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Van Morrison

Concert review: Van Morrison performs 'Astral Weeks' at Chicago Theatre Share | “Astral Weeks,” a 1968 album that produced not a single hit but remains one of the most revered works of the rock era, was the main course at Van Morrison’s sold-out concert Tuesday at the Chicago Theatre. Its eight songs were performed in slightly reshuffled order from the original album, presumably so Morrison could present the album in definitive form. His nine-piece band was designed to evoke the flavor of the original, with its mix of acoustic instrumentation, chamber-pop orchestration and agile, jazz-flavored interplay. At the center of it all was the Irish soul singer in fedora and shades. As is his habit, he didn’t say anything to his audience that wasn’t already in his music. He played with a mixture of resolve and distraction, throwing himself into some songs and tossing off others, notably the obligatory hits “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Have I Told You Lately.” The singer and his musicians eased into the concert a bit uneasily, with muted versions of relative obscurities such as “Northern Muse (Solid Ground)” and “Fair Play.” The band was best when Morrison was setting the tempo on acoustic guitar, and he found a rich vein of country-soul that morphed into brass-fueled R&B in “Little Village,” shouting off the microphone and soloing on his saxophone. Soon after he delivered an incantatory version of “In the Garden,” working subtle variations barely above a whisper into a song like a prayer.. Read rest of Review Here URL Click here to read rest of the review

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Van Morisson still's got after all these years

Van the Man delivers his best gig in years Review: A reinvigorated Van Morrison superbly mixes fundamentals and favorites at L.A. show. By BEN WENER The Orange County Register We know he's unpredictable. That's why we come. Actually, that's half the fun of checking in with Van Morrison whenever he and his expert band roll into one of our local venues, which they seem to do just about every other year anymore, each visit finding the black-clad bunch virtually unchanged. Even Van, almost always spotted in his crime-noir cool suit and hat, looks more or less the same at 61 as he did at 51. Wednesday night at Gibson Amphitheatre he appeared to have shed a few pounds, that's all, and he was punchier because of it. No shoulder-high kicks revived from his younger days, of course, but at times you could detect a revitalized bark in his playful delivery. These days more a consummate bandleader than St. Van the Seeker or the spirit-channeling spitfire of yore, he admittedly can seem detached. During solos he'll sit on the edge of organist John Allair's bench with his back to the crowd, or he'll wander to the wings to give quiet instruction to guitarist John Platania about a coming bridge. And he rarely says more to the crowd is "thank you"; this night he added "here's another from the country album" and "wanna do a little Sonny Boy Williamson tune for ya now." But though the fire has never fully gone out of his mighty roar, there was renewed and palpable heat to his vocals here. It makes sense that sax is his instrument of choice these days, for he sings like Coltrane blows, jazzy runs and improvised asides coloring and restructuring familiar melodies.

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