20-September-2015
Sony Center
For The Performing Arts
 Toronto, Canada

Dan Murray sends in his thoughts on night two in Toronto

Magic Time in Toronto
During two powerful shows at Toronto's Sony Centre for the Performing Arts over the weekend, Sir George Ivan Morrison demonstrated his continued vitality as supreme soul-sender and improvisational marvel.

I have been whining for a good year now that I thought Van had cut back considerably in the past year on his classic improvisational skills, musical dynamics and pure, unvarnished passion.

There were times of brilliance, but I thought things were becoming much too routine. I chalked it up to age, and death, and the ghosts, as poet John Berryman put it.

But the Cyprus Avenue birthday gigs showed major signs of the Van performance style I have known and will always love. The afternoon show finale of Ballerina, And the Healing and Garden were terrific songs delivered with drive and beauty.

The finale of Hyndford Street in the evening set summed up the day in gorgeous, dramatic style.

And then on to Toronto three weeks later, where a combination of a lovely venue, a great audience, pristine sound, a performer completely committed to the cause, and a finely tuned band added up to two wonderful evenings of music.

The sound of surprise as the music unfolded, the passion, the drama were all back in full force, and a relaxed Van sang with as much authority as I have ever heard.

The sets lists featured a diverse mix of Van tunes in the first half, nicely paced. The second half of the show brimmed each night with Morrison in full vocal flight, the lights of the cars on the overpass, shining like diamonds in the night, driving all night long, until the sun comes up.

Burn baby Burn, you're gonna make me high.

Morrison used all of his classic imagery, nature-based and mystical. I believe there was even a reference to his young children, as he repeated over and over "Daddy, take me down, please, to the burning ground. Daddy, take me across the river, across the water. Daddy, please."

The shows opened with the traditional songs to warm up the pipes, merely pleasant.

Then he mixed things up in the middle of the gigs, doing songs ranging from the greasy, grinding blues of Talk is Cheap and Keep Mediocrity at Bay and I Believe to My Soul, to a propulsive, sweeping version of Motherless Child, guitars strummed hard, and a wonderful, woozy In the Midnight.

The All in the Game both nights was epic, so much new revealed, despite the fact that he has sung it so often. The way he formed the words into exquisite shapes: "Make it real one more time....one more, one... one.... one... one."
"And you take my hand, and you walk with me, and sometimes it feels, like eternity."

Can it be said any better? And how much more pleasurable to hear it sung by a voice that is truly blessed. Van's enunciation at these gigs was the best I have ever heard.

The Ballerina was exquisite in its beauty and clarity.

The shows ended with Gloria, which the audience loved, and the great band absolutely pulverized it as Van got into his limo and took flight again.
-Dan Murray

Setlist (Thanks Mike S.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Moondance
Days Like This
Precious Time
Talk Is Cheap
Keep Mediocrity at Bay
Carrying A Torch
Enlightenment
Magic Time
Whenever God Shines His Light
In the Midnight
In the Afternoon/Raincheck
Think Twice Before You Go
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
Ballerina
And The Healing Has Begun
It's All In The Game
Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Paul Moore (Bass)
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Bobby Ruggiero (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)

19-September-2015
Sony Center
For The Performing Arts
 Toronto, Canada

Toronto Sun (Source)
Van still The Man at 70? You betcha.
Van Morrison, now in his first year as a septuagenarian, lived up to his longtime nickname Van The Man Saturday night during the first of two back-to-back shows at the Sony Centre.

The veteran Belfast belter seems to have defied time and still possesses a big, beautiful, soulful voice even if his physicality - he doesn’t move much or speak between songs - barely hints at the power within.
It’s only when he’s singing - soul, blues, gospel, rock, pop and jazz - that Morrison’s spirit really comes alive with rich, expressive vocals that seem to come directly from his heart.

Dressed in a suit, tie, fedora, and sunglasses with dim lighting making it hard to actually see him, the singer-songwriter began in a low-key, jazzy way playing saxophone (he later played guitar and harmonica) on the instrumental Celtic Swing followed by Close Enough For Jazz.

But then Morrison, accompanied by a tight five piece band, quickly picked up the pace with hits like Moondance and Days Like This, the latter which got fans clapping for the first time.

Finally seeming to relax, he followed up with a plenty of vocal improvisation and a potent mix of blues, rock and gospel selections big on jams.

Highlights included a cover of Baby Please Don’t Go (previously covered by his pre-solo ‘60s band Them), and his own I Believe To My Soul, Talk is Cheap, Whenever God Shines His Light, Wild Night and the very sexy Don’t You Make Me High, and finally The Burning Ground which saw him shuffle off stage while still singing.

Thankfully, he returned for the crowd-pleasing encore number Gloria, also by Them, with plenty of solos offered up by his musicians and the audience finally on its feet and clapping and singing along.

Sadly, there was no Brown Eyed Girl but it was a small quibble given the quality of music for an hour and 40 minutes delivered by a legend still going strong.
-Jane Stevenson

Setlist (Thanks Mike S.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Moondance
Days Like This
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
I Believe To My Soul
Talk is Cheap
Whenever God Shines His Light
Wild Night
In the Afternoon /Burn Baby Burn/Raincheck
Cleaning Windows
Motherless Child
And The Healing Has Begun
Precious Time
Magic Time
All in the Game/Time is Running Out/Burning Ground
Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Paul Moore (Bass)
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Bobby Ruggiero (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)

18-September-2015
Landsdowne Park
 Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa Sun (Source)

It was a marvelous night for a Moondance on the Great Lawn of Lansdowne Park Friday, with the legendary Van Morrison packing the park to capacity for CityFolk's marquee show.

It took a personal letter to Morrison, penned by festival director Mark Monahan, to convince the ever-elusive Belfast Cowboy to hop the pond for the exclusive date -- it's been a full five years since he set foot in Canada, last appearing in Ottawa at Monahan's Bluesfest in 2007.

And as with another legend of similar stature, Bob Dylan, who shared the Bluesfest bill that year, concertgoers know you're either in line for "Good Van" or "Bad Van" -- when he's on, it's a near-spiritual experience, when he's off, it can fall a little flat.

But on Friday, he wasn't just Good Van. He was vintage Van the Man.

The elder statesman of soul, now 70, needed no introduction as he and his crack five-piece band strode on stage -- a full ten minutes ahead of their scheduled start -- and with no fanfare at all, launched into the smooth-sailing jazz instrumental Celtic Swing, with Morrison looking dapper dressed in all-black, capped by fedora and shades, blowing soft sax lines on his alto while fans were still staking out their spot on the crowded lawn.

Even the camera operators were late on the draw, the video screens still projecting a stationary shot of the side of the stage while the main attraction was stepping up to take his first of many jazz-infused sax solos.

There was little time, or need for fanfare, however, as Morrison quickly counted off the cheeky Close Enough For Jazz, then eased into his signature tune, Moondance, while the estimated 15,000 fans took up the occasion to find a partner and sway along to the gently syncopated bounce.

He barely allowed a breath between songs for his bandmates, and wasted no time to take in the rapturous applause, quickly counting in each song on the heels of the last, with the gospel-tinged Days Like This and Higher Ground, followed quickly by the down and dirty r&b of the classic Them hit Baby Please Don't Go, the horn-driven Real, Real Gone and the funky bass jam of Wild Night.

Yes, it was just that easy for the venerable Morrison, whose trademark vocals seem to have defied Father Time, capturing every bit of the power and the grace of his prime.

The stage volume was kept noticeably quiet at the outset, but gained in decibels by the time the band really hit their stride on Cleaning Windows -- the band had already reeled off a dozen tunes by that point and it was barely 9 p.m.

The inspiring Jackie Wilson Said brought the entire crowd to their feet, as even the fans dotting the hillside at the far end of the park could be seen kicking up the turf to the driving horn lines, and even his most casual fan was singing along to every word of Brown-Eyed Girl, Domino and the rousing encore Gloria.

On Friday, he spoke only to his band, and did so only to quickly count in the next song, or spontaneously call out the key signature. His bandmates followed along with every cue, sometimes as subtle as a quick raised hand or catching a barked audible cue, and displayed supreme musical mastery throughout it all.
-AEDAN HELMER

Setlist (Thanks Ken D.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough for Jazz
Moondance
Days Like This
Whenever God Shines His Light
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchment Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
Enlightenment
Real Real Gone
Wild Night
Can't Stop Loving You
Precious Time
Cleaning Windows
Jackie Wilson Said
In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway/Raincheck
Brown Eyed Girl
Domino
In The Garden
Think Twice Before You Go
Help Me
Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!
Dave Keary (Guitar)
Paul Moore (Bass)
Paul Moran (Keyboards)
Bobby Ruggiero (Drums)
Dana Masters (Vocals)