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)

20-July-2021
York Barbican 
York, England