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 6th, 1620. Then we went back to Joyce’s and I had a snooze
for the afternoon.
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| 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.
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| Dana |
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| Teena, |
THE END.
