28-June-2022
Cork Opera House
Cork, Ireland 

                                                        via Othmar M.

Brendan Hynes sent in his thoughts on 2nd Cork gig:

Van Morrison got the second of his two shows at this nice intimate venue underway with an extended and somewhat funked up arrangement of Dangerous on which the band excelled. The one missing ingredient was the driving fiddle playing which is so prominent on the recorded version. Thank God for the Blues was sung with great gusto by Van and was followed by Pretending from the new album. Days Like This brought the show into more mainstream territory and was followed by a really good These Dreams Of You on which Matt Holland on trumpet and Chris White on saxophone excelled. Higher Than The World was quite superb and brought proceedings to an exalted level commensurate with the song title. Centrepiece was much more interesting than many previous versions I have heard largely due to the impact of the brass section. What a wise decision it was by Van to restore the brass section as it certainly complements his music hugely and adds considerably to the overall band sound. 

Got My Mojo Working was particularly notable for an extended harmonica note which Van held for what seemed like an eternity much to the amusement of some band members. I had visions of Van turning blue in the face from the lack of oxygen intake which would have been an interesting sight as it would have perfectly matched the colour of his now infamous blue suit. Think Twice Before You Go followed immediately afterwards much to the excitement of the audience who clapped along furiously as the song commenced. Laughin' and Clownin' reached heights I have rarely heard before and featured great solos from Richard Dunn on organ and Chris White on saxophone in particular. Precious Time was followed by the rarely played Steal Your Heart Away which was a welcome addition. Enlightenment and Magic Time followed in quick succession after which there was an audience request for The Healing Game which was quickly dismissed by Van who instead shouted " Wild Night" to the band. This didn't really qualify as a consolation prize in my view and a separate audience request for Streets of Arklow did not find favour either with Van so both of the musical gems requested were not unearthed on this occasion . 

Ain't Gonna Moan No More featured Dave Keary prominently on guitar while Jackie Wilson Said saw Van and the brass section combine instrumentally to great effect. Down to Joy indicated that the end was approaching but not before Van took us on an all so welcome journey Into The Mystic. 

The encore consisted of Help Me and Gloria with the latter once more providing the band with the latitude to cut loose after Van had departed. Chris White's extended saxaphone solo drew lots of whistles and shouts of acclaim from the audience.Matt Holland showed how quickly he has settled back into the band as he went off on a bit of a solo run on trumpet which included excerpts from Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water and Cream's Sunshine Of Your Love. Not to be outdone, Teena Lyle's solo consisted of a xylophone rendition of Crazy Love. Elle Cato of course nearly blew the roof off the Opera House with her brilliant vocal contribution. The Gloria jam session has now become a small sideshow in it's own right. 

Van's vocals were really strong throughout and the band are playing at a level considerably above what I have heard in recent years. It is disappointing however that the meditative workshop numbers in which Van totally immerses himself and which his dedicated fans love so much are largely absent from his shows of late as was the case again tonight. 

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist 

Dangerous 

Thank God For The Blues 

Pretending 

Days Like This 

These Dreams Of You 

Higher Than The World 

Centrepiece 

Baby Please Don't Go/ Got My Mojo Working 

Think Twice Before You Go 

Laughin' and Clownin' 

Precious Time 

Steal My Heart Away 

Enlightenment 

Magic Time 

Wild Night 

Ain't Gonna Moan No More 

Jackie Wilson Said 

Down To Joy 

Celtic Excavation/ Into The Mystic 

Help Me 

Gloria 

Set Time 1h 45m 

Van on stage 1h 34m

Big Hand for The Band!

Chris White (Saxophone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet) 
Dave Keary (Guitar)

Paul Moore (Bass)
Teena Lyle (Keyboards)

Richard Dunn (Organ)
Colin Griffin (Drums)
Elle Cato (Vocals) 

27-June-2022
Cork Opera House
Cork, Ireland 

Setlist (Thanks Brendan Hynes) 

Dangerous 

Thank God For The Blues 

My Time After A While 

Pretending 

Stage Name 

Days Like This 

Higher Than The World 

Baby Please Don't Go/ Got 

My Mojo Working 

Think Twice Before You Go 

Laughin' And Clownin' 

Symphony Sid 

Magic Time 

Broken Record 

Cleaning Windows 

In The Afternoon 

Jackie Wilson Said 

Down To Joy 

Precious Time 

Celtic Excavation/ Into The Mystic 

Help Me 

Gloria 

Set Time 1h 50m

Van on stage 1h 36m

Big Hand for The Band!

Chris White (Saxophone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet) 
Dave Keary (Guitar)

Paul Moore (Bass)
Teena Lyle (Keyboards)

Richard Dunn (Organ)
Colin Griffin (Drums)
Elle Cato (Vocals) 

19-June-2022
Black Deer Festival
Kent, England 

Kent Online (Source) 

Van Morrison performs at Black Deer Festival as final day comes to a close Following last night's wobble with the weather causing the festival to pull the plug, all fingers were crossed that no storm would stop the final day of Black Deer Festival. Many of course were looking forward to the headline act today - the legendary Van Morrison to make his appearance on the main stage. 

Across Eridge Park, bands and singers made sure to go out with a bang before the end of the day and leave festival-goers on a high note. 

Along at the Acoustic Stage, award-winning songwriter Chris Fox charmed all with his one-man-band approach. 

Standing with just a guitar and loop pedal, Chris took audiences through a musical journey of folk, blues and country, stopping off along the way to tell more about the story behind each song. 

Next door at The Roadhouse was Franky Perez, who filled the packed tent with American soul and foot-stomping-beats. 

Audience interaction was key, with a call and response style for each song provoking the crowd to chant back together. 

Round at the Live Fire stage, Marcus Bawdon, dubbed the 'King of the BBQ', gave viewers a masterclass on the rump steak - naming it "the good, the bad and the ugly." 

After everyone was practically drooling, audiences were able to try the finished product, along with a special Argentinian sauce called Chimichurri, made from fresh herbs, garlic, vinegar, chili pepper and olive oil. 

Following last nights' antics, many were relieved to see clear skies above, and eagerly waited for the main man to arrive. 

As soon as it hit 7.20pm, the epitome of jazz and Celtic soul entered the main stage - Sir Van Morrison, donned in his classic hat, sunglasses and suit combo. 

Van delivered soft folksy blues with songs including Days Like This, the New Symphony Sid and Broken Record. 

He also gave a soulful and upbeat performances of the much loved classics Brown Eyed Gir" and Moondance, where everyone cheered in unison when he started playing the famous tunes. So how do you top all of that? 

Canadian band the Dead South certainly made sure to turn it up a notch with their banjo-infused tunes taken straight from the south. 

As the final notes were strummed on the main stage, and the cheers and tunes died out, Black Deer had sadly drawn to a close. 

After three days of what was good music, good food, good times, and the typical drama of British weather, the festival's two-year hiatus was certainly worth the wait.

Co-founders Gill Tee and Deb Shilling commented: “We’re overwhelmed seeing so many people who love what we stand for. "

After three years in the making, Black Deer Festival 2022 has exceeded our expectations. 

"The way our wonderful community has responded to all of the team's hard work makes this event what it is." 

 -Cara Simmonds 

Setlist 

Thank God for the Blues 

It Hurts Mee Too 

Days Like This 

And It Stoned Me 

The Mystery 

Did Ye Get Healed?

Baby, Please Don't Go  

I Can Tell  

Moondance 

Broken Record  

Precious Time 

Sometimes We Cry  

Wild Night

Cleaning Windows 

Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) 

Brown Eyed Girl 

Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

Chris White (Saxophone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet) 
Dave Keary (Guitar)

Paul Moore (Bass)
Teena Lyle (Keyboards)

Richard Dunn (Organ)
Colin Griffin (Drums)
Elle Cato (Vocals) 

10-June-2022
Molleplatsen
Malmo, Sweden 

Setlist (Thanks Morten G.)

Dangerous 

UP County Down 

Thank God for the Blues 

My Time After a While 

Days Like This 

Higher Than the World 

Broken Record 

The Mystery 

Everyday I Have The Blues 

Times Gettin' Tougher Than Tough 

Cleaning Windows 

Laughin' & Clownin' 

Precious Times 

The Healing Game 

These Dreams of You 

Jackie Wilson Said 

Real Real Gone 

Down To Joy 

Hjelp Me 

Brown Eyed Girl 

Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

Chris White (Saxophone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet) 
Dave Keary (Guitar)

Paul Moore (Bass)
Teena Lyle (Keyboards)

Richard Dunn (Organ)
Colin Griffin (Drums)
Elle Cato (Vocals) 

08-June-2022
Skansen
Stockholm, Sweden 

Setlist (Thanks Morten G.)

Centerpiece/Every Day I Have The Blues/Times Gettin’ Tougher Than Tough 

Up County Down 

Thank God For The Blues

My Time After Awhile

Days Like This

Someone Like You 

Baby Please Don’t Go/Got My Mojo Working 

Think Twice Before You Go 

I Don’t want To Go On Without You 

Just a Little Bit 

These Are The Days

New Symphony Sid
Broken Record 

Full Force Gale

Higher Than The World

Precious Time 

Wild Night 

Real Real Gone 

Sometimes We Cry 

Down To Joy 

Help Me 

Brown Eyed Girl 

Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

Chris White (Saxophone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet) 
Dave Keary (Guitar)

Paul Moore (Bass)
Teena Lyle (Keyboards)

Richard Dunn(Organ)
Colin Griffin (Drums)
Elle Cato (Vocals)