20-November-2015
3 Arena
 Dublin, Ireland

Brendan Hynes sent in this review
This was Van's first full concert show back in Dublin since the particularly triumphant one back in early 2012. Despite being seated in the front row it was my misfortune to encounter probably the most ignorant and noisy group of people (who were visitors from abroad) I have ever had to endure at a seated concert in the row behind who talked and laughed loudly throughout the entire concert (apart from the first two songs which they missed as they were still stocking up their drinks at the bar). Repeated requests to desist were met with derisory responses and they informed me that "Man,this is a rock concert" as an explanation. They reserved the maximum level of talking and laughing for the quietest numbers particularly And the Healing Has Begun, All In The Game and In The Garden. Wonderful!

The concert itself started pretty tamely with Van racing through Celtic Swing, Close Enough For Jazz, Magic Time, Days Like This and Keep It Simple in quick succession none of which reached any great heights in my opinion. A really strong version of Playhouse brought both the band and audience to life and featured a brilliant trumpet solo from Paul Moran. Sometimes We Cry featured a strong duet with Dana Masters with Van also playing some tambourine. The Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now/Custard Pie medley went down a treat and was notable for Van's change of wording during Parchman Farm to Communion Wine which he attributed to someone changing his script. Before embarking on In The Afternoon Van asked the audience if they were alright and if the people up the back could hear. While Van brought us down the ancient highway and onto the overpass that's as far as we got and the song ended quite abruptly before it really went anywhere. Talk Is Cheap was pretty ordinary fare but Not Feeling It Anymore was anything but with Van swaying over and back at the microphone and his feet shuffling as he sang.The audience loved this one and roared their approval. Things I Used To Do did very little for me but was followed by a strong Why Must I Always Explain with Van on electric guitar. The guitar stayed on for a welcome rendition of And The Healing Has Begun which didn't go on for as long as I would have liked but was great while it lasted. Whenever God Shines His Light was well delivered and received prompting a few dancers to emerge from the crowd. All In The Game got as far as No Plan B but not much further so we were not transported to the Burning Ground on this occasion as Van quite quickly departed the stage. Van returned for a lively Help Me before asking for a "big hand for the band" and exiting once more. As the annoying 90 minute mark had not yet been reached Van did return once more for a welcome and well received In The Garden which saw Van invoke the help of the 'holy guardian angels' before the 'no guru no method no teacher' chant after which he departed into the night leaving the band to excel with splendid solos culminating in Dana doing some great vocal work which drew a storm of approval from the audience. The reaction at the end was so strong that it prompted keyboard player Paul Moran to take an audience photo for posterity. Set time was 1h 37m.

-Brendan Hynes

Set List
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Magic Time
Days Like This
Keep It Simple
Playhouse
Sometimes We Cry
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now/Custard Pie
In The Afternoon
Talk Is Cheap
Not Feeling It Anymore
Things I Uses To Do
Why Must I Always Explain
And The Healing Has Begun
Whenever God Shines His Light
All In The Game
Help Me
In The Garden

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

16-November-2015
Europa Hotel
 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Brendan Hynes sent in this review
This was the second night of Van’s ‘Cleaning Windows’ gigs which were promoted on the basis of Van playing that particular song and others. No real surprise then that he didn’t in fact play Cleaning Windows tonight.

The show opened with an instrumental called Allow Me which was a nice deviation from the usual and somewhat predictable Celtic Swing opener. Symphony Sid which followed was well delivered and featured Dana Masters prominently on vocals. Sack of Woe included nice guitar and organ solos from Dave Keary and Paul Moran respectively before Van informed us it was time for some John Lee Hooker as he embarked on a lively Think Twice Before You Go. Higher Than The World brought us some welcome mysticism and was followed by a nice and somewhat varied rendition of Magic Time. The only problem was that Van seemed to be the only one unaware of the new ending as he stood wielding his saxophone for his usual solo only for Paul Moran to give the signal to the band to stop which they duly did. Van didn’t seem too pleased but sure it will keep him on his toes! Carrying A Torch was as good as ever and was followed by a stomping version of Wild Night which pleased American visitors and Van debutants Tim and Christine at our table no end. Keep It Simple saw Van become really engaged with the song culminating in him swaying repeatedly over and back at the microphone as he sang with real purpose.

Fresh from the great Bluesfest duet with Tom Jones last week on Not Feeling It Anymore the song made a welcome return to the set list tonight and it was a simply blistering rendition which brought many in the audience to their feet. It was probably the highpoint of the night! Baby Please Don’t Go/Parchman Farm/Don’t Start Crying Now were well played and went down well. In The Afternoon was another long and really good version which included Van deliberating at one point with Paul Moran about a place in Cornwall and asking him if he knew where it was. Van continued in jovial vein for a while before concluding that “this is good stuff”. Whenever God Shines His Light fairly moved at pace and included some interplay between Bobbie on drums, Dana with some percussion and Van on tambourine. Van again included some tambourine on Sometimes We Cry which featured great vocals from Dana earning her a well deserved ovation. Ballerina featured great Spanish guitar from Dave Keary earning an outstretched arm of recognition from Van who departed the stage shortly afterwards before returning for Gloria.This was a very long version largely I suspect down to a time filler required to bring the set time up to 90 minutes following a somewhat early departure by Van but it was another tremendous band performance including Paul Moore laying down some really intricate and funky bass lines, Paul Moran alternating between synth and organ and finally Dana performing tremendous vocal acrobatics.

The show lasted exactly 90 minutes and saw Van in quite good humour including asking Paul Moran to get the band to laugh at his jokes before then telling him to “fire them”. It was a solid enjoyable show which should set Van and the band up nicely for the big Dublin show next Friday.

-Brendan Hynes

Set List

Allow Me

Symphony Sid

Sack of Woe

Think Twice Before You Go

Higher Than The World

Magic Time

Carrying A Torch

Wild Night

Keep It Simple

Not Feeling It Anymore

Baby Please Don’t Go/Parchman Farm/Don’t Start Crying Now

In The Afternoon

Whenever God Shines His Light

Sometimes We Cry

Ballerina

Gloria

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

11-November-2015
Euskalduna Auditorium
 Bilbao, Spain

Setlist
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Higher Than The Wold
Days Like This
If You Only Knew
In The Midnight
Wonderful Remark
Sometimes We Cry
Playhouse
Precious Time
Enlightenment
Keep It Simple
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchmarn Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
In The Afternoon
Moondance
Think Twice Before You Go
Whenever God Shines His Light
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
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)

10-November-2015
Teatro Circo Price
 Madrid, Spain

Setlist
Celtic Swing
Close for the Jazz
Brown Eyed Girl
Days Like This
Precious Time
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
That's Life
If You Only Knew
Early in the Morning/Rock Me Baby
Think Twice Before You Go
I Believe To My Soul 
Moondance
Enlightenment
In The Afternoon
Magic Time
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
Whenever God Shines His Light
Help Me
Ballerina

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

08-November-2015
The O2
 London, England

Photo via Alan L.

Brendan Hynes sent in this review

Van Morrison and Tom Jones at O2 Arena, London 8th November 2015.

This was a much anticipated concert which brought together two septuagenarian music legends still performing great music so late in their careers.

First onstage was Van Morrison who started rather tamely with Celtic Swing and Close Enough For Jazz before a wonderful Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child got the show properly under way. A powerful Early In The Morning/Rock Me Baby went down a storm with the blues festival audience and featured a great organ solo by Paul Moran. In the Afternoon which followed was a great extended version the early part of which was marred for me by the now almost obligatory group of ignorant people talking loudly until I asked them to desist in no uncertain terms which mercifully had the desired effect. Playhouse fairly moved at pace and included nice guitar from Dave Keary and piano by Paul Moran. Days Like This and Precious Time brought somewhat of a lull to proceedings for me but were well received. Baby Please Don't Go/ Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now went down a storm as usual and featured Van singing the first two songs in the medley almost entirely through cupped hands and harmonica. I Can't Stop Loving You and Magic Time were well delivered but nothing exceptional but that cannot be said of All In The Game which followed and it was once again magnificent. This version saw Van return to the mantra of No Plan B/No Safety Net/This Is It before telling us over and over that Time Is Running Out. Van shuffled off stage still singing in the wings only to return for an encore and telling us he wanted to bring on his old friend Tom Jones. While waiting for Tom's arrival on stage Van informed us that for this show he had given us a mixture of the club sets and the bigger concert sets which pay the bills. Former band member Leo Green also joined proceedings on stage to play some great saxophone which certainly enhanced the band's sound. The first duet with Tom was a really strong slow blues number Sticks and Stones(I've Been Abused) which was followed by That Lonesome Road which saw Van become very amused by the depth of Tom's vocals. Finally we got a terrific performance of Not Feeling It Anymore which of course Tom also recorded back in the 1990s.As the song came to it's conclusion Van and Tom departed to great acclaim leaving the band to finish off aided in no small part by a blistering extended saxophone solo by Leo Green. I thought this song was the end of Van's involvement for the night but surprisingly this did not prove to be the case.

Tom Jones set opened with an incredible Burning Hell from his Praise and Blame album and his set drew heavily on material from that album and his Spirit In The Room and Long Lost Suitcase blues/soul/gospel albums . Tom's voice is simply phenomenal and at 75 really defies human logic. A cover of Leonard Cohen's Tower of Song was absolutely superb while Didn't It Rain brought the audience to their feet. Tom still managed to include a bluesy version of Sex Bomb while a calypso version of It's Not Unusual had the unfortunate effect of encouraging a troop of women to try to storm towards the stage only to be turned back by security staff who may have had worries on health and safety grounds about the possibility of injuries being caused by flying underwear.

When Tom returned for his encore he told us that Van was coming on to sing some more songs which was quite a surprise. The first duet performed was a fine version of the Chuck Willis number What Am I living For with both in fine voice as they traded vocals. The second number was the dreaded Goodnight Irene. This is a song I never desire to hear and whenever I do I hope it's the last time a singer will feel the need to say goodnight to Irene but alas.... Tom reminisced about first meeting Van in London in 1965 and attempted a number of times to engage Van in conversation but quite hilariously most of Van's responses were of the one word variety such as 'yes'and 'no'. Van kept asking after each song "what's next" and they were about to do the up tempo Strange Things from Tom's Praise and Blame album when the drummer intervened and said they had forgotten Sometimes We Cry. I for one am most grateful for his intervention because while I have heard Van sing this song with various singers over the years none come anywhere close to the sheer power with which Tom delivered his contribution. Van was suitably impressed too as he shouted "one more time" for a repeat chorus at the end. The aforementioned Strange Things brought the night's proceedings to a very lively end after almost 3 hours of top quality music leaving the audience very satisfied at the unique experience they had enjoyed which may never be repeated.

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist (Thanks Lynn C.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough for Jazz
Motherless Child
Early In The Morning
In The Afternoon/Burn Baby Burn
Playhouse
Days Like This
Precious Time
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchment Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
I Can't Stop Loving You
Magic Time
All In The Game/No Plan B/The Waiting Game
Sticks And Stones w/Tom Jones
Lonesome Road w Tom Jones
I'm Not Feeling it Anymore w/Tom Jones

Tom Jones Set
What Am I Living For w/ Tom Jones
Goodnight Irene w/ Tom Jones
Sometimes We Cry w/ Tome Jones
Strange Things w/ Tom Jones

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

The Complete Them 1964-1967 Three CD Set From Sony Legacy Coming in December

Pre-Order from Amazon.

The Complete Them 1964-1967, a 3-disc anthology, is the most thorough collection of Van Morrison's early studio and live performances ever assembled. It includes all material recorded for the first two Them albums - The Angry Young Them (1965) and Them Again (1966)- in addition to singles, demos, live sessions, alternate takes and rarities, many of them long unavailable or previously unreleased.

All tracks have been newly remastered for this collection and the package includes a 16-page booklet featuring an insightful new commentary on Them provided by Van Morrison.

Disc: 1
1. Don't Start Crying Now
2. One Two Brown Eyes
3. Baby Please Don't Go
4. Gloria
5. Philosophy
6. Here Comes The Night
7. All For Myself
8. One More Time
9. How Long Baby
10. Mystic Eyes
11. If You And I Could Be As Two
12. Little Girl (album version)
13. Just A Little Bit
14. I Gave My Love A Diamond
15. You Just Can't Win
16. Go On Home Baby
17. Don't Look Back
18. I Like It Like That
19. I'm Gonna Dress In Black
20. Bright Lights, Big City
21. My Little Baby
22. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
23. (It Won t Hurt) Half As Much

Disc: 2
1. Could You Would You
2. Something You Got
3. Call My Name (album version)
4. Turn On Your Love Light
5. I Put A Spell On You
6. I Can Only Give You Everything
7. My Lonely Sad Eyes
8. I Got A Woman
9. Out Of Sight
10. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
11. Bad Or Good
12. How Long Baby
13. Hello Josephine
14. Don't You Know
15. Hey Girl
16. Bring 'Em On In (album version)
17. Richard Cory
18. Friday's Child
19. The Story Of Them Part 1
20. The Story Of Them Part 2
21. Times Getting Tougher Than Tough
22. Stormy Monday Blues
23. Baby What You Want Me To Do

Disc: 3
1. Don't Start Crying Now (demo)
2. Gloria (demo)
3. One Two Brown Eyes (demo)
4. Stormy Monday Blues (demo)
5. Turn On Your Love Light (alternate version)
6. Baby Please Don't Go (Take 4)
7. Here Comes The Night (Take 2)
8. Gloria(Live on BBC's "Saturday Club")
9. All For Myself(Live on BBC's "Saturday Club")
10. Here Comes The Night(Live on BBC's "Saturday Club")
11. Little Girl (version one)
12. Go On Home Baby (Take 4)
13. I Gave My Love A Diamond (Take 8)
14. (It Won't Hurt) Half As Much (Take 2)
15. My Little Baby (Take 1)
16. How Long Baby (Take 1)
17. One More Time (Take 14)
18. Gloria(Live on BBC's "Saturday Club")
19. Here Comes The Night(Live on BBC's "Saturday Club")
20. One More Time(Live on BBC's "Saturday Club")
21. Call My Name (single version)
22. Bring 'Em On In (single version)
23. Mighty Like A Rose
24. Richard Cory (Alternate Version)