"The Wednesday Morning Nobody-Asked-Me-To-But-Here-I-Go-Anyway Concert Review" - Van Morrison!
(or, Why I Will Never Be A Professional Concert Reviewer)
(or, Why I Will Never Be A Professional Concert Reviewer)
Reading our local music critic's review of this show in today's paper, I am so glad that I don't need to be that reverent here in this space.
As a matter of fact, here's the best part of last night's show: While killing time before the concert, we stopped in at the Stampede Casino, and won over $200 between the two of us!! How's them bananas??
Anyways...
So, yes, last night we got to see Van Morrison, and what a treat that was! Over the course of 90 minutes (to the second), Van blended a set of blues, soul, Celtic, Country, and classic rock that was just too short by the end of it all. The sound started off pretty crappy, but by about the third song in, it was exceptional.
I know that a regular reader is going to see him tonight in Winnipeg, so I don't want to spoil all the fun. Let's just say that Jackie Wilson Said, Bright Side Of The Road, and Days Like This were part of our show, and one heck of an extended, fantabulous version of Moondance. That cat can blow a mean saxophone!! Among all the other instruments he decided to dabble with.
The backup band was unreal. In particular, the fiddle player and the dynamic steel guitar gal drew regular applause, and if you like the sound of a Hammond B3 organ, well, let me tell you, there's PLENTY of that...
A few other observations:
-Mr. Morrison is a graduate of the same school as Bob Dylan - The Mumble Academy Of Vocal Stylings. I think I picked out three clear words in the whole show - "Jack", ""You", and "Chimmi-chunga", although I could be wrong about at least two of those...
-The age demographic clearly had bladder control issues, as I've never seen so many people needing to come and go during a show. Thank God for the big screen onstage!!
-We had the good fortune to sit in front of some people whose friend/doctor/mailman/third cousin twice removed/friends of their children knew somebody that knew someone else who happens to be the next-door neighbor to Van in Belfast, and apparently Van is not a nice person offstage... How sad...
-The crowd went nuts for the last two songs - Brown-Eyed Girl, and Gloria. When you hear Gloria, RUN to your car. There is no encore. I repeat - NO ENCORE!!!
-I think I may have just spoiled the surprise...
NOTE: for anyone from NHL Bloggers asking what the Hell this has to do with hockey, well, the show was in The Saddledome???
Chow for now!!
6 comments:
March 1 is the big night and I have a bootleg from last week that I am spinning right now.
104 minutes on that puppy.
Yep the shows are a little too short for his repertoire.
Oh well it will be my one and only chance to see him.
You won't be disappointed. He has a lot of high notes, and a whack of the big tunes. Just be aware that towards the end, he'll go offstage briefly, then come back and do about three songs. That's it, there ain't no more. Head for the exit.
Killer show....
We got Domino and baby Please Don't go but no Into The Mystic. What about youz guys?
No Domino for us, nor Blue Money, Tupelo Honey, Have I Told You Lately, etc...
Especially surprised no Into The Mystic, or It Stoned Me for our show.
Otherwise, what were your thoughts?? We just felt it was tooooo short.
Well I knew it was going to be short but it was a beautiful show.
It's tought to shell out the sheckles but I'll probably never see him again.
That's a great description.
There are artists that just have an aura which is otherwise difficult to describe. He's certainly one of them.
We're still hummin' the tunes!!
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