14-September-2025
Waterfront Hall
 Belfast, Northern Ireland 

  

Brendan Hynes shares his thoughts on special night

Van Morrison Lit Up Inside & Keep 'Er Lit Relaunch Show

After compere and interviewer for the night Dylan Jones had set out the programme to be followed throughout the show Van Morrison made his way to the stage for the interview part of the night to an ecstatic audience response. This was quickly replaced however by audible gasps from the audience as Van unfortunately stumbled and fell over. After he had been helped to his feet there were various shouts of " We love you Van" from audience members while a woman asked Van if he was alright to which he responded by saying "not really but I'll carry on regardless". After some microphone issues before the interview commenced Van asked that the house lights be turned on and left on so that they could see the audience. I suspect this may have been more to avoid a further fall after the interview was completed rather than a desire on Van's part to see how well we were all looking!!.

The interview itself largely focused on Van's musical influences and his process in writing and recording over the years. On the question of why he had chosen to do tonight's type of show Van said it was for something different and that the songs tonight would differ from his birthday shows and be more "wordy"! Van provided some quite comical responses to some of the questions put to him. When asked why he picked tonight's poets to do readings Van replied "because they're good". On the question of the good things about playing in Belfast Van jokingly responded that it means he doesn't have to go the airport or stay in hotels which got a good laugh from the audience!!.

Paul Muldoon read out the lyrics of Cleaning Windows and Madame George followed by Scarlett Sabet who recited On Hyndford Street and The Way Young Lovers Do. Scarlett spoke in glowing terms about how Van's songs, and Astral Weeks in particular, provided a soundtrack to her earlier life.

After the interval Paul Muldoon returned to recite a poem he wrote called Here And Now in tribute to Van while Scarlett recited a poem called For Jack which she wrote about Jack Kerouac. The final guest was John Cooper Clarke who recited some of his own material. He greatly enjoyed himself to such an extent that he wanted to do another reading despite the signals he was getting from the off stage crew. When he moved across the stage to ask if he could do one more reading he was unceremoniously told that the time was up which was quite amusing really.

It was now time for the main event and having attended the original Lit Up Inside shows back in 2014 I was hopeful that a similar set of songs would be performed. I was not to be disappointed and when Van immediately sat at the piano to the opening notes of Haunts Of Ancient Peace I sensed that something really special was about to unfold. This was quite beautiful with the superb backing vocals of Dan's Masters and Jolene O' Hara contributing hugely. Little Village featured nice flugelhorn and trumpet solos from Chris White and Matt Holland respectively while Van performed a fine extended saxophone solo towards the song's conclusion. The superb and so distinctive TB Sheets followed and featured extensive harmonica playing by Van and fine organ by John McCullough. This song went down a storm and got a huge ovation. The Way Young Lovers Do was a fine arrangement followed quickly by Enlightenment.

Foreign Window was quite beautiful and included some lovely guitar work by Dave Keary while Tore Down A La Rimbaud which followed featured lovely saxophone and organ solos. An extended Slim Slow Slider featured another lovely organ solo while Van featured with some electric guitar playing to complement his vocals. On Hyndford Street also saw Van on electric guitar but he cut the song short somewhat abruptly to instruct the band to play Crazy Jane On God which was really good and saw the backing vocalists excel once more. A fine rendition of Saint Dominic's Preview followed before the beautiful In The Garden brought proceedings to a tumultuous ending with Chris White doing a great extended saxophone solo after Van had departed the stage and the backing vocalists involving the audience in singing the No Guru No Method No Teacher refrain over and over to conclude the song.

This show was a masterclass from Van which featured a dream setlist for the multitude of his fans who have deeply explored his immense body of work. It would be great if further performances of this particular show were to be scheduled in the future.
-Brendan Hynes

Setlist
Haunts Of Ancient Peace
Little Village
TB Sheets
The Way Young Lovers Do
Enlightenment
Foreign Window
Tore Down A La Rimbaud
Slim Slow Slider
On Hyndford Street
Crazy John On God
Saint Dominic's Preview
In The Garden

Big Hand For The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Nicky Scott (Bass)
Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Matt Holland (Trumpet)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)
Christopher White (Saxophone)

Set Length 1h 14m
Overall show length 2h 42m (including short interval)

31-August-2025
Waterfront Hall
 Belfast, Northern Ireland  

Brendan Hynes once again shares his thoughts on gig

Van Morrison at Waterfront Hall, Belfast, 31st August, 2025
Tonight's show didn't deviate markedly in content from the previous night but with a couple of different special guests present. After opening once again with Into The Mystic and Only A Dream Van said that the next song was going to feature Dana Masters and she certainly rose to the challenge with a fine vocal contribution to Symphony Sid which got a well deserved ovation from the audience. Little Village which followed was once again a major highlight with nice flugelhorn and trumpet solos from Chris White and Matt Holland and an extended saxophone solo from Van towards it's ending.

Chris Farlowe joined Van for Ain't Gonna Moan No More which got the " one more time" instruction from Van before a really good version of It's All Over Now Baby Blue which worked very well. Back To Writing Love Songs and The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours from the new album received another airing and were well received. Van was a mine of information in introducing For Mr. Thomas as he outlined the background to how it came to be written which involved the writer Robin Williamson going into a fish and chip shop in the USA before going on to a venue frequented by the likes of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg whereupon he read a newspaper page containing references to Dylan Thomas and this provided the inspiration for the lyrics. I'm sure Robin would have appreciated Van's fine rendition!

Van was joined by Kevin Burke who Van said was going to give us some jazz education for Broken Record. After initially leading the audience in some Van birthday celebrations with Van saying "you set me up!" Kevin not only sang some of the vocals but also did some scatting which included his apparent party piece of doing a vocal impression of a trumpet solo which included him waving his hat in front of the imaginary trumpet for greater sound effect no doubt! It was quite impressive and the audience was greatly amused. Crazy Jane On God was very good once again with Dana Masters and Jolene O' Hara contributing beautiful backing vocals. The final special guest was Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones and rather appropriately And It Stoned Me was performed which was a real highlight of the show. Van said it was Ronnie who chose the song to which Ronnie replied that he loves the song. Ronnie also joined Van on the medley of Who Do You Love/ Mona/ Not Fade Away after which Van rather surprisingly shuffled off the stage as he had only been on stage for just over an hour. It was obviously just for effect as he quickly returned alongside Chris Farlowe for a great rendition of Stand By Me on which the brass section excelled. Stormy Monday followed with Ronnie Wood returning to the stage and with Kevin Burke also joining in for Take Your Hand Out of My Pocket.

Unsurprisingly Gloria brought proceedings to an end with Van introducing all the band members and guests including a reference to Sticky Wicket on "percussion and personality" which is quite an accolade! The extended band solos included a moving version of Happy Birthday on trumpet by Matt Holland which the audience joined in with before Jolene O' Hara hit some incredibly high pitched notes with her vocals to huge acclaim.
-Brendan Hynes

Set List 
Into The Mystic 
Only A Dream 
Symphony Sid
Little Village
Ain't Gonna Moan No More (w/Chris Farlowe)
It's All Over Now Baby Blue (w/Chris Farlowe)
Back To Writing Love Songs 
The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours 
For Mr. Thomas
Broken Record (w/Kevin Burke)
Crazy Jane On God 
And It Stoned Me (w/Ronnie Wood)
Who Do You Love/Mona/Not Fade Away (w/ Ronnie Wood)
Stand By Me (w/Chris Farlowe)
Stormy Monday/ Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket (w/Chris Farlowe/Ronnie Wood who were  joined by Kevin Burke on second song)
Gloria 

Big Hand For The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Nicky Scott (Bass)
Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Matt Holland (Trumpet)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)
Christopher White (Saxophone)

Set Time: 1Hr 39Min

30-August-2025
Waterfront Hall
 Belfast, Northern Ireland  

Brendan Hynes once again shares his thoughts on gig

Van Morrison at Waterfront Hall, Belfast, 30th August, 2025 The first of Van Morrison's weekend 80th birthday shows commenced as has become the norm of late with Into The Mystic followed by Only A Dream which saw Van repeat his No Prima Donna/All Change mantra over and over at the song's ending. Little Village was a major highlight in what was a great arrangement which concluded with a fine extended saxophone solo by Van. Van introduced the first of his special guests which unsurprisingly was Chris Farlowe and they once more worked their way through It's All Over Now Baby Blue followed by Ain't Gonna Moan No More, which featured more fine saxophone playing by Van, and finally Stormy Monday/ Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket featuring nice guitar work by Dave Keary. Van next told us he was going to do a couple of songs from the new album which, as at Thursday night's studio show, were Back To Writing Love Songs and The only Love I Ever Need Is Yours and they clearly benefited from that previous outing as they sounded somewhat stronger tonight. 

Van's second special guest was James Hunter who reprised Ain't That Loving You Baby with Van followed by Just a Little Bit from Van's Them days which included some impressive harmonica playing by James. Their collaboration at that stage of the show concluded with I Don't Want To Go On Without You which James had featured on in a recording by Van. 

For Mr. Thomas was strong once again and was followed by an exceptional Crazy Jane On God featuring Dana Masters and Jolene O' Hara most impressively on backing vocals. This is quite haunting and has become quite a standout set inclusion of late. A somewhat rare and outstanding rendition of Not Feeling It Anymore was a major highlight and went down a storm with the audience. Another rarity followed in If I Ever Needed Someone featuring beautiful backing vocals by Dana Masters to complement Van's own voice. 

The show reached it's conclusion in up tempo mode culminating in Gloria as the final number which featured a rather incredible extended saxophone solo by Chris White as part of the band workout once Van had departed. 

Van was once more in fine voice throughout with the song choices on the night undoubtedly influenced to some extent by the blues backgrounds of Van's special guests for the show.

-Brendan Hynes

Set List 

Into The Mystic 

Only A Dream Little Village 

It's All Over Now Baby Blue (w/Chris Farlowe) 

Ain't Gonna Moan No More (w/Chris Farlowe) 

Stormy Monday/ Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket (w/Chris Farlowe) 

Back To Writing Love Songs 

The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours 

Ain't That Loving You Baby (w/James Hunter) 

Just A Little Bit ( w/James Hunter) 

I Don't Want To Go On Without You (w/James Hunter) 

For Mr Thomas 

Crazy Jane On God 

Not Feeling It Any More 

If I Ever Needed Someone 

Don't Start Crying Now/ Custard Pie 

Who Do You Love/ Mona/ Not Fade Away (w/James Hunter) 

Gloria (w/Chris Farlowe and James Hunter) 

Set Length 1h 39m

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)

Nicky Scott (Bass)

John McCullough (Keyboards)

Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)

Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Christopher White (Saxophone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)

28-August-2025
Studio At Waterfront
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Brendan Hynes Sent in His Thoughts on Gig: 

Van Morrison at Waterfront Hall Studio, Belfast, 28th August, 2025. The first of Van Morrison's three shows at this venue was held in the smaller and more intimate studio so it was a real privilege to be in attendance in a hall with a capacity of around 300. Van arrived on stage to the opening notes of Into The Mystic which set the tone for the evening. Only A Dream which followed was a fine arrangement with Van specifically requesting a fine saxophone solo by Chris White. Enlightenment was followed by two songs ( For Mr.Thomas and Crazy Jane On God) with lyrics by other writers namely Robin Williamson and William Butler Yeats which were both credited beforehand by Van. The latter song featured Dana Masters and Jolene O' Hara prominently on backing vocals to great effect.

After Cold Cold Heart which included a trumpet solo by Matt Holland that Van particularly enjoyed we were treated to a sublime Dweller On The Threshold which featured the brass section and backing vocalists in particular. Back To Writing Love Songs and The Only Love I Ever Need is Yours from the new album were well received and before playing the latter Van explained that the lyrics were written by Don Black so if anyone wants to know what the song is about they need to contact Don because Van doesn't know. A nice arrangement of Little Village was followed by Symphony Sid before the intro to In The Afternoon indicated that we needed to prepare ourselves for the long journey ahead and what a journey it turned out to be as Van gave it the full treatment.We were transported down the ancient highway and along the coastline with Van reminding us that there is No Plan B and No Safety Net. Van put his heart and soul into the song's delivery with the ecstatic standing ovation at it's conclusion richly deserved. 

Will Night was followed by a rare rendition of Blue Money which fairly motored along and it saw guitarist Dave Keary produce some comical high pitched vocals which greatly amused Van and the band before he threw in a very low note subsequently as an apparent display of his versatility!. Don't Start Crying Now/ Custard Pie kept up the high tempo and were followed by Van strapping on the electric guitar before performing a medley of Who Do You Love/ Mona/ Not Fade Away which Van announced as a collection of songs from way back including by Buddy Holly. This medley which I felt paled somewhat in comparison to the rest of the show brought it towards it's conclusion with Van returning one more time to the stage for the standard closing number of Gloria. Van was in fine voice throughout and really engaged in proceedings. This show was a fine aperitif to the weekend birthday celebration shows and certainly whetted the appetite for the main course to follow!
-Brendan Hynes

Setlist

Into The Mystic 

Only A Dream 

Enlightenment 

For Mr.Thomas

Crazy Jane On God

Cold Cold Heart 

Dweller On The Threshold 

Back to Writing Love Songs 

The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours

Little Village 

Symphony Sid

In The Afternoon 

Wild Night

Blue Money 

Don't Start Crying Now/ Custard Pie

Who Do You Love/ Mona/ Not Fade Away

Gloria 

Set Time: 1h 44m 

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)

Nicky Scott (Bass)

John McCullough (Keyboards)

Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)

Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)

26-June-2025
Malahide Castle
Malahide, Ireland

 

 Irish Examiner (Source)

 

Van Morrison, Neil Young, Malahide Castle, Dublin ★★★★☆
The electric guitar is alive and well. Neil Young, who is back touring in Europe for the first time in six years with his new backing band, Chrome Hearts, jabbed manically on Old Black, his trusty guitar, to glorious effect at the castle gardens in Malahide on Thursday night.

Before the Canadian star took to the stage, we were treated to a set from Van Morrison, as part of possibly the best double-bill you’ll see this year. Both singers turn 80 in 2025, although they’re acting like men half their age.

The Belfast Cowboy hit the ground running with a heart-lifting rendition of Into the Mystic to open his set. Looking debonair in a blue suit and trilby hat, and clutching his gold mic like a weapon, his voice is as strong as ever. He was in an ebullient mood, even chuckling (yes, sir) as he ebbed and flowed his way through classics from his canon, including Bright Side of the Road and Wild Night. 

 

Van the Man even had time for a bit of improvisation as he got close to the exit ramp: “We’re near the end game here,” he said, casting around to his band. “What about some Summertime in England. Will we do it? Will we do it? Let’s go.” Morrison went out in a blaze of glory with a stomping version of Gloria.

-Richard Fitzpatrick

 

Setlist
Into The Mystic
Cutting Corners
Only A Dream/No Prima Donna
Bright Side Of The Road

Days Like This

Ain't Gonna Moan No More 

Precious Time
Crazy Jane On God

For Mr. Thomas

Wild Night

Summertime In England

Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Nicky Scott (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Richie Buckley (Saxaphone)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)

15-April-2025
Mandela Hall
Belfast, Norther Ireland

Brendan Hynes was at gig & sends in his thoughts
This special show titled 'The Blues Project' and featuring special guests Paul Jones and Chris Farlowe promised a night of jazz and blues and that is exactly what was delivered. Chris Farlowe got proceedings off to a stomping start with a lively rendition of the Ray Charles classic Unchain My Heart on which the band excelled. Chris followed this with an acapella version of a Lee Roy Parnell song called The Rock which was certainly something different. Van Morrison then took to the stage and performed Broken Record which was notable for Van uttering the song title 29 times as the song concluded thereby equalling the previous record (which therefore actually remains unbroken!). Going Down to Bangor proceeded impressively at breakneck speed as Van armed himself with his bucket and spade for the journey! Baby Please Don't Go/ Streamline Train upped the tempo again before the Centrepiece jazz standard which followed. Laughin' And Clownin' was a particular highlight featuring great guitar, saxophone and trumpet solos by Dave Keary, Chris White and Matt Holland respectively.

When Van made his way to the piano I sensed something special would ensue and sure enough he delivered a superb version of the Ray Charles song What Would I Do which Van of course covered on his Sense of Wonder album.The version performed tonight was enhanced by some wonderful harmonica playing by Paul Jones who entered from the wings of the stage about half way through the song and his playing encouraged Van to issue his infamous "one more time" invite! The backing vocals of Dana Masters and Jolene O' Hara, which were excellent throughout the show, were particularly haunting on this song as they complemented Van's own vocals beautifully. This song and other notable covers such as All In The Game exemplify the particular ability that Van has to put his own particular stamp on a song so that it surpasses the original version and sounds like one of his own compositions!

Paul Jones performed a solo version of Work Song before being joined by Sam Burgess on bass to perform a song called Sonny Boy Williamson which Paul informed us he had recorded back in the 1960s with the late great bassist Jack Bruce of Cream fame as a tribute after the death of blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson.

Van was joined by Chris Farlowe for a very strong version of Stormy Monday which was merged with Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket and which featured some great guitar playing by Dave Keary including the replication of the police siren sound made famous by John Plitania of the Caledonia Soul Orchestra during the It's Too Late To Stop Now shows. There were great saxophone and trumpet solos performed as well in the song's delivery. Ain't Gonna Moan No More was very strong once again and featured some fine extended saxophone playing by Van towards the song's conclusion.Rock Me Baby which followed once more featured the brass section prominently aided in no small measure by Paul Jones on harmonica.

Van introduced Fame as a song he had recorded with Paul Jones before going on to say that Paul had played the part of a rock singer in a film many years ago. When Paul clarified that the part was that of a pop singer Van as quick as a flash jokingly asked him if he had to practice to play the part!! This song was very well performed and another highlight of the show.
Help Me indicated that the end was nigh and featured Paul Jones once more on vocals and harmonica before being followed by lively versions of Think Twice Before You Go and Worried Man Blues/ This Loving Light Of Mine which brought the main set to a close.

Van did return for Gloria which was a somewhat surprising song choice given the nature of the particular show and it as usual saw the band play extended solos before Jolene O 'Hara impressively showcased her vast vocal range as the song concluded.

Van was in great voice throughout the show and seemed to really enjoy the collaboration with his two musical guests enormously. 
-Brendan Hynes

Setlist
Unchain My Heart (Sung by Chris Farlowe)
The Rock (Sung by Chris Farlowe)
Broken Record
Going Down To Bangor

Baby Please Don't Go/Streamline Train
Centerpiece
Laughin' & Clownin'
What Would I Do
Work Song (Sung by Paul Jones)
Sonny Boy Williamson (Sung by Paul Jones)
Stormy Monday/Take your Hand Out of My Pocket (w/Chris Farlowe)
Ain't Gonna Moan No More
Rock Me Baby (w/Chris Farlowe (vocals & Paul Jones (harmonica))
Fame (w/Paul Jones)
Help Me (w/Paul Jones (vocals & harmonica))
Think Twice Before You Go
Worried Man Blues/This Little Light of Mine (w/Chris Farlowe & Paul Jones)
Gloria (w/Chris Farlowe (vocals & Paul Jones (harmonica))

Set Length I h 45m.

Big Hand For The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess(Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)
Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)
Christopher White (Saxaphone)
Matt Holland (Trumpet)

31-March-2025
Usher Concert Hall
Edinburgh, Scotland

 

Brendan Sends in His Thoughts
Tonight's show was, as the setlist indicates, broadly similar to the Glasgow show the previous night with just a few different song choices so for brevity I will pick out some of the highlights as I saw them. After opening once more with Skye Boat Song,Van quickly played the unmistakable opening saxophone intro to Did Ye Get Healed which was quite superb once more with the brass section and backing vocalists very much to the fore. After Van had performed Cold Cold Heart with great gusto he informed us that it was a Hank Williams song with a Louis Prima twist before introducing the next song as a Ray Charles one which was of course What Would I Do Without You with Van once more on piano. This was even better than the previous night and a brilliant organ solo by John McCullough clearly gained Van's approval as he said " that's it" a couple of times. Van became totally immersed in the song' s delivery and left the piano to sing standing sideways facing the backing vocalists while performing various hand movements of emphasis in doing so.It was quite magnificent! An extended Little Village which followed had the audience totally enraptured by it's brilliance and it would be hard to get more reverential audience behaviour in a church setting! 

 

Someone Like You with Van on piano once more was quite sublime and would have been even more enjoyable for me were it not for the intervention of an over zealous usher shouting loudly across the row where I was seated at someone who may apparently have been filming some of the song on his phone. Somewhat to my disappointment Northern Muse did not feature tonight but the inclusion of another gem in Dweller On The Threshold was rich compensation with Matt Holland on trumpet and Chris White on saxophone making huge contributions. 

 

Snatch It Back & Hold It was unleashed once more on an unsuspecting audience and was even better than the previous night with Van and his band really on fire with Van contributing some great harmonica and brilliant solos by John McCullough on organ and Chris White on saxophone. The audience absolutely loved it as did I and it got probably the biggest ovation of the night which is really saying something given the quality of Van's own compositions performed. Playing the blues doesn't get much better than this and I could see this song becoming a real fan favourite. Star of the County Down was a pretty rare set inclusion complete with Van's arms flailing north, south, east and west just like he used to do in bygone years with the great Georgie Fame! Unsurprisingly Gloria brought proceedings to an end as part of the main set with John McCullough's organ solo the winner for me of the many great band solos performed after Van had departed. This was another fine show with Van in fine voice throughout and his band reaching great heights in delivering the songs he chose to include in the set. 

 

One noteworthy aspect of both tonight's show and the Glasgow show the previous night was the level of respect for and indeed reverence towards Van shown by the audience throughout as they sat enraptured with a decided absence of people talking annoyingly during songs (apart of course from the unruly usher who interrupted Someone Like You tonight) which so often ruins concert attendance in modern times for real music fans.
-Brendan Hynes

 

 Setlist
Skye Boat Song
Did Ye Get Healed?
Cold Cold Heart

What Would I Do

Little Village

Enlightenment
Days Like This

Have I Told You Lately
Someone Like You
No Other Baby

Dweller On The Threshold 

Green Rocky Road

Snatch It Back & Hold It

Only A Dream
Real Real Gone/You Send Me

Star Of The County Down
Gloria

Set Length I h 49m.

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess(Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

30-March-2025
Glasgow Concert Hall
Glasgow, Scotland

 

Brendan Hynes Sends in His Thoughts on Gig

In opening with a smooth instrumental version of Skye Boat Song, Van was seemingly paying his respects to his Scottish surroundings. He followed this song with a masterful version of Did Ye Get Healed which not only saw the brass section excel but also Dana Masters and Jolene O' Hara with superb backing vocals. Van was clearly very enthused as he encouraged both the band and the audience to clap along in unison towards it's conclusion which they did. When a rare performance of Little Village followed it was clear that this was going to be a special night and when Van then sat behind the piano and introduced the Ray Charles song What Would I Do? the bar was raised even higher with it's delivery with Van really into it and great solos from John McCullough on organ and Chris White on saxophone. After the band had brought the sound level way down low Van rather amusingly said "don't stop playing"!! When Van remained on piano for a beautiful rendition of Northern Muse I was thinking that this was the most magical start to a Van Morrison concert I had heard in a long time. 

 

After performing Enlightenment and Days Like This Van suddenly exclaimed "By The Way, Happy Mother's Day" in recognition of the day that was in it. Have I Told You Lately saw Dana feature prominently and even more so on Someone Like You which followed with Van on piano once more. It was beautiful and much appreciated by the very respectful Glasgow audience. 

 

Ain't Gonna Moan No More got the full treatment with extended band solos while Only A Dream saw Van in meditative mode as he repeated the words " all change" and "church bells chime" at the song's conclusion for an extended time. 

 

Green Rocky Road was indeed quite rocky at the outset as Van quickly removed the electric guitar he had strapped on and asked the unfortunate crew member who brought out a replacement and took away the offending instrument "how did that happen?". Van was clearly unhappy with the replacement guitar and handed it back as well before continuing to sing for a couple of minutes without any guitar until finally one was delivered in satisfactory working order at which point I was able to settle back down once more in my seat! 

 

The opening line of Real Real Gone saw an audience member seated near me seemingly become overcome by the brilliance of it all when pointing at Van before exclaiming "He's A Genius"!! The song itself was merged with You Send Me and featured Dana and Jolene prominently and to great effect. 

 

As the show neared it's conclusion Van introduced a Junior Wells blues song called Snatch It Back And Hold It which he and the band fairly thundered through at pace. If this song is a sneak preview of some of the songs to be performed at the forthcoming Blues Project shows in Mandela Hall, Belfast then it certainly augers well. 

 

Gloria featured as the last song of the main set with no encore. The band featured extensively as ever on this number and with Jolene reaching an extremely high vocal pitch during her vocal contribution which got great audience appreciation. 

 

Van was in fine voice throughout the show and very committed to the songs performed aided in no small measure by the superb contribution of his band and backing vocalists. 

-Brendan Hynes 

Setlist
Skye Boat Song
Did Ye Get Healed?
Little Village
What Would I Do
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Enlightenment
Days Like This
No Other Baby
Have I Told You Lately
Someone Like You
Ain't Gonna Moan No More
Only A Dream
Green Rocky Road
Real Real Gone/You Send Me
Snatch It Back & Hold It
Gloria

Set Length I h 44m.

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess(Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

24-March-2025
Sub Rooms
Stroud, England

Setlist
Only A Dream
You Gotta Make It Through The World
Days Like This
Enlightenment
Someone Like You
Have I Told You Lately
Green Rocky Road
Vanlose Stairway
No Other Baby
Down To Joy
Wild Night
Moondance
Cleaning Windows
Precious Time
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Snatch It Back & Hold It
Ain't Gonna Moan No More
Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess(Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

23-March-2025
New Theatre Oxford
Oxford, England

Setlist
Only A Dream
You Gotta Make It Through The World
Someone Like You
Days Like This
So Quiet In Here
Down To Joy
Steal My Heart Away
Enlightenment
Have I Told You Lately
Northern Muse (Solid Ground)
Centerpiece
New Symphony Sid
Green Rocky Road
Did Ye Get Healed
Talk Is Cheap
Precious Time
Help Me
Ain't Gonna Moan No More 

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Trevor Mires (Trombone)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)

19-March-2025
Symphony Hall 
Birmingham, England

Setlist 

Only A Dream

Back On Top 

Days Like This

Broken Record

Down To Joy

Enlightenment

Ain't Gonna Mon No More

Vanlose Stairway

Cleaning Windows

Magic Time

Have I Told You Lately

Centerpiece

Bags Groove

In The Afternoon/Raincheck

Laughin' & Clownin'

Wild Night 

Help Me 

Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Trevor Mires (Trombone)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)

18-March-2025
Royal Concert Hall
 Nottingham, England

Setlist 

Only A Dream

Back On Top 

Days Like This

Enlightenment

Wonderful Remark

Cleaning Windows

New Symphony Sid

Green Rocky Road 

Ain;t Gonna Mon No More

Precious time

Wild Night

Moondance

Down To Joy

Bright Side of the Road

Broken Record

Vanlose Stairway

Help Me 

Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Trevor Mires (Trombone)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)

23-February-2025
Whitla Hall
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Setlist 

Only A Dream

Back On Top 

You Gotta Make It Through The World

Ain't Gonna Moan No More

So Quiet In Here

Steal My Heart Away

When Will I Be Loved

Broken Record

Vanlose Stairway

Enlightenment

New Symphony Sid

Green Rocky Road 

Precious Time 

Summertime in England 

Wild Night

Help Me 

Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Richie Buckley (Saxaphone)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Trevor Mires (Trombone)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)

22-February-2025
Whitla Hall
Belfast, Northern Ireland 

Setlist

Only A Dream 

Back On Top 

You Gotta Make It Through The World 

Aint Gonna Moan No More 

I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry 

Laughin' And Clownin' 

Precious Time 

Enlightenment 

Vanlose Stairway 

Down To Joy 

Green Rocky Road 

Summertime In England 

Jackie Wilson Said 

Whenever God Shines His Light 

Think Twice Before You Go 

Help Me

Gloria

Big Hand For The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)
Richie Buckley (Saxaphone)
Christopher White (Saxaphone)
Matt Holland (Trumpet)
Trevor Mires (Trombone)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)

21-February-2025
Whitla Hall
Belfast, Northern Ireland

via S, Corr

Brendan Hynes was at gig & sends in this review

As the band took to the stage for the first of Van Morrison's three shows this weekend at the venue it was very pleasing to see that the big band format assembled for the New Arrangements and Duets album launch shows in Brighton last year was once more followed. Also noteworthy was the return after many years of Neal Wilkinson on drums and Richie Buckley on saxophone with the latter's presence proving particularly significant as the show progressed. 

The show opened with lively renditions of Only A Dream and Back on Top before Van reverted briefly into skiffle territory with I Want A Roof Over My Head which was followed by a very impressive rendition of So Quiet In Here. Laughin' and Clownin' saw Van in full flight aided in no small measure by the excellent big band and backing vocalists Jolene O' Hara and Dana Masters. Down To Joy was introduced by Van as the new single and apparently it is included on his new forthcoming album. Green Rocky Road represented a further skiffle selection before Days Like This, Enlightenment and Precious Time saw a return to more regular set selections. 

The sight of Van proceeding to sit at the piano often promises something special and sure enough we were treated to a superb Vanlose Stairway featuring a great Richie Buckley saxophone solo and lovely big band brass. There was understandably a huge ovation at the end of the song whereupon Van uttered the word 'Summertime" before embarking on a magical journey back through Summertime in England. This one got the full treatment as we visited the mystic church and had Van telling Mr. Lawrence that he read his book with Richie Buckley repeating Van's utterances at breakneck speed during the 'call and respond' segment before unleashing a savage piece of saxophone playing as the song reached a crescendo with the backing singers singing "Soul Is A Witness" over and over towards it's conclusion. There was unsurprisingly an audience eruption followed by a standing ovation at the end of the song. 

Whenever God Shines His Light was followed by a terrific rendition of Ain't Gonna Moan No More featuring superb solos by Dave Keary on guitar, Guy Barker on trumpet, Sam Burgess on bass and John McCullough on organ. Come On In and Moondance were followed by a powerful Help Me on which the backing vocalists excelled before the encore of Gloria brought proceedings to an end but not before a quite incredible trombone solo by Trevor Mires which brought the house down. 

Van was in fine voice and quite jovial throughout the show and there was a strong dynamic evident with his superb band. 

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist 

Only A Dream

Back On Top 

I Want A Roof Over My Head 

So Quiet In Here 

Laughin And Clownin' 

Down To Joy 

Green Rocky Road 

Days Like This 

Enlightenment 

Precious Time 

Vanlose Stairway 

Summertime in England 

Whenever God Shines His Light 

Ain't Gonna Moan No More 

Come On In 

Moondance 

Help Me 

Gloria

Set Length: 1hr 47m

Big Hand For The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Sam Burgess (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Neal Wilkinson (Drums)

Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

Richie Buckley (Saxaphone)

Christopher White (Saxaphone)

Matt Holland (Trumpet)

Trevor Mires (Trombone)
Guy Barker (Trumpet)

21-January-2025
Grand Opera House
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Crawford Bell Tribute 

 

Setlist: 

Have I Told You Lately 

 

 

17-October-2024
Kia Forum
Los Angeles, USA
Robbie Robertson Tribute

Setlist 

Tupelo Honey 

Days Like This 

Wonderful Remark

13-October-2024
Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club
 Portsmouth, USA

Setlist  

Only A Dream/No Prima Donna

Raincheck

Ain't Gonna Moan No More

Days Like This

Domino

Laughin' & Clownin' 

In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway/Don't Get Me High/Sittin' Pretty

Moondance

I Want a Roof Over My Head 

Down To Joy 

Enlightenment

Precious Time

Magic Time 

Green Rocky Road

Into The Mystic

Wild Night

Gloria

28-September-2024
Brighton Dome
 Brighton, England

Photo: Pam K.

Brendan Hynes reports on Night 2 in Brighton

Van Morrison at Brighton Dome, 28th September 2024. 

The second album launch show followed a similar pattern to the first night with select members of Van Morrison's band doing a short support set featuring Jolene O'Hara on two of the numbers namely You Are Mine At Last and I Just Want To Make Love To You which again got a great audience reaction. 

Van Morrison's own set didn't deviate too much from that of the first night. Only A Dream featured a fine extended saxophone solo from Van while the song ended with Van exclaiming "No Prima Donna" and "All Change" over and over towards the song conclusion with the backing vocalists also joining in nicely. So Quiet In Here was really powerful and got a great audience reaction as Van mouthed the words  "Can You Feel The Silence" over and over at the song's conclusion. 

Chris Farlowe guested once more starting with Ain't Gonna Moan No More which featured another fine long saxophone solo by Van. Stormy Monday was merged with Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket and Lonely Avenue in what turned into a blues masterclass with the band in full flow throughout. The roar from the audience when it ended nearly blew the roof off the Dome! 

Someone Like You was delivered spectacularly by Van who was aided in no small measure by the really nice vocal contribution of Sumudu. The song concluded with Van repeating "You" "You" over and over to great effect. It was a wonderful version. 

Laughin' And Clownin' featured superb solos from Chris White on saxophone and Guy Barker on trumpet while Sumudu's powerful vocal contribution was accompanied by Van singing the words "Night and Day" over and over in response. It was great. 

Jackie Wilson Said benefitted hugely from the large brass ensemble on stage while Broken Record featured some scatting from Sumudu and Chris Farlowe which clearly met with Van' s approval as he repeatedly said "That's Right" over and over in acknowledgement. Green Rocky Road brought the show into skiffle territory and was followed by Worried Man Blues which was merged with Down By The Riverside. The latter song saw Van unfortunately and repeatedly bellow "G" "G" at band members throughout as he was clearly dissatisfied with the key in which they were playing it. While Van told the audience at the songs conclusion that they had got there in the end it wasn't exactly conducive to enhancing anyone's enjoyment of the song's performance!. 

The concluding Gloria brought the show to more familiar closing territory with Dave Keary producing some fine guitar work and an exceptional extended trombone solo by Alistair White being particular highlights of the selected band solos performed. 

As on the first night the overall impact of the large band assembled for these album launch shows was huge and it would be nice to see a repeat at some stage in the future. 

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist (Thanks Brendan Hynes)

Choppin' Wood 

Only A Dream 

You Gotta Make It Through The World 

I Want a Roof Over My Head 

So Quiet In Here 

Ain't Gonna Moan No More (w/Chris Farlowe)  

Stormy Monday/Take Your Hand Out of My Pocket/Lonely Avenue (w/Chris Farlowe)

Close Enough For Jazz (w/ Chris Farlowe) 

Steal My Heart Away (w/ Chris Farlowe) 

Symphony Sid

Someone Like You 

Laughin' & Clownin' 

Jackie Wilson Said 

Broken Record (w/Chris Farlowe)  

Green Rocky Road (w/Chris Farlowe)

Worried Man Blues/Down By The Riverside (w/Chris Farlowe)  

Gloria (w/Chris Farlowe) 

Set length 1h 45m