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

27-September-2024
Brighton Dome
 Brighton, England

Brendan Hynes was at Night 1 in Brighton & shares his thoughts 

Van Morrison at Brighton Dome, 27th September 2024. 

The first of the two shows to launch Van Morrison's latest album, New Arrangements and Duets, began with a short support set from members of Van Morrison's band and featured a couple of instrumental numbers including Green Onions (featuring the returning Paul Moran on keyboards) before backing vocalist Jolene O' Hara sang a couple of songs including a powerful rendition of I Just Want To Make Love To You which got a great response from the audience. 

The first thing to strike me as Van Morrison's full band took the stage was the sheer size of the ensemble including multiple saxophone players, trumpet players and trombonist and two backing vocalists in Sumudu and the aforementioned Jolene O' Hara. The stage was hardly large enough to accommodate them all and it was somewhat reminiscent of the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra in full flight and all the better for it. The musicianship and big band arrangements were quite magnificent and more than did justice to Van' s compositions. As was to be expected the show relied largely on songs from the new album with Only A Dream, Someone Like You, Steal My Heart Away and Beauty of Days Gone By being particularly memorable. Chris Farlowe joined Van to duet on several numbers including the old reliable Stormy Monday. On this occasion however Chris had his thunder stolen somewhat by Sumudu who produced such a stunning vocal that Van got her to repeat it before joining with her to bring the song to a thunderous conclusion that brought the house down. It was simply magnificent! It was very pleasing to see the return of former band stalwarts such as Chris and Alister White, Matt Holland and Paul Moran who all performed superbly while the guesting Guy Barker was quite scintillating and Van couldn't hide his delight with his numerous musical interventions. Indeed both Van and the entire band seemed to be feeding off one another's energy and the sense of enjoyment and exuberance on stage was palpable. 

The show's closing number, Flip Flop and Fly featured numerous excellent solos from the band members and backing vocalists following Van's departure and got a great audience reaction. One slight disappointment for me was that The Master's Eyes which features on the new album was not performed on the night as I had anticipated it would but perhaps it will feature at the second show on Saturday night.

As album launch shows go this was a really memorable one and the extended band really added another dimension to proceedings. 

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist (Thanks Brendan Hynes)

Choppin Wood 

Only A Dream 

You Gotta Make It Through The World 

Roof Over My Head 

So Quiet In Here 

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

Close Enough For Jazz (w/ Chris Farlowe) 

Steal My Heart Away (w/ Chris Farlowe) 

Someone Like You 

Beauty Of Days Gone By 

Green Rocky Road 

You Are My Sunshine 

When Will I Be Loved 

Stormy Monday (w/Chris Farlowe) 

Early In The Morning (w/Chris Farlowe)  

Broken Record (w/Chris Farlowe)  

Jackie Wilson Said (w/Chris Farlowe) 

Worried Man Blues/This Loving Light Of Mine (w/Chris Farlowe)  

Flip Flop and Fly(w/Chris Farlowe)  

Set length 1h 47m

04-June-2024
Iveagh Gardens
 Dublin, Ireland

Setlist

You Are My Sunshine
I Want a Roof Over My Head
When Will I Be Loved

The Shape I'm In

Lucille

Flip, Flop & Fly

I'm So Lonsome I Could Cry

Stormy Monday/Take You Hand Out of My Pocket (w/Chris Farlowe)

Lonesome Train (w/Chris Farlowe)

No Other Baby

Cold Cold Heart

I Wish I Was An Apple On A Tree

Green Rocky Road

Crazy Jane on God
For Mr. Thomas

Days Like This

Benediction

Wild Night

Worried Man Blues (w/Chris Farlowe)

Stand By Me (w/Chris Farlowe)

Gloria (w/Chris Farlowe)

Big Hand for The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Pete Hurley (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Tony Fitzgibbon (Fiddle)

Colin Griffin (Drums)
Chris Farlowe (Vocals)
Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

03-June-2024
Royal Albert Hall
 London, England

Brendan Hynes checks in with this review
Van Morrison at Royal Albert Hall, London, 3rd June 2024. 

Support act tonight consisted largely of Van Morrison's band who after playing a funky instrumental by The Meters were joined by Dana Masters for one song and Jolene O'Hara for a further two culminating with a really powerful rendition of I Just Wanna Make Love To You which got a great audience response. 

Van Morrison took to the stage to the opening bars of You Are My Sunshine and then embarked on the now customary raft of songs from the recent Accentuate The Positive and Moving on Skiffle albums.There was a decided but brief shift in emphasis subsequently when Van introduced Chris Farlowe for a powerful rendition of Stormy Monday/ Take Your Hand Out Of My Pocket which really went down a storm (pardon the pun). Chris also duetted on Lonesome Train which followed. Tony Fitzgibbon featured to great effect on fiddle on Cold Cold Heart and made several other significant contributions which got much audience acclaim. He really brings a distinct added dimension to the band's overall sound. 

Van was quite talkative tonight and introduced and credited the writers of several songs such as Crazy Jane On God which received a large ovation. Wild Night featured some extensive humming by Van while playing harmonica simultaneously which was something to behold before Chis Farlowe featured once more on It Takes A Worried Man, Stand By Me and finally the show closing Gloria which once more highlighted the entire band's proficiency with extended and quite superb individual contributions once Van had departed the stage. 

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist

You Are My Sunshine
I Want a Roof Over My Head
When Will I Be Loved

The Shape I'm In

Lucille

Flip, Flop & Fly

I'm So Lonsome I Could Cry

Stormy Monday/Take You Hand Out of My Pocket (w/Chris Farlowe)

Lonesome Train (w/Chris Farlowe)

No Other Baby

Cold Cold Heart

I Wish I Was An Apple On A Tree

Green Rocky Road

Crazy Jane on God
For Mr. Thomas

Days Like This

Benediction

Wild Night

Worried Man Blues (w/Chris Farlowe)

Stand By Me (w/Chris Farlowe)

Gloria (w/Chris Farlowe)

Big Hand for The Band!

Dave Keary (Guitar)
Pete Hurley (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Tony Fitzgibbon (Fiddle)

Colin Griffin (Drums)
Chris Farlowe (Vocals)
Dana Masters (Vocals)
Jolene O'Hara (Vocals)

29-February-2024
Fox Theater
 Oakland, USA

Setlist

You Are My Sunshine
I Want a Roof Over My Head
Problems
Bonaparte's Retreat
Shakin' All Over
The Shape I'm In

Lucille

Red Sails In the Sunset

Bye Bye Johnnie

Sea of Heartbreak

Days Like This

Enlightenment 

Laughin' and Clownin' 

Think Twice Before You Go

Flip, Flop & Fly

Green Rocky Road

Bright Side of the Road

Cleaning Windows

No Other Baby

Help Me 
Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

David Hayes (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Robert Ruggeiro (Drums)

Jeff Taylor (Sax, Guitar, Vocals, Clarinet)
Omega Rae Brooks (Vocals)
Dave Keary (Guitar)

28-February-2024
Fox Theater
 Oakland, USA

Last night, Van Morrison and his band seamlessly merged into the slipstream at Oakland's historic Fox Theater. The last time we were here, Van concluded his performance with the captivating "Madam George," a gem from the 1968 album "Astral Weeks." This evening, Van and his ensemble shone brightly, performing a variety of engaging covers. These selections are reminiscent of their recent work on albums like "Movin on Skiffle," "What's It Going to Take" and Accentuate the Positive," encompassing genres such as jazz, rock, blues, and country, and weaving them into a rich tapestry that took us all into the music. There were several standout moments. The rendition of Sam Cooke’s "Laughin' and Clownin'" was notable, as was their interpretation of the traditional song "Green Rocky Road," which Van and the band infused with a mystical quality. Cold, Cold Heart by Hank Williams, Bye, Bye Johnny by Chuck Berry, the venerable Help Me, Sonny Boy Williamson, No Other Baby, The Vipers were covered exceptionally well and were made their own as only Van and the band can do. Van’s own Precious Time and Enlightenment punctuated the set along with the performance of "Gloria," first recorded by Van and Them in 1964. This is a timeless classic and was an exceptional finale. The band extended "Gloria" for an additional 15 minutes, skillfully integrating "Moondance" into the mix.

Van Morrison continues to evolve, both personally and through his band's lineup, which is currently, and always, remarkable. While I can't name everyone, members like Dave Keary, David Hayes (on bass) were instrumental to the night's success. Other members on piano and Hammond organ, multi-instrumentalist (including clarinet, sax and flute), percussion perfection and the beautiful, soulful sound of the backing vocalist put us all on the invariable wavelength for the entire evening. Tomorrow night two at The Fox and then to Carmel for two shows at the intimate Sunset Cultural Center. Thank you Van Morrison. 

-Dave Bartlett 

Setlist

You Are My Sunshine
I Want a Roof Over My Head
Accentuate The Positive
Bonaparte's Retreat
Shakin' All Over
When Will I Will Be Loved
Sea of Heartbreak
The Shape I'm In
Bye Bye Johnnie
Lucille
Cold Cold Heart
No Other Baby
Red Sails In the Sunset
Enlightenment 
Precious Time
Laughin' and Clownin' 
Have I Told You Lately 
Green Rocky Road
Flip Flop and Fly
Help Me 
Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

David Hayes (Bass)
John McCullough (Keyboards)
Robert Ruggeiro (Drums)

Jeff Taylor (Sax, Guitar, Vocals, Clarinet)
Omega Rae Brooks (Vocals)
Dave Keary (Guitar)

Van Morrison Alumni Band
07-December-2023
London Coliseum
 London, England

Brendan Hynes checked out Leo Greene and his Van Morrison Alumni Band 

The pre- show publicity promised a night of celebration of the words and music of Van Morrison but few could have expected the quality of performance delivered on the night. The show ran for the best part of three hours including a short interval (there was definitely no count down clock at stage side!). 

Leo Green(saxophone) set the tone from the outset as he individually introduced the core members of the band(Matt Holland on trumpet, Robin Aspland on piano, Ralph Salmins on drums and Alec Dankworth on bass) to the joyful sound of And The Healing Has Begun featuring beautiful violin playing. The core band was augmented by a further four musicians and four backing singers, two of whom took lead vocals on s number of songs. There were four guest lead vocalists, namely Mim Grey,Wayne Hernandez, Jill Marie Cooper and Emma Smith. All four did each song they performed more than justice with Emma Smith who is an upcoming jazz vocalist of great promise delivering particularly powerful renditions of Moondance and I Will Be There. 

On a night when just about every song was a highlight it is difficult to choose particular ones but there are a few notable for particular attention. Saint Dominick's Preview immediately followed the opening number And The Healing Has Begun and was performed meticulously. Caravan was a particularly welcome inclusion although Van's high kicks of 1970's vintage were obviously missed but it is unlikely than anyone else could emulate such acrobatics anyway. The final two numbers of the opening half featured an outstanding Tupelo Honey and a really magnificent Philosopher' Stone with Leo Green very much to the forefront on saxophone. 

The second half of the show followed the tone set in the opening half with classic after classic following in quick succession. Dweller On The Threshold featured some great brass interplay between Matt Holland and Leo Green while they were both also prominent on You Make Me Feel So Free. An incredible The Healing Game brought the show towards it's conclusion with Leo Green stealing the show on saxophone. It seemed to go on forever and quite honestly I wanted it to. Following an ecstatic audience response all the lead vocalists joined the band for a resounding version of In The Garden to bring proceedings to a close. 

This concert exemplified the wealth of brilliant songs written by Van Morrison that are sadly neglected by him when choosing his own setlists. He has reportedly endorsed the Alumni Band and is quoted as saying that these songs are meant to be sung and heard which to me begs the obvious question as to why he doesn't sing them himself in his own shows! Judging by the audience response tonight his fans would certainly be quite ecstatic if he did.

-Brendan Hynes

Setlist 

And The Healing Has Begun 

Saint Dominic's Preview 

Days Like This 

Wild Night 

Sometimes We Cry 

Queen of The Slipstream 

Have I Told You Lately 

Into The Mystic Caravan 

And It Stoned Me 

I've Been Working 

I Forgot That Love Existed 

Brown Eyed Girl 

Tupelo Honey 

Philosophers Stone 

Real Real Gone 

Domino 

Bright Side Of The Road

Moondance 

I Will Be There 

Someone Like You 

Carrying A Torch 

Crazy Love 

Wonderful Remark 

Dweller On The Threshold 

Jackie Wilson Said 

You Make Me Feel So Free 

Warm Love 

The Healing Game 

In the Garden

12-September-2023
SFJazz
 San Francisco, USA

Setlist

I'm Moving On

Sail Away Ladies

Streamlined Cannonball

Wish I Was An Apple On A Tree

Come On In

This Lovin' Light of Mine

Greenback Dollar

The Gypsy Davy

No Other Baby

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Cotton Fields

Cold Cold Heart

Green Green Rocky Road

Worried Man Blues

Precious Time

Magic Time

Have I Told You Lately

Traveling Light

Think Twice Before You Go 

Gloria

Big Hand for The Band!

John Platania (Guitar)
David Hayes (Bass)
John Allair (Keyboards)
Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)
Robert Ruggeiro (Drums)

Jeff Taylor (Sax, Guitar, Vocals, Clarinet)
Omega Rae Brooks (Vocals)
Lucia Evans (Vocals)
Dave Keary (Guitar)

06-September-2023
Bakkt Theatre
 Las Vegas, USA

Dan Murray on Night 1 in Vegas 

Last night's first-of-three Las Vegas shows was very well done. Van flew in Dave Keary from Ireland to take over lead guitar duties because John Platania is not that familiar with the material. He was relegated to rhythm guitar. Keary has been playing the skiffle stuff all year. Which raises the question of why Van put together a new band to do primarily skiffle when he had a band in place that has been playing it all year? Apparently, the delayed blues album was to be the foundation for the current tour, but Van had to fall back on his most recent release. It was 65 minutes from the new skiffle album. Van is singing hard, but some of these songs seem insubstantial to me. The final 25 minutes are 5 of his own tunes. I am starting to hear some of the skiffle material as if it was written by Van. It has Van's improvisatory vocal stamp all over most of the tunes. Keary played a very dominant role in last night's gig and Van seemed quite pleased with it. The multi-instrumentalist Jeff Taylor is also playing a key role. The rhythm section of Hayes, Ruggiero and WIcket is rock solid. The Rocky Road was gorgeous as always, with Taylor playing a wonderful flute than rode atop the song. Van pulled out for the first time Symphony SId and a full-throttle In the Afternoon that went everywhere it was supposed to, on a golden autumn day along the coastline. The workshop we need. And really should get every gig evening. Van has been unstoppable on this tour. 

-Dan Murray

Big Hand for The Band!

John Platania (Guitar)

Dave Keary (Guitar)
David Hayes (Bass)
John Allair (Keyboards)
Alan 'Sticky' Wicket (Percussion)
Robert Ruggeiro (Drums)

Jeff Taylor (Sax, Guitar, Vocals, Clarinet)
Omega Rae Brooks (Vocals)
Lucia Evans (Vocals)