09-October-2016
Forest Hills Stadium
 New York, USA

Dan Murray's take on gig
Look Beyond the Hills

Located near a lovely residential area in Queens, Forest Hills Stadium is a pretty big venue, but tightly configured and with excellent sound throughout.

I had been worried about the weather for days, and it turns out that Matthew was still stinging the area with his tail, whipping up strong winds and some showers. The showers abated by mid-afternoon as the storm moved further out to sea, but the winds stayed brisk during the entire show. It was a chilly, chilly evening, but that set the atmosphere for a pretty hot gig with Van and the band seemingly unbothered by the weather. Morrison was in excellent voice throughout the show, opening with Too Late and finishing with In the Garden and Gloria. The set list was expertly pegged to the crowd.

Of course, at a venue this size, there is going to be a very diverse group: The idiots who talk and don't listen, those who listen sporadically, and those intent on following every note, some dancing and smiling and having a grand time. I was surrounded by each type.

Ghostly, softly illuminated clouds sailed over the venue as skies partially cleared for the gig, a big half-moon cookie of a moon shining down. Jetliners banked gently near the stadium on their airport approaches, their lights twinkling. It was a great atmosphere.

Van and the band knew they had to cut through the cold in the air, and they did a great job helped out by the superb sound system. The music was sharp and spot on.

Van continues to revel in performing at the moment, his body language full of energy and his head tilting back and emoting with power.

Every song was well-performed, with In the Afternoon getting the workshop treatment. With Bobby Ruggiero back on drums for the US gigs, Van returned the Parchman Farm spouse-shooting drumshots into the set, and that Old Black Magic duet returned with a lovefest by dad for daughter Shana, who opened the show with a nice, longer-than-usual set. Tore Down a la Rimbaud was joyous and inspiring.
Van featured 4 songs from his gorgeous new album, but not Out in the Cold Again. That would have been too appropriate.

In the Afternoon continues to be a welcome beauty, Van exploring new avenues on the ancient highway until sittin' pretty on the mountaintop above the deep blue sea, with vistas stretching out over miles and miles of golden sand. Always great to get Garden and the Holy Guardian Angel. Van sang this one and Gloria clear out into the wings and through the side curtains.

Van fan Brian Heffler suggested I contrast this show with the Culloden gigs I was fortunate to attend 3 weeks ago. Some of the differences are obvious, Forest Hills is 40 times bigger than the Culloden. It has bench seating, primarily, instead of tables in an elegant ballroom. It is open air with much more people movement and distraction.

But Van and the band surmounted all of those things on Sunday night. The music at the Culloden and the music at Forest Hills featured the same commitment and pleasure-inducing features, although obviously the Culloden was much more intimate and conducive to a little more stretching out on the workshops. All the shows were highly successful.

Van and the crew now swing out to the West Coast for 5 more gigs, in very different venues. I have a feeling they are going to be memorable.
-Dan Murray

Setlist (Thanks John Z.)
Too Late
Wild Night
Magic Time
Someone Like You
Tore Down A La Rimbaud
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchment Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
Here Comes The Night
Cleaning Windows
Sometimes We Cry
Old Black Magic w/Shana Morrison
Precious Time
Going Down To Bangor
In the Afternoon/Ancient Highway/Raincheck/Sittin' Pretty
Whenever God Shines his Light
Why Must I always Explain
Brown Eyed Girl
Keep Me Singing
Let It Rhyme
In The Garden
Gloria

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

Keep Me Singing

Available 30-September-2016

Van Morrison's 36th Album

The Plain Dealer
Van Morrison was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in in 1993, a member of the same class that saw the enshrinement of such artists as Cream, the Doors, Dick Clark and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among others.

The question could be who is among the more illustrious company – them or him?

The difference is that most of those folks were brought into the Rock Hall well after their careers had peaked – and in some cases, after they had died. So it's safe to say that their best work was behind them.

Not so with Morrison, and his newest album, "Keep Me Singing,'' his first collection of new music in four years, is proof of that.

Morrison, now 70, formed his first band at the age of 12, and has been improving ever since.

His song "Brown-Eyed Girl'' is a staple for every classic rock cover band in the free world – and some bands in the not-so-free world. But as popular as it is, it's not his best tune; that would be "Into the Mystic.''

And that's why this album is so good: Every song on it, from the LP-opener "Let It Rhyme'' to the instrumental "Caledonia Swing,'' is a winner, on a par with "Into the Mystic.''

The 12 originals and lone cover – "Share Your Love With Me,'' previously covered by artists like Aretha Franklin and Kenny Rogers – allow Morrison to wrap his emotional baritone around the lyrics and give them meaning beyond the actual words.

"Too Late'' is a bit of that doo-wop skiffle sound that began his career. "Holy Guardian,'' with its "nobody knows the trouble I've seen lament,'' is a love song for the woman of his dreams.

One of the more touching songs is "Memory Lane,'' which is about exactly what it says. But it's great because it lets Morrison fans – especially those of us who view ourselves as contemporaries of the 70-year-old star – to sit back and recognize that is what's left for us, all without a trace of self-pity.

The only real hope is that this isn't the final address on any Morrison Memory Lane. Grade: A
-Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer

Keep Me Singing
Van Morrison
Caroline International