14-June-2016
Hampton Court
East Molesey, England

via Mathew Jeffrey

Brendan Hynes sends in this review
Van Morrison made a welcome return tonight to Hampton Court Palace which has regularly inspired him to deliver outstanding performances at the venue over recent years. The show opened unsurprisingly with Celtic Swing and Close Enough For Jazz before Van announced that we were going to have some trombone tonight at which point jazz legend Chris Barber took to the stage and he was immediately involved to great effect in a cover called I'm Going Home. Magic Time which followed saw Van in great voice on a particularly strong version. When this was followed by a magical rendition of Did Ye Get Healed it was clear that Van was up for the concert tonight as he brought the music up and down and back up again to great effect. St James Infirmary got a relatively rare outing with Van prominent on saxophone. Van then raised the tempo with a powerful Wavelength which featured a great guitar solo from Dave Keary and Van playing tambourine with rare enthusiasm.Wild Night kept up the high tempo before Carrying A Torch was delivered to great acclaim.Whenever God Shines His Light featured great guitar and trombone solos and was one of the best versions I have heard. I Believe To My Soul brought us back to 'Its Too Late To Stop Now' territory and saw both Van and Dana Masters in great voice throughout.Enlightenment was notable for a nice trombone solo from Chris Barber and was followed by In The Afternoon which saw Van repeat the phrase "keep on rockin' if it feels good" over and over after he had safely negotiated the ancient highway. Baby Please Don't Go /Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now featured some great improvised trombone playing by Chris Barber which enhanced delivery no end. Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl were enthusiastically received by the more boisterous audience members and were followed by a song I didn't recognise which may be titled Its Too Late. Help Me saw Van enter the finishing straight in a high powered version which featured a great trombone solo from Chris Barber and saw Paul Moran excel on organ throughout. After a quick departure Van returned one last time for Gloria to greatly please the enthusiastic audience who were now on their feet and indeed many had rushed towards the front of the stage.When Van had finally departed the stage the band cut loose with extended solos from each band member with Paul Moran on organ,Paul Moore on funky bass, Chris Barber on trombone, Dave Keary on guitar and Dana Masters on vocals all delivering their party pieces before this week's drummer Mez Clough delivered a fine drum solo to considerable acclaim from the excited audience.

While this show didn't reach the transcendental heights of previous shows at the venue it did see Van in fine voice and giving a committed performance throughout. Set time was 1h 42m.
-Brendan Hynes

Get Surrey
The king of the troubadours brought a sell-out crowd at Hampton Court Palace to its feet with a storming version of Gloria to finish a polished performance earlier this week.

Typically, rather than milking the applause, Morrison exited the stage mid-song to leave the rest of the band to finish the concert.

It was a fitting climax to a masterclass where Morrison effortlessly eased through a set of more than 20 tracks from his extensive back catalogue, with the addition of a cover of St James Infirmary, presumably added to demonstrate the talents of the octogenarian trombonist Chris Barber.

Older readers will remember Barber as a band leader, and he surprisingly played the whole show.

The rest of the band comprised drums, bass, guitar, backing singer and a keyboardist who doubled as trumpeter.

With a jazzy feel throughout, Morrison kicked off his set with the instrumental Celtic Swing, moving seamlessly into Close Enough For Jazz and then one classic track after another, including a sensational version of Moondance.

Others included Brown Eyed Girl, Carrying A Torch, Whenever God Shines His Light On Me, Baby Please Don’t Go and Magic Time.

Contrary to his reputation as a moody performer, the Blues Brother look-alike certainly appeared to enjoy himself throughout the show, while directing his ensemble with a military precision and having a stage hand on constant duty to receive instructions.

Now into his seventies, his voice is as strong as ever and it is clear that Van is still "the man".
-Chaz Brooks

Setlist (Thanks Wim)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Going Home
Magic Time
Did Ye Get Healed?
St. James Infirmary
Wavelength
Wild Night
Carrying A Torch
Whenever God Shines His Light
I Believe To My Soul
Enlightenment
In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway/Burn Baby Burn/Raincheck
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
Moondance
Brown Eyed Girl
Too Late (New Song)
Help Me
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Paul Moore (Bass)
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Mez Clough (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)
Chris Barber (Trombone)