Van Morrison In Plymouth 2017

This is the life. For the second time in four days I set off to see Van Morrison in concert. My friend Jacquie called for me at 10.30 on Friday and we headed off down the ancient highway for the 126-mile drive to Plymouth. I think this is the fourth time we have been to see Van together in the last few years. It only took about four hours to get to her Auntie Joyce’s house in Plymouth, including a stop for lunch. We had a quiet night in on Friday watching the telly.

Our plan for Saturday was to go and see The Lost Gardens Of Heligan at Mevagissey but when we saw the weather forecast on Saturday morning we realised that was out of the question because it was quite showery and it’s probably the wrong time of the year for walking around gardens. Instead, we had a look around the area of Plymouth called The Barbican. I had a mooch in a few charity shops looking for books and I found a nice hardback copy of a Van biography. We went for lunch in an excellent seafood restaurant and had a walk about the harbour. Jacquie took a photo of me by the Mayflower Steps. It’s not a great photo but some of my American friends might find it interesting because this is the very spot where the pilgrims boarded The Mayflower to sail to America on September 6^th, 1620. Then we went back to Joyce’s and I had a snooze for the afternoon.

Mayflower Steps

A taxi called for us at 6.45 and took us to the Plymouth Pavilions. I had never been to this venue before and I’m not sure I like it all that much. It seems quite cold and makes the Colston Hall in Bristol seem quite intimate in comparison. Anyway, we had a drink and a chat. Joyce seemed quite thrilled because she hadn’t been to a concert since seeing Joe Loss & His Orchestra about 50 years ago. I miss the old days when Simon used to organise pre-show gatherings of the Van fans. That doesn’t seem to happen so much these days. It was nice to see Peter & Kathryn though, and Bent, Tom & Brendan who I saw a few days ago in Bristol.

We had great seats in Row B with a brilliant view of the band who came on stage promptly at 8.00. As soon as the show started I could sense that there was an ‘end of term’ atmosphere with the band because this was the last night of quite a gruelling schedule of concerts in England, Scotland, Wales & France so they all seemed in a great mood, especially Teena Lyle who didn’t stop smiling throughout. As in Bristol, the first song was Wait A Minute Baby followed by Moondance which had short solos for most of the band. Then it was the fabulous Warm Love. I think that Van returning this song to the setlist shows that he is in a good place at the moment. Who could accuse him of grumpiness when he sings a beautiful song like this? I had never seen him perform the next song before which was How Far From God? It was brilliant, I loved it. Magic Time followed with the hard-working Paul Moran excelling on the trumpet. In Bristol I thought the Baby Please Don’t Go/ Parchman Farm medley sounded a little flat and played a bit perfunctorily but in Plymouth it was enlivened by Got My Mojo Working which I really enjoyed. Ride On Josephine was great as well, powered along by Mez Clough on Drums, Paul Moore on Bass & Dave Keary on guitar.

We moved up a notch then from great to sublime with Vanlose Stairway which I enjoyed even more than Bristol and I didn’t even object to the yodels. The keyboard sounds and the backing singers and Van repeating, ‘Kilroy was here’ was tremendous. This was followed by another treat which was The Way Young Lovers Do, a song I have heard Van rarely sing. The last time was with Clare Teal at Glastonbury Abbey. In Plymouth this was even better, the song is ideal for the jazzy sounds of Teena Lyle & Paul Moran. This was followed by Van paying a tribute to his friend Jon Hendricks who died this week. The song was Sack O’ Woe which was good but not one of my favourite songs. After Bristol I said that I didn’t care much for Symphony Sid but in Plymouth I enjoyed it a lot more. This was probably due to Van allowing Dana to take the lead vocals on part of the song and she made a great job of it.

Another highlight for me followed, which was Tore Down A La Rimbaud, a truly classic top drawer Van song. Then it was the Las Vegas version of Have I Told You Lately. Again, this was enlivened by Dana’s contribution. Dana also excelled herself in the duet with Van of Carrying A Torch. Then Van put on his electric guitar and he and Dave showed what they could do with Automobile Blues. This was followed by a new song of Van’s which he seems to really enjoy playing at the moment called Broken Record. Van repeats the phrase ‘Broken record’ over and over whilst imitating the sound of a needle stuck in a groove. People who buy his new album on vinyl are going to love him for this.

Brown Eyed Girl was next, and I have heard this so often that it doesn’t usually do anything for me but tonight I enjoyed it. The reason was that for the first time I realised what a comedian Teena Lyle is. As she was playing the congas she was doing all these humorous jerky movements with her head and pulling funny facial expressions. Teena was really enjoying herself. This was followed by Days Like This which I always enjoy and then Jackie Wilson Says which I hadn’t heard for a while so that was great as well. Help Me used to always be in Van’s repertoire but I hadn’t heard that for a couple of years either, so it was nice to hear that one again. Van then left the stage but soon returned for the usual Gloria which brought the audience to their feet. When Van left the stage again, the band played on. I knew he wouldn’t return so I left my seat because I don’t like this bit. I hoped Jacquie & Joyce would follow me, but they were enjoying it. I had to stay and endure Mez Clough’s drum solo. I know he is young, talented and enthusiastic, but I gave up on drum solos about 40 years ago. I would much prefer to hear Dana Masters sing a Van song to end the evening. Still, who am I to complain after such an enjoyable evening?

After the show, Jacquie, Joyce, Brendan & I found a nice bar for a last drink. I compared notes with Brendan and he agreed that it had been a really good show. He said it had been a lot better than Torquay the night before. When I went outside for a ciggie I got talking to this couple who had never seen Van before and they were blown away by the whole concert. They thought it was amazing. Finally, we said cheerio to Brendan and hailed a taxi home. I was still buzzing from the concert and I said that we should have gone clubbing. Joyce said, “I hope you don’t mean one of those lap-top clubs!” That was the funniest thing I heard all night. Anyway, a big hand for the band and especially Sir Van Morrison.

Dana

Teena,

THE END.