14-November-2017
Philharmonic Hall 
Liverpool, England

Brendan reports from Beatle Town
The fifth leg of Van Morrison's UK tour took him to this impressive concert hall where Van replicated the opening three songs from recent shows but there was to be nothing predictable about this performance. A committed Too Much Trouble was followed by Magic Time which featured really good solos from Dave Keary on electric guitar and Paul Moran on trumpet.The Baby Please Don't Go medley included Move On Down The Line for a bit of variety and was followed once more by Here Comes The Night. At this point we had one of my favourite sights at a Van concert as Van made his way to the piano which usually results in quality material being bestowed on the audience and sure enough tonight was no exception as Van delivered a powerful Vanlose Stairway. The band were particularly animated as if a surge of additional energy had passed through them with Paul Moran bopping up and down at his keyboards before delivering a blistering organ solo. Dana Masters contributed massively on backing vocals to complement Van's as he reminded us over and over that "Kilroy Was Here". The standing ovation at the conclusion from several in the audience was richly deserved. Did Ye Get Healed was a joy to hear once more and featured really nice guitar and trumpet solos before Van implored his backing singers to "sing it with me" and then finish with some nice saxophone. Days Like This slowed the pace somewhat before another visit to Little Village which was rapturously received. Van then reached into his treasure trove once more to deliver a stunning The Way Young Lovers Do on which Teena Lyle excelled on xylophone. Carrying A Torch featured the combined vocal powers of Van and Dana to great effect in a stunning version before Have I Told You Lately saw Dana to the forefront once more. Broken Record on this occasion provided a platform for several impressive band solos before we were treated to an extended In The Afternoon which featured a loud scream from an excited female member of the audience just as Van took us down the ancient highway. Brown Eyed Girl indicated that the end was nigh but not before we heard the wonderful piano strains which represent the entry point to In The Garden which was beautiful and featured a fantastic acoustic guitar solo by Dave Keary before Van called on the assistance of the Holy Guardian Angel over and over again. Van departed at this point before returning for Gloria which saw the band engage in the usual extended jam session to close which included an unbelievably good organ solo by Paul Moran.

This was a superb concert and probably the best I have seen by Van in 2017.
-Brendan Hynes

Setlist
Wait A Minute Baby
Moondance/Look Beyond The Hill
Warm Love
Too Much Trouble
Magic Time
Baby Please Don't Go/ParchmanFarm/Don't Start Crying Now/Move On Down The Line
Here Comes The Night
Vanlose Stairway
Did Ye Get Healed
Days Like This
Little Village
The Way Young Lovers Do
Carrying A Torch
Have I Told You Lately (fast version)
Broken Record
In The Afternoon
Brown Eyed Girl
In The Garden
Gloria

Set Time 1h 40m

Big Hand For The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Paul Moore (Bass)
Paul Moran (Keyboards/Trumpet)
Mez Clough (Drums)
Teena Lyle (Percussion, Vocals)
Dana Masters (Vocals)