Sponsored by
VAN THE MAN HAS TIME TO ENTERTAIN
ON the side of a stage packed with guitars, a piano, percussion and brass instruments stood a large digital clock.
It may not have been visible to most of the audience at Van Morrison's gig at the Villa Marina last Tuesday but it recorded the time up until 8pm — the start of the concert — and then showed 01:3 (and a mystery digit I could not see from my seat which I presume was a zero).
From the moment Van's excellent band took the stage, the digital clock began its countdown to zero.
Some still remember vividly Van's last visit to the Island in 2001. He had failed to acknowledge the crowd then and his early start and hour and 20-minute performance had left some unimpressed.
This time, dressed in a suit, sunglasses and Panama hat, he gave some polite 'thank yous' and brief song introductions. No one goes to Van's shows for the banter.
After an instrumental start by the band, Van went into Keep Mediocrity at Bay and They Sold Me Out from his latest album Magic Time.
From then on the audience was treated to just over an hour and a half of one of music's most distinctive and legendary singers — not just a master vocalist but instrumentalist too, equally at home on the guitar, harmonica and saxophone.
In fact, a sax intro opened the classic Moondance which gave an opportunity to introduce the amazing band — easily one of the best to have graced the Villa since it re-opened.
Magic Time's impressive title track, performed before it, was met with a solid response.
The audience was receptive and appreciative, but certainly not the loudest heard at the Royal Hall this year.
Van told us his next record due out next year would be 'C and W meets Jazz' and treated us to a couple of numbers from it. It is a combination of styles which creates his distinctive sound.
Van, believe it or not, glanced at the digital clock before performing Precious Time from the Back On Top album.
But there was no rushing here. The band were immaculately tight and as Van pulled his head back on some songs to let out that trademark bark, in his face you could still see that man who was a show stealer at The Last Waltz back in the 1970s.
Gloria and Brown Eyed Girl were always going to be favourites and are simply all-time great rock and roll songs.
In the Celtic New Year segment, Van spoke of him 'singing for the people who understand what I'm talking about'.
Van's moving and mystic music is steeped in a range of styles, in particular folk, soul, blues and jazz.
This incredible show had demonstrated he is a keeper of a flame for great song writing and the acknowledgement of these styles. It is that flame which must not be allowed to die.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Isle of Man
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 7 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
