~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Van was very much on form last night and the 1st hour was the best I have seen him in many a year, stretching out, playing with dynamics, bringing the hall to a silence, whispering and growling like only Van can. From the kick off, right up to In the Afternoon was Morrison at his very best. During the Ancient Highway section of In the Afternoon Van was agitated by something and cut the song dead - " dit ,dit ,DIT". However he then moved straight into a wonderful rendition of So Quiet in here. A song I have never heard live! Marvellous stuff! After soaring to these heights Van came down to earth with a bump, the agitations returned and he proceeded to play the rest of the set list as if on auto pilot. There were glimpses of the previous magic but the lion had gone. Healing was curtailed as was Rough God, Wavelength. Gloria had some nice Hookeresque moaning and guitar from Van but the night was over for him and for us with no encore in sight! Worth the
inflated ticket price for the 1st solid hour but i am guessing not quite up there with Liverpool!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bernard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another top show, as already commented on.
Van was , seemingly , less loose than the night before, but just look at the set list already posted.
St Dominic, Game and Ballerina in succession, in the first half hour of the show!
It's a long , long time since we had anything as powerful as that.
Part way through the show he appeared to become dissatisfied with something with the drum and bass, and, whilst I would in no way call it auto pilot, it certainly became very workmanlike.
Still, a very nice Quiet in Here and novel B.E.G. and a cracking Gloria with Van on guitar and active with it.
He even did 2 songs off the new album for those who prefere the newer stuff!!!
The backing singers were hot, hot, hot and, imho, the reason Wavelength is back in the set after all these years is because Ms Kissoon just loves singing that song!

It was so fine to meet up with some of the hardcore again after such a lengthy break, and , when was the last time we went to a Van show and were still talking about it , in happy tones, long after it had ended.?

So, judging from history, he'll no doubt disband the ensemble and revamp the setlist any time soon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jez
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I got the same impression at Brighton - chiefly re the drums.
I think the current band is great, but it makes you wonder what life will be like for them come November 10.
That's three top shows out of three, though. If he continues to perform less frequently but give us stuff like that, I'll not be complaining.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A very interesting but great gig at Birmingham UK last night.
Seemed like a full blown "greatest hits" show with many old and newer favourites. Newer ones like Keep It Simple were very well performed and suit the current band who I guess have grown up with them even though we've now moved to more "souly" back-up vocalists. But there were also treats such as St Dominic's Preview, Like A Ballerina, and Young Lovers Do. Very well done by a stripped down version of a band who may not have much work for a while. If these latter were a sort of run through for the Hollywood Bowl gig and album then we're in for a treat. Sure the voice has changed from way back then but who's hasn't.
Overall a great performance with obvious high points.
A few downsides: empty seats and latecomers (a main artery route into Birmingham was closed by police), the perfunctory 90 minute set with no encores (still can't get used to this), a soulless last number with the band looking to Van all the time for direction (slightly improved when he left the stage!).
Was it money well spent? Yes of course it was!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stourbridge News - Helen Attwood
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Van's still the man
The legendary Van Morrison arrived on stage at The Symphony Hall on Saturday (October 4) promptly at 8pm. Wearing a dapper suit and hat he launched into the first number, Moondance, from his 1970s album of the same name.
The Belfast born singer songwriter, whose career spans five decades, played a string of classic tunes including Brown Eyed Girl and Have I Told You Lately.
There was a slight hint notoriously moody Van may have been just going through the motions speaking only once very briefly to the audience - but nothing can take away from the musical mastery of the great man himself and his accompanying ten piece band.
Die hard fans who had shelled out between £45 and £80 were clearly delighted as they grooved in their seats looking like they wanted to burst out of them at any moment.
The singer, who is a teetotaller after battling alcohol addiction during the 70s and 80s, has banned the sale of alcohol at his gigs because he doesn't like people getting up to go to the bar during the set instead preferring them to savour the musical experience. But this didn't seem to dampen the audience's spirit as they soaked up the polished performance.
Van rounded off the one and a half hour set with a rip roaring rendition of Gloria leaving the audience wanting, but not getting more.