20-July-2015
Slieve Donard Hotel
 Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Setlist (Thanks Al B.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
By His Grace
Carrying A Torch
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Stop Drinking/My Babe/Don't Start Crying Now
I Believe To My Soul
Moondance
Days Like This
Wild Night
Sometimes We Cry
Whenever God Shines His Light
In The Midnight
In The Afternoon
The Things I Used To Do
And The Healing Has Begun
Little Queenie
Help Me
Ballerina
In The Garden

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

19-July-2015
Slieve Donard Hotel
 Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Setlist (Thanks Niall C.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough for Jazz
By His Grace 
Carrying a Torch
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Stop Drinking Wine
I Believe to my Soul
Blue Money
Once A Day
Days Like This
Precious Time
In The Afternoon/Burn Baby Burn
Whenever God Shines His Light
Moondance
In The Midnight
Things Used to Do
And The Healing Has Begun 
Help Me
Ballerina

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

17-July-2015
Ghent Jazz Festival
 Ghent, Belgium

Setlist (Thanks Wim)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
By His Grace
Carrying A Torch (w/Dana Masters)
Baby Please Don't Go
I Believe To My Soul
Moondance
Days Like This
Precious Time
Tore Down A La Rimbaud
Enlightenment
In The Afternoon/Burn Baby Burn
Whenever God Shines His Light (w/Dana Masters)
Think Twice Before You Go
It's All Over Now Baby Blue
And The Healing Has Begun
Help Me
Ballerina
Gloria

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

Van Morrison Interview with David Freeman for a Blues and Boogie Special

Van Morrison: In Interview with David Freeman for a Blues and Boogie Special by Jazz Fm on Mixcloud

Recorded July 5, 2015 in Brighton, England

09-July-2015
The Marquee
 Cork, Ireland

Brendan sent in this review
This was Van Morrison’s first concert in Cork since he played the Marquee exactly 10 years ago this week when he was promoting the Magic Time album. From the outset tonight the omens were not good as the concert was delayed for 15 minutes to allow for the majority of the audience to be coaxed from the bars. Even at that some seemed to be trying to get into the Guinness Book of Records for the number of drinks that one could carry into the arena with two hands. The annoyance didn’t stop there as many around where I was seated proceeded to talk and indeed laugh loudly throughout the entire concert stopping only momentarily to check Facebook or to get more drinks from the bar. True music devotees!

As for the concert itself, well it was very much the greatest hits roadshow once more but thankfully with a few sublime moments included along the way. After opening with pretty mundane versions of Celtic Swing and Close Enough for Jazz we then got a really nice By His Grace followed by an excellent Carrying A Torch with Van and Dana Masters excelling on shared vocals. Van’s only dialogue with the audience came when he introduced the rhythm and blues medley of Baby Please Don’t Go/Parchman Farm and Don’t Start Crying Now by crediting the three songwriters and informing us that he didn’t write any of them and thought we should know that. He subsequently referred to his comedic activity during the songs as “theatre”. As per usual they were all expertly delivered and got a great response.Days Like This and Enlightenment were followed by one of the few real highlights with an extended In The Afternoon. Moondance was followed by the always superb I Believe To My Soul before Precious Time brought us back down to earth with a shudder. Sometimes We Cry gave Dana another chance to shine before another raft of hits followed in Here Comes The Night, Wild Night, Whenever God Shines His Light, Brown Eyed Girl and Jackie Wilson Said.

Think Twice Before You Go and Things I Used To Do were well delivered and received and were immediately followed by the real highlight of the night in an extended And The Healing Has Begun which was a somewhat more forceful version than usual and quite brilliant with Van singing and humming relentlessly over his own guitar playing.Van departed at that stage but returned for one of the best versions of Gloria I have heard, largely after Van had departed leaving the band to cut loose which they certainly did with Paul Moore producing some incredibly intricate bass lines and Paul Moran showing all his keyboard skills on a really funky workout. Even Dana Masters got in on the act as she produced some vocal acrobatics with a somewhat primitive wailing chant to the lyrics of Gloria. It is hard to describe but absolutely incredible and fully deserving of the huge roar of approval that followed.

The concert lasted 1 hour and 43 minutes and was largely pretty mediocre fare in my view but which thankfully included moments that were magical.

-Brendan Hynes

The Irish Examiner (Source)
There's always a tinge of nervousness in the crowd in the build-up to a Van Morrison concert. Which version of the notoriously grumpy Ulsterman will take to the stage? The showman or the grouch who performs with his back to the audience.

The crowd assembled at the Marquee in Cork last night quickly realised they had struck gold.

Van took to the stage at 8.15 and laid down a marker in the early numbers to prove he was there to put on a show.

"This is show business, it's called theatre," he told the audience three songs in, as the lights and the drummer punctuated Van's hand gestures. From Morrison, that's practically banter.

It was hard to believe it was a 69-year-old man delivering the pared-back and polished 100 minute set that spanned five decades of music.

Van performed with a four man band and one backing singer forming a tight semi-circle around him on stage. He contributed himself to the instruments as well as the vocals - playing sax, harmonica and guitar during the night.

The set list was a clear crowd pleaser; 'Carrying A Torch' gave way to a mellow version of 'Days Like This', highlighting brilliant vocals from both the man himself and the backing singer.

'Enlightenment' followed, and then 'Moondance' segued into 'I Believe To My Soul', with the full house hugely appreciative of the well-known tracks.

It was a tight performance, with barely a beat between tracks. When the opening chords of 'Brown-eyed Girl' drew cheers and whoops it was hard to believe we were already an hour into the show.

Van famously doesn't appreciate sing-alongs, but his most famous hit followed by 'Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in heaven when you smile)' had the crowd ready to take to their feet.

They got their chance at the finish. Van left the stage after 'The Healing has Begun' and came back to end with a performance of 'Gloria' that came from 1965.

Kinsale musician Barry Tierney, a lifelong Van fan who has seen him perform many times, said it best after the gig.

"That was something a bit special."

Setlist (Thanks Al B.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
By His Grace
Carrying A Torch
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Cry Baby
Days Like This
Enlightenment
In The Afternoon/Burn Baby Burn
Moondance
I Believe To My Soul
Precious Time
Sometimes We Cry
Here Comes The Night
Wild Night
Whenever God Shines His Light
Brown Eyed Girl
Jackie Wilson Said
Think Twice Before You Go
Things I Used To Do
And The Healing Has Begun
Gloria

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

05-July-2015
Love Supreme Jazz Festival
 Sussex, England

Telegraph (Source)
It's been a good summer for Van Morrison, who has been knighted, honoured with the Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame and even got a hug from Lady Gaga.
As the closing act and headliner of the Love Supreme Festival last night he put on a remarkably upbeat and crowd-pleasing set that included versions of Gloria, Brown Eyed Girl, Wild Night, Moondance and a rare outing for Jackie Wilson Said.

The Love Supreme Festival, in Glynde Place, Sussex, is the UK’s only major greenfield jazz festival and there was a varied and vibrant line-up for its third year, which included Morrison, Dianne Reeves, Candi Staton and Lisa Stansfield.

Morrison, who is 70 in August, didn't speak much but was singing well and genuinely engaged with his set, which included cracking versions of Sonny Boy Williamson's Help Me and Ray Charles's I Believe To My Soul.

Over three days the festival featured more than 50 interesting and eclectic acts performing across four stages – big top, arena, bandstand and jazz lounge – and this year included Chaka Khan and Hugh Masekela. New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard gave a typically robust performance.

Among Saturday's highlights was a vibrant set featuring Jason Moran’s Elegy for Fats Waller, which had an encouragingly young jazz crowd up and dancing.

Hackney Colliery Band kicked off the action on the main stage on Sunday and although the weather was still gloomy, their set lifted the mood instantly. They even did a version of Kanye West's All of the Lights and joked that they hoped the crowd wouldn't boo because of that.

Gogo Penguin were on fine form on Saturday night in a packed The Arena, followed by an excellent set from Larry Graham.

One of the highlights of the Sunday programme was the impressive set from Florida-born Theo Croker. The 29-year-old trumpeter and bandleader – the grandson of Doc Cheatham – has charisma on stage and is a sophisticated player. His quintet, including the passionate tenor saxophone player Anthony Ware, played a lovely version of Joe Henderson's composition A Shade of Jade. And it was good to hear Pee Wee Ellis on tenor again as the former James Brown and Morrison musical director was playing with Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion.

That's one of the delights of Love Supreme. Modern intense jazz flows effortlessly alongside more popularist soul acts, and the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. There are aromatherapy massages and organic food stalls galore and a record shop selling old jazz and folk LPs. There's even a hall of mirrors and carousel for kids.
The festival takes idyllic surroundings of the Sussex Downs, just next to Glyndebourne Opera house, and as the sun sets and you listen to Sir Van the Man wail out Gloria you can relish the jazz answer to Glastonbury – especially when he namechecks the late, great Jimmy Witherspoon in a superb version of And The Healing Has Begun.
-Martin Chilton

Setlist (Thanks Chris S.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
By His Grace
Carrying A Torch
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway/Big Joe Turner/Burn Baby Burn
Moondance
I Believe To My Soul
Whenever God Shines His Light
Precious Time
Days Like This
Wild Night
Brown Eyed Girl
Jackie Wilson Said
Think Twice Before You Go
Things I Used To Do
And The Healing Has Begun
Help Me
Gloria

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

03-July-2015
Kongsberg Jazz Festival
 Kongsberg, Norway

Setlist (Thanks Ragnar)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
By His Grace
Carrying a Torch
The Way Young Lovers Do
Higher Than the World
Days Like This
Baby Please Don’t Go/ Parchman Farm/ Don't Start Crying Now
I Can't Stop Loving You
Wild Night
Moondance
Who Can I Turn To?
Precious Time
Whenever God Shines His Light
Here Comes the Night
Brown Eyed Girl
Bright Side Of The Road
Think Twice Before You Go
Things I Used To Do
Jambalaya
Help Me
Gloria/ Who Do You Love

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