31-August-2015
Cyprus Avenue
 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Photo via Pablo G.

Here are Brendan's thoughts on both shows
(1st Show)
As the clock ticked ever closer to the start time of 3.00pm one surprising observation given the overwhelming demand for tickets was that there were several rows of empty seats at the rear of the seating area and they remained unfilled throughout the concert. Just as Van Morrison and his band hit the stage the skies opened and rain cascaded down to dampen the spirits somewhat.When Van opened with the fairly routine numbers Celtic Swing and Close Enough For Jazz followed by Moondance I felt somewhat deflated as I was expecting something a lot different on this special day.Two duets followed with PJ Proby on Whatever Happened To PJ Proby and Chris Farlowe on Born To Sing and while they were enjoyable enough they were a long way below my expectations from the day. However, Van then announced a dedication to Brian Keenan before unleashing an imperious version of Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child with Van emphasing the word 'freedom' over and over to great effect and Paul Moran playing exceptional organ throughout. This was incredible and I found myself exclaiming that this was the sort of music I had come to hear! When a wonderful Mystic From The East followed, things were much brighter on the avenue and even the rain had cleared as the sun shone down on us all.The opening notes of Brown Eyed Girl provided a quick reality check however and when regular and somewhat overplayed setlist numbers such as Days Like This,Baby Please Don't Go and Enlightenment followed in quick succession the concert had reverted back to being a somewhat mediocre one.By the time Van had finished the Guitar Slim song Things I Used To Do, I had more or less resigned myself to the concert being a missed opportunity and quite a let down given the occasion. But then it happened! Van strapped on his guitar and without warning transported us through a magical music tour featuring three of the greatest songs he has written in his long and distinguished career.And The Healing Has Begun was stunning and seemed to go on for ever before being followed by a wonderful Ballerina which included a Cyprus Avenue reference by Van. After departing the stage we didn't have to wait long for Van's return,not for Gloria,but to the wonderful piano strains of In The Garden. Van was unstoppable by now and he brought things right down low before urging us all to sing it as he moved into the No Guru No Method No Teacher chant to the extraordinary sight of the entire audience jumping to their feet in unison to sing the words back to Van. This was very special and as Van departed the stage the band played on for a few more minutes to rapturous applause. What a finale we had witnessed and one sensed it had changed the whole mood entirely. The set time was 1h 27m.

Setlist
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Moondance
Whatever Happened to PJ Proby w/PJ Proby
Born to Sing w/Chris Farlowe
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Mystic of the East
Brown Eyed Girl
Days Like a This
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm
Cry Cry Baby
Sometimes We Cry
Whenever God Shines His Light
Enlightenment
Things I Used To Do
Healing Has Begun
Ballerina
In The Garden

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

Photo via Pablo G.

(2nd Show)
As we walked down the avenue again for the second show there was much speculation as to what would be played this time. It seemed inconceivable and indeed illogical that Cyprus Avenue and indeed Madame George(with its Cyprus Avenue references) would not be played but with Van Morrison there had to be an element of doubt. As it transpired, he again played neither much to the disappointment of many including myself thereby emphasising that the only predictable thing about Van is his unpredictability!

After the show opened as ever with Celtic Swing we then got a really good version of Kingdom Hall to liven up proceedings considerably. When Van introduced Carrying A Torch as their latest hit and joked about the BBC Radio 2 playlist it was clear he was in more relaxed mode. Aided in no small part by Dana Masters on vocals, the song delivered yet again to great acclaim. After reprising his earlier duet with PJ Proby, Van brought the Belfast influences to bear with a stirring Cleaning Windows. Days like This and Precious Time were nothing out of the ordinary but the same cannot be said of Mystic From The East and Sometimes I Feel like A Motherless Child which were both played again and once more were quite wonderful. Sometimes We Cry was sung with great energy by both Van and Dana before being followed by Van's favourite medley of Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm(which Van again made a point of crediting to Mose Alison) and Don't Start Crying Now. Van picked out someone in the front row before the replicated gun shots during Parchman Farm telling him he was a 'sitting duck'. Whenever God Shines His Light gave one last chance to the dancers amongst us to let loose before we embarked on the homeward journey with Van firmly in the zone. It started with an extended and quite magnificent It's All In The Game with Van giving it the full treatment taking us to the burning ground then on to the factory before picking up the sack and mopping his brow from the mid day sun. At one stage Van brought everything down so low you could have heard a pin drop as the audience fell virtually totally silent which is a feat in itself given the audience behaviour at outdoor concerts in particular these days. Finally, we had Van emitting various sounds and pleading over and over 'Daddy please take me to the burning ground' before slowly leaving the stage after just one hour. Mercifully Van's somewhat premature exit was simply for effect and he returned for four more numbers starting with a duet with Chris Farlowe on Stand By Me which saw Chris change the lyrics slightly to 'as long as Van Morrison Stands By Me'. And The Healing Has Begun was unsurprisingly rapturously received once again before an extended Help Me followed which saw Van and the band go into overdrive on what was a great version. When Van departed once more it appeared it might all be over but he returned one more time to deliver On Hyndford Street to an ecstatic response particularly from many of those who had travelled from abroad who were hearing it live for the first time and were virtually gasping for breath afterwards. Van made a number of humorous references during this rendition including to the the inclusion of a line which he said he couldn't believe he had put in. After using the phrase 'lit up inside' Van said he was plugging the book and that there were some on sale. We all laughed merrily of course! Finally, Van kept repeating the phrases "the only time is now" and "in the eternal presence" over and over before thanking the band and heading off in to the night. Another person who would have been well worthy of mention at that point was the one and only Maurice Kinkead whose vision and great endeavour played such a huge part in making the event happen. The set time was 1h 30m.

Setlist
Celtic Swing
Kingdom Hall
Carrying a Torch
Whatever Happened to PJ Proby w/PJ Proby
Cleaning Windows
Days Like This
Precious Time
Mystic of the East
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
Sometimes We Cry
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Cry Cry Baby
Whenever God Shines His Light
It's All in the Game
Stand By Me w/Chris Farlowe
Healing Has Begun
Help Me
On Hyndford Street

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

My overall perspective on the event was that it was the dedicated and indeed fortunate fans who managed to attend both shows who really got to enjoy the full Cyprus Avenue experience as they were afforded the opportunity to marry the really significant and outstanding moments of real excellence from each show into an abiding memory truly befitting the occasion.
-Brendan Hynes

Chrissie Hynde