/Into the Mystic before exiting the stage to great acclaim. He quickly returned to deliver a stomping version of Help Me before finally departing and leaving the band to express themselves even further. Set time was 1h 40m.

This was a truly unique night with Van clearly in great form as he plucked classics on request from the audience and delivered them as only he can. Apart From the opening Celtic Swing instrumental no other song from the previous night was repeated as Van (in the spirit of the new album title) re-worked the catalogue. And what a catalogue it is! This concert was a masterclass from a musical genius and one that will live long in the memory of the lucky 300 or so in attendance!
-Brendan Hynes

Setlist (Thanks Mike S.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Back On Top
You Don't Know Me
Think Twice Before You Go
Wild Honey
Foreign Window
Whenever God Shines His Light 
Healing Has Begun
That's Life
Symphony Sid
Keep It Simple
Philosophers Stone
Centerpiece
Did Ye Get Healed
How Can a Poor Boy/Pagan Heart
Celtic Excavation/Into the Mystic
Help Me

Big Hand for The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Paul Moore (Bass)
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Bobby Ruggiero (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)