19-September-2016
Culloden Estate & Spa
 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Setlist (Thanks Per H.)
Look Beyond the Hill
Too Late
Magic Time
Tore Down A La Rimbaud
Foreign Window
Carrying A Torch
Fame
Baby Please Don't Go/Don’t Start Crying Now
Here Comes the Night
Out in the Cold Again
Have I Told You Lately (Vegas Version)
In the Afternoon
Precious Time
It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
Whenever God Shines His Light
Into the Mystic
Brown Eyed Girl
It’s All In the Game/Burning Ground
Gloria

18-September-2016
Culloden Estate & Spa
 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Setlist (Thanks Dan Murray)
All Saints Day
Magic Time
Too Late
Keep It Simple
Tore Down A La Rimbaud
Foreign Window
Whenever God Shines His Light
Someone Like You
Have I Told You Lately (Vegas Version)
Sometimes We Cry
Baby Please Don't Go
Here Comes the Night
WIndows
Precious Time
In the Afternoon
Wild Night
It's all In The Game/Burning Ground
Help Me
Gloria

17-September-2016
Culloden Estate & Spa
 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Setlist (Thanks Dan Murray)
Back On Top
By His Grace
Baby Please Don't Go
Here Comes The Night
Whenever God Shines His Light
Precious Time
Wild Night
Real Real Gone
Have I Told You Lately (Vegas Version)
Moondance
Cleaning Windows
Jackie Wilson Said
Think Twice Before You Go
Brown Eyed Girl
Gloria

22-August-2016
Slieve Donard Hotel
 Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Brendan Hynes sent in his thoughts on gig
It was clear from the outset that Van Morrison’s set tonight was going to be a high powered one as he immediately launched into rip roaring versions of Wavelength and Wild Night, both of which featured great guitar and organ throughout from Dave Keary and Paul Moran respectively. A nice delivery of Magic Time was notable for a fine trumpet solo from Paul Moran and some saxophone from Van to finish.Baby Please Don’t Go went down a storm as usual and went straight into Don’t Start Crying Now thus bypassing Parchman Farm on this occasion. Here Comes The Night provided some nostalgia and was quickly followed by Precious Time before Dana Masters was afforded the opportunity to shine on vocals during Sometimes We Cry and Whenever God Shines His Light. Talk Is Cheap was strongly delivered by Van before two new songs off the forthcoming album got an airing in the form of Keep Me Singing which was pretty strong and Too Late. The latter has been released as a single presumably because of its up tempo beat but I can’t quite see it topping the charts. In The Afternoon which followed was (not for the first time) the highlight of the night as Van brought proceedings down to a whisper before repeatedly uttering the phrases “stretching out for miles and miles” and “it won’t be long child before we are sitting pretty” to a mesmerised and captive audience which almost unanimously gave Van a long standing ovation at the song’s conclusion. The rarely played Dylan cover It’s All Over Now Baby Blue was greeted ecstatically by the audience but suffered from some initial turbulence as Van barked “D” followed by “A ” at guitarist Dave Keary and bassist Paul Moore who both seemed convinced they were playing it correctly. Real Real Gone lifted the tempo again and featured Dana on extended vocals including a snatch of You Send Me. Think Twice Before You Go saw the band in full flow before we were brought back down to earth with Brown Eyed Girl. Jackie Wilson Said saw Van and Paul Moran duet on saxaphone and trumpet respectively before a welcome rendition of Did Ye Get Healed. In The Garden featured some beautiful acoustic guitar from Dave Keary but Van didn’t really get as immersed in the song as one would have hoped which was probably down to some noisy over inebriated individuals in the audience. Van departed at this stage but as the 90 minute curfew had not yet been reached he quickly returned for strong renditions of Help Me and Gloria to send the fans home happy. The latter saw the usual extended band solos when Van had departed with Paul Moore on bass getting a somewhat frenetic response to his solo as he happily took the limelight and interacted at some length with his worshipers in the audience much to the amusement of the rest of the band.

Set time was 1h 36m.

-Brendan Hynes

Set List
Wavelength
Wild Night
Magic Time
Baby Please Don’t Go/Don’t Start Crying Now
Here Comes The Night
Precious Time
Sometimes We Cry
Whenever God Shines His Light
Talk Is Cheap
Keep Me Singing
Too Late
In The Afternoon
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue
Real Real Gone/You Send Me
Think Twice Before You Go
Brown Eyed Girl
Jackie Wilson Said
Did Ye Get Healed
In The Garden
Help Me
Gloria

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

21-August-2016
Slieve Donard Hotel
 Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Setlist (Thanks Al B.)
Moondance/Look Behind The Hill
Carrying A Torch
Magic Time
That's Life
Till We Get The Healing Done
Wild Night
Sometimes We Cry
Baby, Please Don't Go/Don't Start Crying
Here Comes The Night
Let It Rhyme
Too Late
Someone Like You
Precious Time
Out in The Cold Again
Going Down To Bangor
Whenever God Shines His Light
In The Afternoon
Help Me
Gloria

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

29-May-2016
Town Hall 
Late Show
 Warrenpoint
 Northern Ireland

Brendan sent in this review
The second of Van Morrison’s shows was again opened in fine fashion by the Bluez Katz Bluez Band who were afforded a warm reception not enjoyed too regularly by support acts.
After the all too predictable Celtic Swing opener we were then treated to a really strong I Believe To My Soul which featured Dana Masters prominently on shared/backing vocals and a great trumpet solo from Paul Moran. Symphony Sid was once again reprised to be followed by Early in The Morning/Rock Me Baby which featured a great organ solo from Paul Moran, fine harmonica from Van and really good guitar throughout from Dave Keary. The rarely performed Kingdom Hall went down a treat after which Van put on his acoustic guitar for the even rarer The Beauty Of The Days Gone By. Moondance, featuring several band solos, was followed by another rendition of Travelling Light. A great version of Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child followed to great acclaim and led into Real Real Gone featuring nice vocals from Dana. A couple of excited ladies proceeded to dance in front of the stage during this song only to be ushered to the side by an over - zealous steward. Van seemed quite amused and at the commencement of Carrying A Torch which followed joked that if they wanted to dance during this song it wouldn’t be a problem. It was a great version with both Van and Dana excelling vocally. Bright Side Of The Road was very well delivered and featured Van doing his Louis Armstrong impression at some length. Cleaning Windows kept up the high tempo and it increased further with a powerful Wild Night. Whenever God Shines His Light highlighted Dana’s vocal abilities once more before Van brought the show towards finality with Help Me. After Van briefly departed he returned one more time for Gloria which saw Paul Moran go into overdrive on synth and organ and Dana deservedly bring the house down with her brilliant vocal contribution after Van had exited the stage.

This show was in my view much superior to the first one but was far from a vintage performance nevertheless.

The set time was 1h 23m.

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist (Thanks Al B.)
Celtic Swing
I Believe To My Soul
Symphony Sid
Early In The Morning
Kingdom Hall
The Beauty of the Days Gone By
Moondance
Travelling Light
Motherless Child
Real Real Gone
Carrying A Torch
Bright Side of the Road
Cleaning Windows
Wild Night
Whenever God Shines His Light
Help Me
Gloria

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

29-May-2016
Town Hall 
Early Show
 Warrenpoint
 Northern Ireland

Brendan sent in this review
This was the first of Van Morrison’s two concerts at what has by now come to be his annual appearance as part of the Blues on the Bay festival. The show was once again opened by the Bluez Katz Blues Band which are very much a family affair with half of the six piece band consisting of father, son and daughter and their four song set of blues/jazz rock classics was highly entertaining with a nice brass section augmenting the overall sound to considerable effect.

Van’s set opened in very predictable fashion with Celtic Swing and Close Enough for Jazz while the jazz theme was continued with Symphony Sid which featured Dana Masters on extended vocals. Magic Time and Playhouse followed in quick succession before Van told us that these type of shows gave them the opportunity to do songs they wouldn’t normally do. What followed were covers of Miss Otis Regrets (featuring a nice trumpet solo from Paul Moran) and Travelling Light which Van told us was a Billie Holliday song with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The usual medley of Baby Please Don’t Go/Parchman Farm/Don’t Start Crying Now went down well and was followed by In the Midnight which was well delivered and included a nice organ solo by Paul Moran.Both Whenever God Shines His Light and Sometimes We Cry saw Dana feature prominently on shared vocals. Think Twice Before You Go moved at a fair pace with the band in full flow before Days Like This calmed everything down again. By His Grace featured a nice organ sound throughout before we were returned once more to the ‘hits’ territory with Brown Eyed Girl and Precious Time, neither of which did much for me personally. Wild Night was powerfully delivered after which Van entered the finishing straight with Help Me before departing the stage only to return once more for Gloria which was notable for Dana’s great vocals after Van had finally departed.

My overall feeling was that this was a very disappointing show with none of the really outstanding or spine tingling moments that one normally associates with a Van Morrison concert and a distinct absence of any hint of the celtic mysticism for which Van is so well renowned. There was quite a degree of over- reliance on the radio friendly ‘hits’ which are arguably mainly of appeal to ‘occasional’ fans of Van’s music .

The set time was 1h 20 m.

-Brendan Hynes

via Meg M.

Setlist (Thanks Al B.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
Symphony Sid
Magic Time
Playhouse
Miss Otis Regrets
Travelling Light
Baby, Please Don't Go/Parchment Farm/Don't Start Crying Now
In The Midnight
Whenever God Shines His Light
Sometimes We Cry
Think Twice Before You Go
Days Like This
By His Grace
Brown Eyed Girl
Precious Time
Wild Night
Help Me
Gloria

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

24-August-2015
Slieve Donard Hotel
 Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Brendan Hynes sent in his thoughts on night 2 at Slieve Donard
As on the previous night, the second concert by Van Morrison at this venue started well ahead of the scheduled start time but on this occasion as the band took to the stage we had the added bonus of seeing Irish broadcaster and game-show host Marty Whelan leap onto the stage to lead the audience in a rendition of Happy Birthday specially for Van. At this point I almost anticipated Van being carried shoulder high through the audience onto the stage but alas it didn’t materialise. Celtic Swing and Close Enough For Jazz gave the show itself a pretty predictable opening before By His Grace got proceedings properly under way. Wild Honey got a rare but welcome airing but suffered somewhat from an apparent breakdown in communications where Dana Masters stopped singing a verse as if she was expecting an instrumental solo but it didn’t materialise which resulted in the band just playing but no one singing. Playhouse got another airing to great acclaim with Dave Keary and Paul Moran excelling with guitar and organ solos respectively. Mystic of the East which followed was the highlight of the night for me with Van playing guitar and singing and humming over it as only he can do. Magical!.

The lively Guitar Slim number Things I Used To Do was followed by Van telling us he had a request which turned out to be Who Can I Turn To? (featuring a great Paul Moran trumpet solo) but not before a fan had shouted out looking for Not Supposed To Breakdown from the Philosopher’s Stone album. Van explained that they didn’t perform that song and hadn’t rehearsed it but encouragingly he did say ‘next time’ which would be a great treat as it is another neglected musical gem from his incredible repertoire that I would love to hear live.

Moondance was notable for a great piano solo by Paul Moran(one more time) and was quickly followed by another eminently forgettable version of Brown Eyed Girl.An outstanding Carrying A Torch was followed by a really good Cleaning Windows which saw the gentleman from the previous night reprise his John Travolta dancing role to great acclaim. The absence of the brass section was, however, particularly noticeable on this song and they would undoubtedly have enhanced it further but it nevertheless went down a storm and received a standing ovation from many of the audience .Days Like This and Precious Time rather surprisingly were played again tonight and were followed by an absolutely blistering version of Think Twice Before You Go with Van and the band perfectly synchronised and earning another standing ovation.Whenever God Shines His Light and Baby Please Don’t go/Parchman Farm/Don’t Start Crying Now kept the tempo up and got a great reaction yet again.

At this point Van told us he was going to slow things down and he embarked on It’s All In the Game.Van referenced Jimmy Witherspoon as having also recorded the song and told us that he had been an artist who used to engage in the old blues tradition of ‘testifying’.Van did some ‘testifying’ himself at this point to the extent that he didn’t get to bring us to the burning ground and the song delivery came nowhere near the heights reached the previous night.After departing the stage, Van returned for a brisk rendition of Gloria before leaving the band to bring proceedings to a close which they did to great effect, especially Dana doing some wonderful chanting over the music.

The set time was 1 h 38 m and while there were a number of outstanding moments I didn’t feel the concert matched the previous night’s quality.

Brendan Hynes

Setlist
Happy Birthday (sung from the audience)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
By His Grace
Wild Honey
Playhouse
Mystic of the East
Things I Used To Do
Who Can I Turn To
Moondance
Brown Eyed Girl
Carrying a Torch
Cleaning Windows
Days Like This
Precious Time
Think Twice Before You Go
Whenever God Shines His Light
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchment Farm
Cry Cry Baby
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-July-2015
Slieve Donard Hotel
 Newcastle, Northern Ireland

Setlist (Thanks Niall C.)
Celtic Swing
Close Enough for Jazz
By His Grace 
Carrying a Torch
Baby Please Don't Go/Parchman Farm/Stop Drinking Wine
I Believe to my Soul
Blue Money
Once A Day
Days Like This
Precious Time
In The Afternoon/Burn Baby Burn
Whenever God Shines His Light
Moondance
In The Midnight
Things Used to Do
And The Healing Has Begun 
Help Me
Ballerina

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

23-November-2014
Great Hall
 Downpatrick 
Northern Ireland

via David K.

After the previous evening’s concert it was with a great sense of anticipation that I made my way to the second of Van Morrison’s concerts at Downshire Estate. The concert started very promisingly with the instrumental Caledonian Swing replacing the regular Celtic Swing opener and providing a nice variation. As was the case the night before, Blue Money followed to the great delight of the audience. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child was next and I felt it was even better than the night before. In particular, Paul Moran was given the latitude to play an extended organ solo which was quite exceptional and further enhanced the magnificence of what we were hearing. Melancholia featured Dana Masters prominently on vocals and a great piano solo from Paul Moran in a wonderful arrangement. Van then gave us another rare gem in The Streets Only Knew Your Name which was quite beautiful. Everything was going great but then the first signs of turbulence appeared as the band launched into Wavelength but without any vocal contribution from Van for the first couple of verses. A stage crew member came on with what appeared to be a lyric sheet but it wasn’t clear whether Van had drawn a blank on the lyrics or there was something else he was unhappy about. When the song finally took off with Van finally on board (much to the relief of the audience who were holding their collective breath) there was some great guitar playing from Dave Keary before the band brought the song to what proved to be a premature end while Van continued to sing resulting in them having to start up again. It was somewhat shambolic and whatever the reason it was clear that Van and the band were not on this occasion on the same wavelength. The wonderful Queen of the Slipstream brought the concert back onto an even keel followed by Sometimes We Cry featuring Dana Masters on shared vocals. At this point Van engaged briefly with the audience to tell us he was going to change things around a bit and do a number off the country album. What followed was a song called More and More but pretty quickly I knew I would be quite happy to hear less and less of this particular song. When Days Like This and Precious Time followed in quick procession I sensed a distinct shift in emphasis and so it proved. Nonetheless, a pretty rip roaring Think Twice Before You Go livened things up again somewhat followed by Open The Door and In The Midnight which featured Dave Keary doing the high pitched vocal piece and impressing Van so much he got him to do it again. Van then gave us a really thunderous version of John Lee Hooker’s Boogie Chillun which is really quite infectious. Magic Time was pleasant but no more than that but Higher Than The World elevated things once again before Van coasted firmly into festival set territory to finish the concert with Jackie Wilson Said, Whenever God Shines His Light,Real Real Gone and Brown Eyed Girl. The concert finished very tamely dead on 90 minutes with no encore and the band not bothering to do any real extended instrumental workout after Van had departed.

The concert ddidn'tscale the heights of the previous night’s show and Van clearly wasn’t anything like as animated but there was so much good(and at times great) music in there(particularly the opening 7 songs) that it still for me provided plenty to enjoy and savour. It was just a pity it ended in a pretty downbeat manner as this can often be the abiding memory that one is left with afterwards.
-Brendan Hynes

Setlist (Thanks to David/Pablo)
Caledonian Swing (Instrumental)
Blue Money
Motherless Child
Melancholia
Streets Only Knew Your Name
Wavelength
Queen of the Slipstream
Sometimes We Cry
More and More
Days Like This
Precious Time
Think Twice Before You Go
Open The Door (To Your Heart)
In The Midnight
Boogie Chillun
Magic Time
Higher Than The World
Jackie Wilson Said
Whenever God Shines His Light
Real Real Gone
Brown Eyed Girl

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

26-October-2014
Europa Hotel
 Belfast, Northern Ireland

via Pablo G.

Setlist
Celtic Swing
New Symphony Sid
Baby Please Don't Go
Rough God Goes Riding
Queen of the Slipstream
Sometimes We Cry
Think Twice Before You Go
Days Like This
Whenever God Shines His Light
I Can Tell (You Don't Love Me)
If You Only Knew
That's Life
Philosopher's Stone
It's All In The Game
Glad Tidings
Boogie Chillun
In the Garden
On Hyndford Street

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

25-October-2014
Europa Hotel
 Belfast, Northern Ireland

MLK in IRE Blog

There is something innately special about the thought of seeing a favorite artist or band play their hometown. Dylan in Minnesota. Bruce in Jersey. Wilco in Chicago. To see these guys perform where it all began, before all the hype and celebrity nearly guarantees a unique and powerful performance unlike any other.

Van Morrison, having long been revered amongst the extended Kane and Fitzpatrick family, would easily fit in this camp. I have fond memories of listening to “Wild Night” on repeat while drinking Tahitian Treat by the case load and battling my brothers in NHL ’95 over and over again at my dad’s house nearly 20 years ago. He has since stayed on my short list of favorites through the years; with a more recent highlight being able to witness, along with 100,000+ of our closest friends, Morrison deliver a blistering set to close out the 2010 New Orleans Jazz Fest.

So last week when I discovered Van was playing an intimate show in his hometown of Belfast, it was a no brainer: I was hopping a bus and heading north. What made this gig even more compelling was the venue of choice, the historic Europa Hotel. Known as the most bombed hotel in the world after suffering nearly 30 attacks during The Troubles, it has persevered through the years and is now a main tourist destination and top hotel for Belfast City. President and First Lady Clinton stayed here in 1995 and 1998 while working on the peace process in Northern Ireland. NOTE: I unsuccessfully tried to book into the Clinton Suite for my stay on Saturday night, although the fine folks at the front desk did put me just down the hall on the 10th floor.

After a five-hour journey with connecting busses from Galway to Dublin and Dublin to Belfast, I arrived at the Europa Hotel Saturday evening just in time for the pre show ballroom dinner. Yes, when you book a ticket to see Van Morrison in a 300-person room in the most famous hotel in his hometown, you get a full course meal and all you can drink wine before the show. Who says Van is a total curmudgeon?

At my table were a great group from Belfast who had all seen similar shows from Van at least four or five times previously. They were pleasantly surprised to hear my story of why an American living in the West of Ireland decided to travel north for the night to see the show (when it was established that no one at the table was familiar with Pearl Jam or Wilco I decided to hold off on describing any of my other previous rock n roll pilgrimages) and remarked how they were fascinated by the amount of people they have met who travel from all over the world for a chance to see the legend play his hometown.

Moments after the final plate was cleared the band took the stage, launching into the instrumental “Celtic Swing,” with Van leading the way with his signature sax.

What struck me most about Morrison last night was his effortless skill as a bandleader. Directing his seven-piece group with both a casual persona as well as a striking professionalism of someone who has been at the top of his game for over five decades. He truly appeared to be enjoying himself on stage too, remarking halfway through his set, “Hey I’ve finally got a pulse tonight!”

Whether it was because it was a hometown show or just a lucky Saturday night, the crowd was treated to two hours of amazing music from one of the greatest musicians the world has ever known. With a songbook as rich as his to pull from, there was no sign of the massive chart topping hits that are played at karaoke bars every night the world over, and I don’t think the crowd would’ve had it any other way. If you told me some 20 years ago that one day I’d witness Van The Man perform in such an intimate and historic venue right in his own backyard, the word “surreal” would immediately come to mind. Last night confirmed it, a night I will not soon forget.

Until next time.

-MLK

Setlist
Celtic Swing
You Make Me Feel So Free
Lost John
Someone Like You
Magic Time
Talk is Cheap
Think Twice Before You Gp
Blues Medley
Baby Please Don't Go
Enlightenment
I Cant Stop Loving You
Whenever God Shines His Light
Back on Top
Days Like This
Rough God Goes Riding
Georgia
Glad Tidings
Boogie Chillun
In the Garden
Help me

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

22-July-2013
Slieve Donard Resort & Spa 
Newcastle, Northern Ireland

via Kjell D.

Setlist (Thanks Mike S.)
Coney Island
Celtic Excavation
Into the Mystic
In the Garden
What Am I Living For
Playhouse
Sometimes We Cry
Going Down to Monte Carlo
Retreat and View
Haunts of Ancient Peace
Common One
Enlightenment
Thanks For The Information
Baby Please Don't Go/Rock Island Line/Boogie Chillin
Help Me
Gloria

21-July-2013
Slieve Donard Resort & Spa 
Newcastle, Northern Ireland

via Art S.

Setlist (Thanks Mike S.)
Coney Island
Higher Than The World
Stranded
Pay The Devil
What Am I Living For
Open The Door (To Your Heart)
Have I Told You Lately
Stormy Monday/Lonely Avenue
Sometimes We Cry
Playhouse
Going Down to Monte Carlo
Retreat and View
Fame
Too Many Myths
Take Your Hand Outta My Pocket
Whenever God Shines His Light
Help Me
Gloria