Thursday, November 11, 2021

10-November-2021
Millennium Forum
Derry, Northern Ireland

Brian's thoughts on Derry night 1
I attended my first Van show in several years on a whim, having made a late decision to attend just the night before. The tickets came courtesy of a kindly list member, Darren O'Beirne, who offered two front row seats at face value (did I mention front row seats?). I had no real expectations about what I was going to get from Van and was very pleasantly surprised. I’ve seen him enough (hundreds of times since the 70”s) to know a good performance when I see one. 

Onto the show, we caught the opening act, Dea Matrona and I really liked them. They are an up-and-coming trio of young girls. They’re not the finished article, but I think they’ve got the potential to break out. 

Van came on promptly at 8 and delivered a fast-paced bluesy, jazzy be-bop set and I LOVED it. He was on and engaged and while the setlist was not what I personally might have chosen, it was really well constructed as a performance and entity. Without going through the setlist which others have posted, he started off with a bunch of songs from his Latest Record Project. Having heard them on CD and Spotify I couldn’t believe the difference (Improvement) in the songs when performed live. Van belted out the tunes with the backing of his slick and professional band. If i had my druthers, I could've used a little guitar from Van (he didn't pick one up) but there was some absolutely stellar harp work. 

Am I mistaken, or is Van’s voice getting better? This is no tribute act or band, this is a singer in command of his god given talents with a great set of musicians supporting him. Even the much derided Broken Record worked really well in this environment. The set was over all too soon for me, but I left feeling the whole rushed effort to get to see the show was wholly worthwhile. So, thanks once again Darren O'Beirne for the “nudge” to attend, and thanks to Van Morrison. My advice, if you stick to songwriting and performing music, you can’t go wrong and you’ll have a great career. I’m back on the train. A big hand for the band! 

Ps did I mention I got to witness all of this from the front row? Couldn’t take my eyes off of Van but unfortunately couldn’t see the lovely Teena Lyle or Elle Cato although I did catch Teena’s “Swim” dance when standing for the encore. 
-Brian H.

Setlist 
Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night 
Double Agent 
Thank God for the Blues 
Up County Down 
Days Like This 
Don't Worry About A Thing 
Gonna Send You Back 
Symphony Sid 
Sometimes We Cry 
In The Midnight 
Baby Please Don't Go 
Think Twice Before You Go 
Ain't Gonna Moan No More 
Broken Record 
Foreign Window 
Magic Time 
Moondance/My Funny Valentine 
Wild Night 
Cleaning Windows 
Help Me 
Brown Eyed Girl 
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Piano, Keyboards, Trumpet)
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Elle Cato (Vocals)
Richard Dunn (Keyboards)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 

Sunday, November 07, 2021

07-November-2021
St. David's Hall
Cardiff, Wales

Setlist
 
Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night 
Double Agent 
Thank God for the Blues 
Up County Down 
Days Like This 
Precious Time 
In the Midnight  
Baby Please Don't Go / Got My Mojo Working 
Think Twice Before You Go 
Sometimes We Cry 
Magic Time 
Jumpin' With Symphony Sid 
Foreign Window 
Vanlose Stairway 
Wild Night 
Ain't Gonna Moan No More 
Broken Record 
Moondance  
The Healing Game 
Help Me
 
Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Piano, Keyboards, Trumpet)
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Elle Cato (Vocals)
Richard Dunn (Keyboards)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 

06-November-2021
New Theatre Oxford
Oxford, England
Oxford Mail (Source) 
After missing out on numerous cancelled concerts due to the pandemic, I’m keen to see as many bands as I can right now. 

So I was delighted when Van Morrison included New Theatre Oxford on his tour dates. 

I have been listening to the legendary singer since I arrived at Bangor University in 1985 and a guy in my hall of residence persuaded me that the Moondance and Hard Nose the Highway albums were an inspired lifestyle choice, and I have been enjoying his records ever since. 

What could go wrong? Nothing really, unless the star – who has a reputation for being slightly grumpy – used the stage as a soapbox to start ranting about coronavirus or anything else bugging him. 

That wasn’t the case at all, and he arrived on stage with seven other talented musicians including two keyboard players and two female backing singers. 

With guitars, saxophone and a double bass it was a full, rich accompaniment to Van’s soulful voice, which still sounds very strong at the age of 76. 

With just a short introduction from a member of the band, Van Morrison, looking smart in shades, hat and blue suit, embarked on an energetic 90-minute set. 

The first five songs all came from his new album, Latest Record Project Vol 1, and although I hadn’t heard them before, they were all strong, fairly up-tempo melodies I could get along with. Deadbeat Saturday Night has a lovely swing to it and Up County Down is catchy too. 

Pausing for breath – but not to talk to the audience – Van took his foot off the gas with crowd pleaser Days Like This was followed by other favourites including Precious Time (from Back on Top), Foreign Window (No Guru, No Method, No Teacher) and Sometimes We Cry from The Healing Game. 

With such an extensive back catalogue the slight worry for anyone going to a Van concert is that he will pick too many songs you are unfamiliar with. 

But luckily I didn’t experience that problem – I recognised more tunes than I thought I was going to and Baby Please Don’t Go, an R&B number Van first performed with his band Them in the sixties, was a feisty reminder of his longevity. 

‘I’ve got my mojo working,’ he reminded us and by this point in the show no one was going to argue. 

Think Twice Before You Go was followed by Broken Record and then Van launched into Moondance, signalling to the crowd that we were more than half way through the evening. 

The delivery of Moondance was a little too jazzy for my taste but he delivered a more traditional take of Whenever God Shines His Light, which won plenty of applause. 

In the Midnight from Back on Top concluded the main set before Van Morrison left the stage, only to return shortly after a few minutes for the encores, Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria, a 20-minute rock ‘n’ roll finale to showcase his band of musicians and their undoubted talents. 

Afterwards, I realised that only a few people in the section of the theatre where I was sitting were wearing masks. 

But venue staff were meticulous as usual in checking everyone’s Covid passes on entry so it didn’t stop me from enjoying such an enthusiastic performance. 
-Andrew Ffrench 

Pat Corley' Blog has review of gig 

This is the second time I have stayed in Oxford for a Van Morrison concert. The previous occasion was when me and Kim went to see Van & Joan Armatrading play at Blenheim Palace about fifteen years ago. This time he was in concert at the New Theatre on George Street. I got to Oxford in the afternoon and made my way to my hotel in Wellington Square. I had intended to have a look around the famous Ashmolean Museum, but in the end, I stayed in my room listening to the football. My team Peterborough narrowly lost 1-0 to Fulham. Finally, I made my way to the Wig & Pen pub. After a while fellow Van fans Emer, Jane & Fumiko arrived. The pub was packed and noisy, but we managed to find a corner that was a bit quieter and ordered some food. Eventually we made our way across the road to the theatre. Van and his seven-piece band were promptly on stage at 8.00. There were two different members from the last time I saw Van back in September. I hadn’t seen the new backing singer Elle Cato before. I thought she was an impressive addition to the band. There was also an extra keyboard player sitting behind Paul Moran who I am quite certain is Richard Dunn who played on Van’s most recent album. 

Read the rest of review here.

Setlist 
Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night
Double Agent
Sometimes We Cry
Symphony Sid
Broken Record
Foreign Window
Thank God For The Blues
Precious Time
Up County Down
Ain’t Gonna Moan No More
Days Like This
Baby Please Don’t Go /Got My Mojo Working
Think Twice Before You Go
Moondance
Cleaning Windows
Wild Night
Whenever God Shines His Light
Magic Time
In The Midnight
Help Me
Brown Eyed Girl
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Richard Dunn (Keyboards)
Elle Cato (Vocals)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 

Friday, October 29, 2021

29-October-2021
Sheffield City Hall
Sheffield, England 


There’s something about Van Morrison that inspires devotion amongst his legion of fans. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve seen him before, they’re always up for the chance to enjoy another live show. For me, this was the first time I’d ever seen him, and almost straight away, I found myself thinking, why have I waited this long? He delivered just what everyone wanted: a perfect mix of new tracks, old tracks, crowdpleasers and cover versions.
He started with a selection from his 2021 album. You had to know that. He wasn’t about to break the habit of a lifetime and announce anything; he just launched into one superb song after another, with not one single word of chat to the audience. But that’s what Van is known for, that’s precisely what we got, and I have no problem with it. The band of outstanding musicians knew him well enough for him to call out the next song, just as the previous one was finishing, and off they went on another journey into his unique brand of soul and R&B – all filtered through a life of listening to folk, gospel, rock, jazz and even traditional Irish music.
After five songs, he signaled the end of the ‘new stuff’ section of the show by launching into ‘Moondance’, which also served to showcase what an accomplished saxophone player he is. Older tracks then alternated with cover versions, for the next hour or more, before he left the stage. The band stayed on. We all knew there would be more, and they weren’t going to waste our time with that ‘pretend last song’ charade. An encore of ‘Brown Eyed Girl’, and the anthemic ‘Gloria’ – the original garage-band classic, from the very start of his career, and that was it.
But that was only part of the fun. I was just as fascinated by the folks who had come out on a Friday night to see their hero. From my balcony seat I watched how the front row fans, who I’m thinking paid top-dollar to be up close, were somewhat reluctant to get up and boogie along with the R&B and soul groove that the superb band was laying down. No such reservations in the Upper Circle, however. They were having one hell of a party in the cheap seats: standing up, dancing and singing along from ‘Moondance’ onwards. I’m sitting up there next time. Between the two tribes, sitting in the Circle, we were a somewhat mixed bunch. There was some muted tutting at the odd rebel who got up and danced, but in the main, we remained seated until the end. I’m sure I caught the guy next to me tapping his knees with both hands at one point, but he soon calmed down. All in all a superb night.
Setlist (Thanks John C.)
Latest Record Project
Deadbeat Saturday Night
Double Agent
Thank God for The Blues 
Up County Down 
Days Like This 
Broken Record 
Moondance 
Cleaning Windows 
Baby Please Don't Go/Got My Mojo Working 
I Can Tell 
Ain't Gonna Moan No More 
Sometimes We Cry 
Symphony Sid 
Wild Night 
Real Real Gone 
Precious Time 
In The Afternoon/Big Joe Turner/Sitting Pretty 
Did Ye Get Healed 
Help Me 
Brown Eyed Girl 
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Elle Cato (Vocals)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 

Thursday, October 28, 2021

27-October-2021
Powerhaus
London, England


Pamela was at both Powerhaus gigs:
Having been on a high for the past few days after attending both Powerhaus gigs I thought I would write some impressions for you. The first thing to say is that Van seemed to really enjoy himself on stage both nights. I have always thought Chris Farlowe brings out the best in Van and that was very obvious this week. 

Night One 
No surprises for the first half in terms of song selection but all very enjoyable. Sometimes We Cry and Magic Time were particular standouts, the former proving an excellent showcase for new vocalist Elle Cato, who has a fantastic voice. She had been very nervous in what was, in effect, her audition to replace Chantelle Duncan and this song helped to settle her. The gig went to a different level with Chris Farlowe's introduction and a very nice rendition of the somewhat rare Transformation. As Chris left the stage, Matt Jeffrey seated next to me in the front row requested The Healing Game. Van seemed a bit worried, saying "I don't know" and Paul Moran told Van that they didn't know it. Van then asked for another request and my husband, Chris, called out for And the Healing Has Begun. Van immediately agreed, popped his electric guitar strap onto his shoulder and, to use Brendan Hynes’ expression, we needed our seatbelts for what ensued! An amazing rendition of Healing, followed by Vanlose and then a magnificent Carrying A Torch, which again allowed Elle to shine in a stunning duet with Van. It was also nice to hear the Trans-Euro train coda to Vanlose with Kilroy getting a few mentions! 

Ain't Gonna Moan was a fine version and then Chris Farlowe reappeared for the Stormy Monday medley. I have never seen Van laugh so much as he did here, especially during Take Your Hand Out of My Pocket (not included in the setlist posted earlier). At times Van was doubled up in laughter and unable to sing! Chris remained on stage for Help Me as Van joked in his intro and then Gloria featured Van once more doubled up in laughter and a lot of improvisation concerning bedsheets and laundry! Van and Chris left the stage together and an incredible band jam ended the gig. A wonderful night, made even better as I saw Van afterwards and told him what an amazing gig it was. He smiled, seeming to be pleased! 

Night Two
This gig managed to top the previous night! It really took off in Parchman when Matt Jeffrey, again sitting next to me, shouted "yeah" at the "all I did was shoot my wife “ line. Van paused and asked "who said that?" Matt replied and Van doubled up in laughter, saying “ no comment”! After that there were several broad smiles from Van and, with the introduction of Chris Farlowe, we again had to fasten our seatbelts. 

Baby Blue was terrific, and when Van invited the audience to sing the chorus we knew something special was happening. It certainly showed how much Van was enjoying himself. 

As Chris Farlowe left the stage, my husband shouted for St Dominic’s Preview. Van immediately agreed, reaching for the acoustic guitar and then switching to electric a few bars in. A transcendent delivery, and he stayed on electric guitar for Healing and Vanlose, both magnificent. Three great songs on guitar - what a treat! Torch was equally stunning. Baby What You Want Me To Do seemed to be a spontaneous choice from Van. Dave Keary was momentarily surprised (possibly by Van mumbling the lesser known title?) and Van had to add additional info, repeating "Jimmy Reed" a couple of times! A great version ensued, with Van gesticulating animatedly. 

It seemed that Van had got carried away and suddenly realised that he was out of time so he went straight into Gloria and made his getaway, leaving the band to do another wonderful jam, including great scatting and some more audience participation from Elle, who was relaxing into her role. 

All in all, two wonderful nights. We are so lucky in London to get the chance to see him reasonably regularly in small venues like Powerhouse and Nell's.
-Pamela K.

Setlist 
Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night 
Double Agent 
Thank God For The Blues 
Up County Down 
Days Like This 
Precious Time 
Sometimes We Cry 
Magic Time 
Baby Please Don’t Go/Parchment Farm/Got My Mojo Working 
I Can Tell 
Cleaning Windows/Be-Bop-A-Lula 
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (w/Chris Farlowe) 
Hey Mr. DJ (w/Chris Farlowe)
Saint Dominic’s Preview 
And The Healing Has Begun 
Vanlose Stairway 
Carrying A Torch 
Stormy Monday (w/Chris Farlowe) 
Baby What You Want Me To Do (w/Chris Farlowe) 
Gloria (w/Chris Farlowe)

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Elle Cato (Vocals)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

26-October-2021
Powerhaus
London, England
 

Humo (Source)
Van Morrison in London: 'He has that fickleness in common with Dylan' 
We are in Camden, the London district where Van Morrison (76) this week – we write Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 October – will open the new PowerHaus hall with two concerts. I sit in the front row, next to me a Voluminous Man who has seen Van the Man at work a hundred and twenty times. By the way , we are here for 200 euros per ticket. There are two Van Morrisons: Highly Flammable Van, who once disappeared from the Queen Elisabeth Hall after just 39 minutes; and Geniale Van, who made brilliant live records like 'It's Too Late to Stop Now'. In the hope of meeting Geniale Van, we continue to follow him slavishly, if necessary for 200 euros. 

Van's latest record, 'Latest Record Project, Volume 1', is by no means his most exciting. Three problems, I guess. One: no one dares to contradict him. Two: Van doesn't want to give the impression that he is living on his past, so he releases a load of new songs every year - only they can't match his classics. Three: he himself revels in nostalgia for his early years, when he played fairly banal blues. The first half hour of the first concert, in which he chases through six interchangeable R&B songs, is therefore boring. Thank God for the Blues? No, Van, there are hundreds of artists who can handle the blues, but no one has your body of work. 

Then follow decent songs ('Days Like This'), carelessly reeled beautiful songs ('Have I Told You Lately') and great played good songs ('Help Me', 'And the Healing Has Begun' and 'Cleaning Windows' , with a bit of 'Be-Bop-A-Lula' mixed in). Van plays saxophone (very good) and harmonica (masterful). The only real irritation factor is the percussionist, who plays congas too much. 

The guest tonight is Chris Farlowe , an old fellow who still sings quite well with one leg in the grave (fat, pale, limping). Not that his voice matters much: Farlowe is above all a companion for Van, with whom he wants to evoke the craic (Irish for 'fun', 'atmosphere') of yesteryear before it's too late. And that works. During 'Stormy Monday', the otherwise often gruff Van gets a giggle twice. And as he exchanges sexual innuendos with Farlowe during 'Gloria', he shouts: 'And afterwards even the furniture was in a different place!' 

The second evening the Voluminous Man sits next to me in the front row again. Saint Dominic's Preview! he suddenly shouts. "Okay, for once we'll do request numbers," Van grumbles, and he's still playing it. During a fierce, blistering medley of 'Baby Please Don't Go' and 'Got My Mojo Working' he sings something like 'When I hit (shit?) my wife'. To which the Voluminous Man yells a little too enthusiastically: 'Yeah!' Again Van has heard: 'Did you call that? Maybe you like that?' 'Yes!' replies the Voluminous Man. 'You too?' 'No comment,' Van sneezes. 

'Vanlose Stairway' is beautiful, although it contains 'Orgel! Organ!' must yell at the pianist, who is on the wrong instrument. And also tonight 'Gloria' is an irresistible steamroller. The backing band adds a steaming, ten-minute jam to it. 

After the concert I get to see the set list. There are gems on it like 'In the Afternoon', 'Enlightenment', 'Brown Eyed Girl', 'Moondance' and my favorite 'Did Ye Get Healed?' — he skipped them all. Van is impulsive: if song 12 on the set list is a ballad and he feels like uptempo at that moment, song 12 is not played. All evening you saw the six musicians glance at each other and say: 'What now? We didn't even rehearse this!' Van has that fickleness in common with Dylan. These were two good concerts, and for a 76-year-old they were miraculous.
-SERGE SIMONART 

Setlist 

Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night 
Double Agent 
Thank God For The Blues 
Up County Down 
Days Like This 
Precious Time 
Baby Please Don’t Go/Got My Mojo Working 
I Can Tell 
Sometimes We Cry 
Cleaning Windows/Be-Bop-A-Lula 
Magic Time 
Have I Told You Lately (Swing version) 
Transformation (w/Chris Farlowe) 
Hey Mr. DJ (w/Chris Farlowe) 
And The Healing Has Begun 
Vanlose Stairway 
Carrying A Torch 
Ain’t Gonna Moan No More 
Stormy Monday (w/Chris Farlowe) 
Help Me (w/Chris Farlowe) 
Gloria (w/Chris Farlowe)

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Elle Cato (Vocals)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 

Sunday, September 26, 2021

25-September-2021
Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre 
Greenwood Village, USA




Setlist
Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night 
Double Agent 
Thank God for the Blues 
Ain’t Gonna Moan No More 
Baby Please Don’t Go/Got My Mojo Working 
I Can Tell 
Days Like This 
Precious Time 
Sometimes We Cry 
Symphony Syd 
Wild Night 
Cleaning Windows 
Moondance/So What 
Real Real Gone 
In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway /Raincheck 
Did Ye Get Healed 
Into The Mystic 
Help Me 
Jackie Wilson Said 
Brown Eye Girl 
Gloria

Saturday, September 11, 2021

10 & 11-Setember-2021*
Real World Studios

 Box, England
*Broadcast date. Actual recording date possibly April 2021


John's review of livestreams 
Whether done purposely or not, I think the fact Van/Exile waited through a year’s worth or trial and error by others, wading into the medium of live-streaming in the new way the pandemic sort of bore or demanded: either streaming for free or profit? and what vehicle/platform would one choose to use to distribute the stream? and of utmost importance what kind of cameras/editing and quality could this vehicle/platform provide as an end result? 

Well, 100% we know Van has seemingly hit it out of the park in terms of A. Quality of performance and video stream B. Balancing the duration and varied set lists versus the costs he is asking of fans (which I guess, like a promoter, is really up to Nugs in the end, or at least more than partially) 

It is an absolute hit imho, and what truly intrigues me the most, for Van, or any other musician that may prefer to ease travel burdens or find new ways of connecting with larger horizons of fans, is the ability to put a few gems of songs (or whatever might be ‘unique and special’) into the practice bin for your band in the lead up, while also being able to do multiple takes in the studio on the day, until you achieve the version you prefer to stream of that particular song etc. Van could mine his entire catalogue over many many of these streams as you could imagine... He could use varied themes for each stream as he has been! No matter, Van himself, I would submit, would be the very first to concur, this medium could never replace the live in-person experience of the performing arts, and of course we as Van fans know this intimately.... but, instead of the live band being required to play every tune Van could call out, that is if he happens to be inspired to call in the moment (which I am certain they are most proficient enough to do already!) Van can now sit back with a cup of tea, flip through the pages of Keep’Er Lit, or his LP collection of all genres, and curate such an amazing experience for his fans, while also beautifully documenting this era, and his continued vast capabilities as a songwriter and musician... BIG big hand for the band and Van. 
-John Leitão Monahan  

Setlist (10-September-2021 Livestream)
Send You Back
Celtic New Year
Little Village
Laughing & Clowning
Celtic Excavation/Into The Mystic
How Far From God
Magic Time
Symphony Sid
Talk Is Cheap
Three Chords & The Truth
Moondance
Steal My Heart Away
Did Ye Get Healed?
Crazy Love


Setlist
(11-September-2021 Livestream)
Send You Back
That's Life 
Tore Down a la Rimbaud 
It Once Was My Life 
Spirit Will Provide 
In the Afternoon...Sittin' Pretty 
Ballerina 
A Few Bars Early 
Double Agent 
It Hurts Me Too 
Thank God for the Blues 
Jealously 
The Long Con

Big Hand For The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals)
Pete Hurley (Bass)
Richard Dunn (Keyboards)
Colin Griffin (Drums)
Teena Lyle (Percussion)
Chris White (Tenor & Baritone Sax)
Matt Holland (Trumpet & Backing Vocals)
Stuarst McIlroy (Piano)
Dana Masters (Vocals, Tambourine)

Tuesday, September 07, 2021

29, 30 & 31-August-2021
Europa Hotel

 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Setlist: 29-August-2021 
Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night
Double Agent
Up County Down
Jealousy
Days Like This
Precious Time
Tried to Do the Right Thing
Baby, Please Don't Go / Got My Mojo Working
I Can Tell
Tear Your Playhouse Down
Saint Dominic's Preview
Little Village
Have I Told You Lately
Ain't Gonna Moan No More
Help Me
Into the Mystic
Brown Eyed Girl
Gloria

Setlist: 30-August-2021: 
Latest Record Project 
Deadbeat Saturday Night 
Double Agent 
Up County Down 
Days Like This 
Precious Time 
Tear Your Playhouse Down 
Baby, Please Don't Go / Got My Mojo Working 
Ride On Josephine 
Little Village 
Magic Time 
Talk Is Cheap 
In the Afternoon / Ancient Highway / Raincheck / Sitting Pretty 
Broken Record 
Saint Dominic's Preview 
Brown Eyed Girl 
Help Me 
Gloria

Setlist: 31-August-2021
??????

Saturday, August 21, 2021

20-August-2021
O2 Apollo Manchester
Manchester, England
James' thoughts on gig
Tonight’s gig in Manchester marked Vans return to the city since 2016 and we all know what has happened since then! Just like at the York Barbican a mere month ago, it felt special to welcome Van and the band back to Manchester. On this Friday evening, not far from the beams from the cars on the overpass, were all united once again.

The band took the stage promptly at 8pm and we were off. Van strolled on stage and played 3 songs from the new album. Dead Beat Saturday Night, Double Agent and Up County Down. He was in good voice but looked tense. These were quickly dispatched and Van moved straight on into Baby Please Don’t Go – The concert began at this point. Van segued into a great Mojo section and began to relax. This effortlessly led into I Can Tell. We were rocking!

Days Like This (lovely van Sax on this), Precious Time and Real Real Gone – changed the pace and were greatly received by the crowd.

The pace of the show was fast and Van was getting into the groove. Van then changed up the mood by playing Ain’t Gonna Moan. This song has really developed into a centrepiece and allows the band to stretch out (abit) and its clear that Van loves this song. I love it too for all of the musical references. It’s a history lesson – pay attention!

Did ye get Healed was next and I think in time the band will gel with this but it felt a little tentative tonight.

Symphony Sid was excellent and Chantelle really was magnificent tonight on this song. It was clear for all to see that she loves singing this song and her own singing voice really suits Vans Jazz choices well in my opinion. Magic time was lovely and Moondance went down well.

It was at this point that Van strapped on the guitar and gave us a nice surprise in Why Must I always Explain? with a lovely guitar solo.

Wild Night, How far from God and Cleaning Windows all flew by effortlessly and this led to the usual Think Twice, Help Me, BEG and Gloria finale.

The band played an absolute killer jam at the end with all giving superb solos. I just want to say that Dave’s guitar work was exceptional tonight and boy does he earn his pay – solo after solo – no wonder he needs to wipe his brow every now and then! Teena gave us some wonderful solos tonight as well, nuanced and entirely in the groove every time.

A couple of other comments from tonight – The Audience were great in my opinion. They clearly were pleased to have Van back at the Apollo and we really enthusiastic, without over stepping the mark. Secondly, the pianist was absent. Finally, My only criticism really was the brake neck speed of the concert. I really wish Van would pause for breath and allow some of the solos to stretch out more. Van once said that music is about stretching time. I think more space needs to be created somehow. I think that the concert needed a workshop to take it to the next level. I would have called out for In the Afternoon as it’s a personal favourite but there was no opportunity at any point.

A great concert overall and I thoroughly enjoyed it but please Van slow down … just a bit. Take a leaf out of my book – I’ve just got back from a gig... its nearly 1 o clock in the morning, new full moon and I’m Trying for Sleep. Until the next time...
-James Tennant 

Barry P's thoughts on gig
Underattended. Underpowered. Underwhelming. Those were the adjectives most commonly uttered amongst our group of three Van diehards when we endeavoured to sum up this concert. 

Nowadays, it’s fair to say that we attend Van shows with our expectations scaled down accordingly. The dazzling heights attained by Van with his stupendous bands of the late 1980s and the majority of the 1990s are merely the beauty of the days gone by; the setlists can drive you to distraction and the man himself seems too often to be trapped in automatic pilot mode. 

However, there always remains that lingering hope that he may abruptly let the healing begin, truly get into the music and deliver one of those spine-tingling experiences that have been responsible for us trekking all over the country in order to see him on multiple occasions. 

Plus, by contrast with some of his prominent contemporaries such as Paul McCartney and Elton John, Van’s voice is irrefutably in awesome shape and still comes to bring you a sense of wonder. 

The initial striking thing to note is that this is the first occasion in my living memory on which Van has failed to sell out the Apollo. In fact in the weeks running up to this gig, repeated checks of the Ticketmaster seating plan for the event have highlighted just how many seats were still available to book. Perhaps it’s the case that some potential attendees have been deterred from investing in a ticket owing to Van’s controversial (in)articulate speech of the heart on Covid-19 issues? Or it could also represent an indication that some of Van’s core demographic may not quite feel confident enough to venture back inside 2,500+ seated capacity concert venues just yet? Another organisation even delivered an email containing a link which offered the transient opportunity to swoop on tickets for the princely sum of £5.00 each. Unprecedented stuff, indeed. 

Having successfully negotiated the Covid-19 entrance stipulations, we occupied our seats on Row F of the Front Stalls and Van promptly appeared right on cue at 8:00pm, launching into the first of a trio of (at least, some of the more respectable) songs from his recent overlong double album. 

The early omens were not particularly propitious, as Van indulged in some occasional frantic right-arm waving to the band and didn’t seem to be settling into a groove. 

Thankfully, things then moved up a considerable notch with a shot of rhythm and blues courtesy of Baby Please Don’t Go segueing into Got My Mojo Working, which was swiftly followed by Bo Diddley’s I Can Tell. Van was totally engaged and in majestic voice. Following these performances, my long-standing chum Richard Webb remarked to me that this could well constitute the peak of tonight’s show. Alas, he was proved to be prescient. 

A slowed-down version of Days Like This diverted us into unwanted supper club territory. Precious Time was humdrum and only served to let precious time slip away in the evening’s set (I could easily live without hearing Van sing that one on stage ever again). 

Real Real Gone ensued but it was all rather devoid of passion and intensity, not to mention the perplexing absence of a horn section to blast it out. Sadly, Van’s decision to reinstate a horn section for his recent first-ever virtual performance filmed at Real World Studios has proved to be a false dawn. Instead, the overworked Paul Moran is compelled to keep deserting his Hammond organ duties in order to play the trumpet alongside Van’s sax offerings. At least there was a brief excursion into Sam Cooke territory at the close. 

I feel that Ain’t Gonna Moan No More has the potential to be developed into a special Van live performance. Tonight the band did get a few solos, however the version was curtailed before it could really steal the highlights. 

Did Ye Get Healed? duly suffered a similar fate. It just didn’t hover long enough to get it down in your soul. My recurring impression during the show was that the backing vocals were somewhat insipid, muffled and even redolent of the blandness of The Cliff Adams singers on BBC Radio 2’s Sing Something Simple all those years ago. 

Jumpin’ With Symphony Sid should be filed away with the likes of the soul-destroying Centrepiece and the abject Talk Is Cheap in the category of songs that Van should never be permitted to sing again. I remain absolutely nonplussed as to why he repeatedly opts to perform this trinket when his vast back catalogue is blessed with such an array of jewels as Saint Dominic’s Preview, Daring Night, Into The Mystic, Philosopher’s Stone and the peerless In The Garden (I could go on…). 

The pace was then eased down again with Magic Time. Pleasant enough and good to hear Teena Lyle back on vibraphone once again but, all things considered, I’d rather have heard Celtic New Year from the same album! Once they eventually recognise it, the crowd warms to the inevitable Moondance. No surprises there. Spirits are duly lifted when Van straps on his impressive red guitar and summons up Why Must I Always Explain? Unfortunately, it was merely another rushed song which evolved into just a job rather than sweet lorraine. A far too tame Wild Night and a prosaic Cleaning Windows were exercises in turning gold into lead. How Far From God and Think Twice Before You Go both effectively seem to be strangled at birth. Does Van’s waiting limousine turn into a pumpkin if he doesn’t get into it by 9:30pm?! 

Once the familiar strains of Help Me kick in, it becomes dispiritingly evident that the much-prized transcendent Van will sadly be absent from this evening’s concert. No chance of any workshop tangents taken down the ancient highway of In The Afternoon or vehement declarations that there’s no plan B in Burning Ground. Alas, no prospect whatsoever of the cherished opportunity to meet him down by the pylons. 

The show inevitably concludes with a (largely) crowd-pleasing session of ‘sing-along-a-Van’ in the shape of Brown Eyed Girl and the predictable encore of Gloria. The latter brings the majority of the audience to their feet and even prompts an entertaining and wholly unanticipated outbreak of freakish dad dancing in the aisles, together with a few ever-so-polite attempts to ‘rush’ the front of the stage. 

Van invites a ‘big hand for the band’ and then departs for the wings, gold portable microphone in hand, after circa three minutes, leaving the band to indulge in a seemingly interminable jam which comes complete with individual solos from each member. Chantelle Duncan finally gets to exhibit some amplified wailings and Paul Moran unleashes a Keith Emersonesque psychedelic Hammond organ wig-out. Van must have managed to have reached Manchester Airport by the time that Gloria eventually leaves the building. 

I fully accept that I am in the minority in terms of my downbeat and curmudgeonly response to this particular show. It manifestly ticks all the boxes for the less obsessive and more ‘casual’ Van fans who are in attendance and the contributions of both Paul Moran and Dave Keary are undeniably worthy of praise. 

For me as a seasoned veteran of Vanology, it’s simply a pale shadow of his former glories at this venue (and countless others). What is all the more frustrating to my mind is that the man’s voice remains a truly awesome instrument. He’s capable of so much more. 

And, after all his many well-publicised vociferous protests over the last 15 months or so at being precluded from carrying out his job as a live performer, why on earth does he then revert to this perfunctory 90-minute default setting of going through the motions when the purported golden opportunity to be back on stage actually presents itself? He could still make it real one more time again. 

Not exactly conquered in an Apollo seat then. 

In the words of the man himself: “Take me back, take me back, take me way, way, way, back to when the world made more sense…..” 
-Barry Pikesley

Setlist (Thanks Barry P.)
Deadbeat Saturday Night
Double Agent
Up County Down
Baby Please Don’t Go/Got My Mojo Working
I Can Tell
Days Like This
Precious Time
Real Real Gone/You Send Me
Ain’t Gonna Moan No More
Did Ye Get Healed?
Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
Magic Time
Moondance
Why Must I Always Explain?
Wild Night
How Far From God
Cleaning Windows/Be-Bop-A-Lula
Think Twice Before You Go
Help Me
Brown Eyed Girl
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Chantelle Duncan (Vocals)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 

Sunday, August 15, 2021

14-August-2021
Audley End House
Saffron Walden, England


Setlist
Deadbeat Saturday Night
Double Agent
Up County Down
How Far From God
Days Like This
Precious Time
Blue Funk
Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
Did Ye Get Healed?
Moondance
Only a Song
Stormy Monday/Lonely Avenue/Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket w/Chris Farlowe
Think Twice Before You Go
Cleaning Windows/Be-Bop-A-Lula
Whenever God Shines His Light
Baby, Please Don't Go/Got My Mojo Working
I Can Tell 
Things I Used to Do
Help Me
Stand by Me w/Chris Farlowe
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Stuart McIlroy (Piano)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Chantelle Duncan (Vocals)

Friday, August 13, 2021

13-August-2021
Hampton Court Palace
London, England

Pamela shares her thoughts on gig: 
From our position in the first few rows, we could see that Van was aggravated by a series of technical issues regarding the sound throughout. Consequently, Pete Parsons was being summoned from the wings rather more than usual! Particularly affected was Dave Keary’s pedal steel guitar. Dave was clearly having a torrid time, resulting in much brow-mopping, under Van’s steely gaze! 

The highlight of the show was undoubtedly In The Afternoon. Van has added a new section of ad-libbing in the Sittin Pretty section. It’s probably one of the best live versions of In The Afternoon I’ve heard. And he was doing some special outward thrusting right arm movements that I haven’t seen before (as well as the usual downward thrusting right arm movements), which seemed to reinforce his enthusiasm for the song and also indicated the one time during the show when he appeared genuinely engaged with the material. 

 This was my first time seeing Chantelle Duncan. She is clearly a worthy replacement for Dana but I think Van was scaring the life out of her! At one point he made her switch from one tambourine to another! He then picked up a spare tambourine, seemingly to show her how it was done! However, during the jam, she was able to relax and demonstrated a beautifully pitched and strong voice. It was nice to see Stuart McIlroy on keyboards. He is a welcome addition to the band, especially for Paul Moran who has so much multitasking to do already! 

Before leaving the stage for the final time, Van made his only comment of the night: that it was great to be back at Hampton Court. However, I imagine he probably had a thing or two to say about the sound issues on his journey away from the venue! 
-Pamela K.

INEWS (Source)

Van Morrison, Hampton Court Palace Festival, review: Refreshing, energetic and surprisingly joyous

You never quite know what sort of performance you’re going to get at a Van Morrison concert. Will he be in grumpy old man mode, picking
fights with the audience – or indeed with the Government, over its Covid-19 policies (which he vehemently opposes)? Or will we get
the seasoned entertainer with one of the richest back catalogues in pop?

Happily, at Hampton Court Palace Festival this weekend, he let the music speak for itself – literally. There was no between-number chat or patter: the rapport he built with a willing audience came from the songs themselves. And what songs they were.

Morrison’s career has always been built on the bedrock of blues, R&B and gospel that underlies popular music, and which he seems content to keep on mining.

Here, in the unlikely setting of a courtyard in Henry VIII’s Tudor palace, we had him on rambunctious form, revisiting his first hit, Big Joe Williams’ “Baby Please Don’t Go”, which then segued into the Muddy Waters classic “Got My Mojo Working”.

Clad in his usual uniform of dark suit, dark glasses and porkpie hat, he also gleefully tackled versions of Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell”, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “How Far from God” (with an added spirited chorus of “Be-Bop-A-Lula”) and the Ray Charles hit “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. Best of all was a boisterous reworking of Sonny Boy Williamson’s
“Help Me”, which gave him the chance to show off his harmonica skills.

It was his own songs which inspired and impressed the most, though: a relaxed (almost nonchalant) performance of “My Time After a While”; a measured but still moving “Days Like This”. Both featured his own admirable tenor sax solos, before a slice of more up-tempo fun came with a jumping “Broken Record”.

The voice was as magnificent as ever, with its Celtic overtones and its ability to leap from a whisper to a roar in the space of a line. The backing, too, from his eight-strong band was never less than excellent,
with solid musicianship that ignored drum machines and digital wizardry to concentrate on brasswork, string bass solos and lap
steel brilliance.

Finally, it was the inspired mastery of a classic such as “Moondance”, the almost muscular exhilaration of “Brown-Eyed Girl” and the guttural joy of that old warhorse “Gloria” that lifted the concert to a fresh level.

These weren’t just Van Morrison classics: in an act of inspired transference, they became joyous crowd anthems.

In a welcome surprise, then, instead of grumpy old man we got the exuberant outpourings of an energetic 75-year-old. How refreshing that did feel.

-John Clarke

Setlist (Thank Pamela K.)
Deadbeat Saturday Night
Double Agent
My Time After A While
Baby Please Don’t Go / Got My Mojo Working
I Can Tell
Days Like This
Precious Time
Cleaning Windows
Ain’t Gonna Moan No More
Moondance/My Funny Valentine
Broken Record
Enlightenment
Real Real Gone/You Send Me
I Can’t Stop Loving You
Wild Night
In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway/Raincheck
Help Me
Ballerina
Brown Eyed Girl
Gloria 

Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Stuart McIlroy (Piano)
Colin Griffin (Drums) 
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Chantelle Duncan (Vocals)

Sunday, August 08, 2021

07-August-2021
Wickham Festival
Wickham, England 




Setlist
Deadbeat Saturday Night
Double Agent
Three Chords and the Truth
Wild Night
Baby, Please Don't Go / Got My Mojo Working
I Can Tell
Precious Time
Days Like This
How Far From God
Cleaning Windows
Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
Moondance
Have I Told You Lately
Ain't Gonna Moan No More
Did Ye Get Healed?
Think Twice Before You Go
Sometimes We Cry
Help Me
Brown Eyed Girl
Gloria


Big Hand For The Band!
 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards) 
Colin Griffin (Drums) 
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Chantelle Duncan (Vocals)

Thursday, July 22, 2021

21-July-2021
York Barbican 
York, England


James Tennant sends in thoughts on gig:
As I type this review, I still can’t quite believe last night actually happened. Last night I was sat with several hundred others in a dark room with Van Morrison and his band. It was an actual gig – not streamed but live and in the present time. Its something not to take for granted. As I took my seat the first thing that I noticed was that the band has grown. Van has two new members - a fabulous new backing singer and a pianist who took several solos and took some of the pressure off Paul Moran. 

The band took to the stage and Paul quickly introduced Van to the stage. Walking with confidence Van took his place front and centre. He looked great, slimmer and ready for the fight. The first 3 songs were from the new album and sounded full of verve. Van attacking the songs with energy – it was clear that Van was enjoying singing these songs. Double Agent is great song in my opinion and I was really pleased to hear it live as it is one of my favourites from the new album. More rock n Roll continued with 3 Chords and The Truth and this went down very well with the audience. One of the highlights from the new album is Tried to do the Right Thing and this was certainly a live hit last night. Van’s vocals were wonderful and he was supported wonderfully by Chantelle the new Backing singer. She has a lovely voice and is already showing that she has got the pipes to accompany Van. The gig was starting to cook and Van was settling in. Baby Please Don’t go was next and this has become quite a stand out in recent years. Van clearly loves this song and is so at ease with it, playing harp and segueing into Parchment Farm and Don’t start Crying effortlessly. More Blues with I can Tell and then a rather throwaway Precious Time. It was at this time that I saw Van throw his arms up in the air to signal to the band – He was unsure where to go next. Maybe it was the audience who threw him off stride, they were unfortunately a midweek crowd. Van made a good choice in Cleaning Windows and although it wasn’t really stretched out, it was sung with passion – a solid version. Aint Gonna Moan is great song and I think for me this was one of the strongest songs of the night, the band settled into a steady groove and Van was trying to get into it. Van’s voice is so soulful with this song. Symphony Sid provided some excellent interplay between the superb Teena Lyle and the backing singer Chantelle. Broken Record for me is guilty pleasure and I agree with Van that it is a favourite with the crowd. Little Village was another highlight and a welcome change of pace, unfortunately this was a straight forward run through – the song hit the marks but nothing more, no real stretching out. It was around this time that it became clear that something was not right with the sound. Something was distracting Paul Moore and Van. Suddenly there was loud crack and it was clear that the double bass amp was faulty. Without skipping a beat Paul switched to his electric bass and continued with this but the damage was done by now and Van was certainly fighting against the tide. Carrying a Torch , Think Twice, Days Like This, Enlightenment, BEG, Have I told you Lately, Help Me and Gloria were all performed quickly and professionally but it was clear that something was not quite gelling tonight.

This show started to remind me of the Euro Final between England and Italy. First Half very confident and the second slowly loosing grip and never quite reaching the heights you wanted but that’s not for the want of trying. The whole band were fighting against a flat audience and some distracting technical issues. I think the new members of the band will become great assets and I really look forward to see how they grow over time. As Van exited the stage he said “thank you for making it out to see us” – well I want to thank Van and the band for coming out to play for us.

So, my overall thoughts are that I’m really proud of Van for pushing on and bringing music to us. For his age he is doing so very well, the voice is sublime and when things settle down maybe we will be able to go into the mystic one more time. I am positive that this will happen.

We have to remember that everyone has been affected by the pandemic: the crew, the band, Van, you, me, the person sat nearby to you. We are all trying to find our place in this topsy turvy world again. What is clear is that Van is out on the road and trying to turn lead back into gold once again. This show was a tonic for everyone involved and I am certain that slowly but surely the musical healing has begun again. 
-James Tennant

Setlist (Thanks James T.)
Dead Beat Saturday Night
Double Agent
Love Should Come With A Warning
Three Chords & The Truth
Tried To Do The Right Thing
Baby Please Don’t Go / Parchment Farm /Don't Start Crying Now
I Can Tell
Precious Time
Cleaning Windows
Ain’t Gonna Moan No More
Symphony Sid
Broken Record
Little Village
Moondance
Carrying A Torch
Think Twice Before You Go
Days Like This
Enlightenment
Brown Eyed Girl
Have I Told You Lately
Help Me
Gloria 

Big Hand For The Band! 
Dave Keary (Guitar, Banjo, Bouzouki, Backing Vocals) 
Paul Moore (Bass) 
Paul Moran (Keyboards) 
Colin Griffin (Drums) 
Teena Lyle (Percussion) 
Stuart McIlroy (Piano) 
Chantelle Duncan (Vocals)