The Music of Van Morrison
Carnegie Hall
21-March-2019
Mike Fishman checks in with his review of The Music of Van Morrison gig at Carnegie Hall in NYC:
With a venue as historic and acoustically sound as Carnegie Hall and an eclectic line-up of performers covering an array of musical styles, the Michael Dorf-presented Van Morrison tribute on March 21 promised an evening full of solid music. And indeed the night was “filled with space” and several welcome surprises. The surprises started early for me when I took my seat only to find sitting in the row behind me none other than the esteemed John Gilligan. Thus in good company, I settled in for the two hour show which proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable set of twenty Van songs covered by twenty artists. While some performances outshined others, all came from a place of deep appreciation for particular aspects of Van’s wide-ranging body of work.The evening started strongly with Brian Fallon performing a rollicking “High Summer,” suggesting that the setlist would draw from some unexpected quarters of Van’s vast oeuvre. This was followed by an early highlight, the Blind Boys of Alabama wonderful reading of “By His Grace,” the song extended nicely at the end. Shawn Colvin’s “Tupelo Honey” was sweet but earthbound, even with the excellent house band’s strong-groove support. The arrangement melded the sweet as you-know-what album version with the loose extended takes Van used to do in concert in the late 70’s but Colvin’s cover just failed to soar. Marc Cohn’s take on “Into the Mystic” started strongly but had me pining for the original.
Amy Helm and NYC high school singer Jayri Alvarez offered a duet on “If I Ever Needed Someone.” Alvarez gave an impressive performance, alternately tentative and soaring. Lee Fields followed with a powerful “And It Stoned Me,” the horns and Fields’ soulful phrasing emphasizing the soul of Van’s classic country soul song. Too bad Al Green wasn’t invited to the party; imagine what he could do with “Angeliou”! A somewhat flat “Wild Night” followed from Robert Earl Keen (sorry to say that but no one can sing “Ooo-oo-oo-oo-whee” like Van circa 1971).
A major high point of the evening followed with Josh Ritter absolutely inhabiting “Linden Arden Stole the Highlights,” nearly making time stand still. The Resistance Revival Chorus followed with a rousing, pitch-perfect “Days Like This.” A dapper Richard Marx gave his all for an energetic “Domino” that nevertheless lacked the freshness of the original, followed by a sweet and earnest “Purple Heather” from Anderson East.
Valerie June’s singular take on “Sweet Thing” was a stand-out, her high pitch eliciting a few nervous laughs in the crowd at the start but her performance growing mesmerizing with surprisingly deep growls as she stalked the stage. Stunning and unique. William Elliott Whitmore gave a spirited take on "Real Real Gone," just him and his guitar and some terrific vocal wailing and even a few roars; it would have been something to have him tear into “Listen to the Lion.” Low Cut Connie worked the stage and the piano with flair for a solid “Here Comes The Night.”
Bettye LaVette’s intense and heartfelt vocalizing on “Have I Told You Lately” found her at first not quite in sync with the band which threatened to overwhelm her carefully timed delivery but they eventually clicked and the end result was a bluesy, powerful version of the song. John Paul White gave a remarkable version of the unexpected “You’re My Woman,” bringing out both the tenderness and intensity of the original. David Johansen gave us a “My Lonely Sad Eyes” that was passionate but lacking Van’s bark and slur. The Secret Sisters performed a fine “Precious Time” that was its usual odd combo of downbeat lyrics and upbeat tempo. Wouldn't it be fascinating if Van did a slow version of this song, as he did with "Tore Down a la Rimbaud"?
Coming to the close of the show. Glen Hansard performed a ferocious “Astral Weeks” accompanied only by his acoustic guitar which he tore at furiously, complete with audience sing-a-long, not something that comes along every day. At the end of his intense performance, he made a quip about originally mis-hearing the line “I got a home on high” as “I got a hormone high” which got a laugh and no doubt considerable recognition from the audience. (Well, the original album did not include a lyric sheet and there is after all the 14-year-old girl sung about on “Cyprus Avenue”…) Todd Rundgren followed, enthusiastic and in fine voice, with “Brown Eyed Girl.” While there was surely more he could have done with the radio hit, he sang it rather straightforward, encouraging a sing-a-long, which didn't make for a particularly distinctive performance. One wonders what Rundgren might have done with, say, “Madame George.”
As expected, Patti Smith closed the evening with her version of “Gloria,” which she introduced humorously and graciously. “I know he doesn't like this version but I'm thanking him anyway. Thank you, Van!" Smith brought the proceedings to an electrifying close with her punk meets Dylan take on the classic garage band tune, showing how much can be done with a basic riff and a poetic sensibility. Overall, it was a satisfying tribute to a singular artist whose stature will surely only continue to grow.
-Mike Fishman
Set List:
Brian Fallon, “High Summer”
Blind Boys of Alabama, “By His Grace”
Shawn Colvin, “Tupelo Honey”
Marc Cohn and Shawn Colvin, “Into the Mystic”
Amy Helm and Little Kids Rock, ”If I Ever Needed Someone”
Lee Fields & the Expressions, “And It Stoned Me”
Robert Earl Keen, “Wild Night”
Josh Ritter, “Linden Arden Stole the Highlights”
Resistance Revival Chorus, “Days Like This”
Richard Marx, “Domino”
Anderson East, “Purple Heather”
Valerie June, “Sweet Thing”
William Elliott Whitmore, “Real Real Gone”
Low Cut Connie, “Here Comes The Night”
Bettye LaVette, “Have I Told You Lately”
John Paul White, “You’re My Woman”
David Johansen, “My Lonely Sad Eyes”
Secret Sisters, “Precious Time”
Todd Rundgren, “Brown Eyed Girl”
Glen Hansard, “Astral Weeks”
Patti Smith, “Gloria”