Be Just And Fear Not: Van Morrison Live At Orangefield.

July 12 is always a significant date in Northern Ireland. It is a time of parades and bonfires. This year for me it is a day to celebrate because a brand-new CD by Van Morrison arrived through my letterbox called, Be Just And Fear Not, Van Morrison Live At Orangefield. ‘Be just and fear not’ must be the motto of Orangefield Secondary School which Van attended in the 1950’s. In August 2014 Van returned to his alma mater to perform three concerts before the school closed for good, and it is from these concerts that the songs for this live album were selected. I am on my second listen at this very moment, and I must say I am very pleased with the result, and I don’t think any Van fans will regret buying it either. I have several Facebook friends who attended these concerts, and after hearing this recording I think they were privileged to be there; 

It is the second release on the Orangefield label. The first was the excellent Beyond Words instrumental album. Van started the Orangefield label to release archive recordings he thought were worthy of an audience, but which the major labels were too slow, or reluctant to release. The CD is attractively packaged with the cover showing a well-worn old-school desk which must have been salvaged from the school. In the sleeve notes Van reminisces about his old teachers such art teacher Mr Preston who would say things like, ’Imagine the smell of an orange’. Van said he didn’t get it at the time, but years later when reading a book about meditation he read those very same words. I think that book Van read might have been by Thich Nhat Hahn because I have heard him talk about ‘orange meditation’. There are also sleeve notes by Gerald Dawe who has published books about Van and Belfast previously. The sleeve notes also tell us that the band members on this recording are Paul Moran, Dave Keary, Paul Moore, Bobby Ruggerio, Alistair White, Chris White, Dana Masters & Jolene O’Hara. Now, Jolene wasn’t a member of Van’s band in 2014, so I think her vocal contribution must have been added when the album was mixed and mastered recently in Belfast.

There are sixteen tracks on this 79-minute-long album. The first voice heard is Bobby’s, “Ladies and gentlemen. Mr Van Morrison”. Then the warm sound of Van’s sax on the instrumental Celtic Excavation which leads to Into The Mystic. This explains why Van performed the song recently at Westonbirt, they wanted to get it perfect for the album launch concert in Belfast on Thursday. I love how Jolene whispers ‘Mystic’ towards the end, and Van exclaims,’ turn around, your head on my shoulder, and you say peace’. Cleaning Windows is a trip down memory lane for Van as he recalls his early life as a window cleaner in the streets of East Belfast. Orangefield is a great song from the Avalon Sunset album which Van must have felt obliged to sing on this occasion. Moondance as usual gives all the band a chance to shine. Applause from this very respectful audience is kept to a minimum on this recording to concentrate on the music. Some people don’t like Precious Time, but I do, and it gives Chris and Alistair an opportunity to make their presence felt. That’s Life is a song I associate with Frank Sinatra and Van shows he is as good as the best as a jazz crooner. Too Many Myths isn’t one of my favourite Van songs by any means, but Dave Keary shows what a versatile guitar player he is on this track. Got To Go Back is one of Van’s greatest songs which is given a jazz treatment here, and the audience appreciate the references to Orangefield School where Van would look out of the classroom window and dream. 

Real Real Gone / You Send Me gives Dana and Jolene the chance to show off their vocal skills and Dana excels herself as a great soul singer on Rough God Goes Riding. Van’s harmonica introduces Enlightenment “It’s up to you, the way you think, wake up!” exclaims Van to the audience. Sometimes We Cry again shows Dana at her best duetting with Van, and “Blow your horn” Van instructs Chris. Northern Muse/ Solid Ground is another great song Van has been performing recently in preparation for the album launch. “This is poetry corner”, says Van to introduce On Hyndford Street. With all the local references, the audience acknowledge mentions of places like Fusco’s for ice-cream. Anyone who was there will never forget the mesmerising performance of this song on Cyprus Avenue a year later. Van knows very well what his greatest songs are, and he brings this album to a close with two of them, Ballerina and In The Garden, “Holy guardian angel, in the midnight hour”, Van sings as the sound fades away. I think this album is essential to the collections of all Van fans, and I look forward to hearing more great archive material in the near future from Orangefield Records.

My Glastonbury 2024: Part 1, So It Begins.

2024 marked my 30^th Glastonbury Festival in the 45 years since my first one in 1979. I still get just as excited after all those years. As soon as the month of June arrives I start to get butterflies of anticipation which I call festival fever. On the Saturday night I was all packed and ready to go. I could barely sleep that night and kept waking up and looking at my alarm clock. On Sunday morning I was out on the square in Westbury at 6.45 and a small convoy of four vehicles arrived driven by Kate, Donna, Kellie and Russell. I opted to travel with Russell because I had never met him before, and it was a chance to get acquainted. We didn’t encounter any heavy traffic enroute and were in the carpark by 8.00. We had to queue up patiently for about an hour at the recyclers cabin outside Gate B to register for our wristbands, but soon we were on site in Tom’s Field once again. We had our tents up by 11.00 which is the earliest I have ever arrived at Worthy Farm. 

In The Queue.

We chilled out for the afternoon and sat around chatting as more members of Kate’s backstage team joined us such as Leon, another Donna, Heidi, Julie, Becky & Luke. We were later joined by Phil who we met last year. Amazingly, the first music I heard at this year’s festival was Astral Weeks by Van Morrison which was coming from a tent behind me. I congratulated them on their music taste. The man’s name was Carpy and he had got his son into Van. They were great people, and I enjoyed their music all festival.

We Are In!

Kate is a team leader backstage at the Pyramid Stage, so on Sunday evening she gave us a guided tour of the backstage area. I hadn’t been backstage at the Pyramid since 1982 when I worked there for Pee Wee from Trowbridge. These days it is a vast luxurious compound, and even the workers facilities are amazing. We sat in the huge canteen and helped ourselves to coffee and cake. Then we made our way to the Crew Bar at Arcadia. The main feature at Arcadia this year is a huge ex-navy helicopter which they have converted into an incredible dragonfly. 

Arcadia Dragonfly.

The crew bar here is huge and they serve food as well. I bumped into several old friends from previous years such as Paula & Bob and Stella. We had a long night in there. The intention was to have a last drink at the Acoustic Stage bar, but we were too exhausted, so me, Kellie, and Kate had a last one at the Bread & Roses saloon and then made our weary way back up Muddy Lane to Tom’s Field and sleep. 

On Monday morning the sun was already beating down as I emerged from my tent. After breakfast I put everything I might need for a day’s walking in my little backpack and set off for my traditional walk all over the 900-acre site. I headed for the Greenfields area which is now celebrating its 40^th anniversary since being established in 1984. 

My first stop as usual was the Tiny Tea Tent which has been in the same spot since 1992. It is a great place to sit and watch the world go by and relax with a cup of tea. One of the workers recognised me from previous years and shook hands. That is one of the great things about Glastonbury, the friendliness, and if you keep coming back then people remember you. I reached the Stone Circle and just sat in there for about an hour surveying the scene with my back resting against one of the stones. I wandered all over the site and even made the supreme effort to walk right up to the Glastonbury Sign which is a very steep climb. I felt quite pleased with myself that I can still do it at my age. You get a fabulous panoramic view of the whole site from up there. 

In the sky above a light airplane could be seen spelling out SO IT BEGINS in a vapour trail. By the time it got to the last S of BEGINS the first S of SO had already faded, but it was a good effort. That evening at dinner I got talking to Andrew from Cornwall who told me that there was an ancient Cornish kingdom called Dumnonia which extended as far as Glastonbury, so in ancient times Glastonbury was actually part of Cornwall. I met up with my great friends Peter, Helen, Paul and Gretta. We sat around talking and telling jokes and I finished the evening drinking brandy and lemonade and was in bed by midnight. I had walked about 15 miles that day.

Tuesday morning was another scorcher as the day began. A lady held the tap for me while I washed my hair in cold water. It was really refreshing. I could have stayed under that tap for half an hour. The programmes and our Veterans T-Shirts had arrived, so I collected them from the office. Who should come strolling along the path but our friend Odele who I first met at Glasto in 2013. Tom’s Field was quite crowded now, but she found a space for her tent just up from us. I didn’t leave Tom’s field all day because I had walked far enough the day before, and it was too hot. I wanted to be on good form for the quiz that evening. We just sat around, and I asked Odele potential questions that might come up. The Quiz began at just past 7.00. My team ‘The Glastafarians’ were as last year, myself, Peter, Helen, Odele, & Robin. We were former champions, so wanted the title back after a disappointing performance last year. We won by four clear points, so our reputation was restored, and we were once again champions. After having our photo taken with the Quiz master Bronwen we relaxed at Tom’s Bar basking in glory. I was in bed by midnight because tomorrow the gates opened to the 130,000 ticket holders and it was my first shift at work. As I drifted off to sleep little did I realise what drama and magical days lay ahead.

Quiz Champions, The Glastafarians, Helen, Peter, Me, Odele, Robin, & Bronwen.,

TO BE CONTINUED.............................

  

My Glastonbury 2024: Part 2, Flame Of Hope.

It was Wednesday morning at Glastonbury, the sun was shining, and all was good down on Worthy Farm. At 8.00 the gates were opened, and Emily Eavis was there to welcome thousands of excited campers to Glastonbury. Many had slept in their cars outside all night in order to be near the front of the queue. At 10.00 I grabbed my litter picking stick, water bottle and little backpack and made my way to the office to meet the rest of Red Greenfields team. 

Millies Team.

I was pleased to see that lots of familiar faces had returned. As well as Peter & Helen, there was Miranda & Ulli, two Petes, Becky, Amanda, Andrew and many more. (I am useless at remembering names). Everyone cheered when Millie appeared as our leader again. In the 19 years I have been on the recycling crew I think Millie is the best team leader of all. After roll call we all set off down Muddy Lane following Millie. The first job was to go outside Gate B and pick up any rubbish along the queue. It wasn’t hard work because people are getting the message LOVE THE FARM, LEAVE NO TRACE. The only problem was it got a bit gruelling in the afternoon walking in the hot sun. I was glad I had my hat on and had slapped on plenty of suncream. We ended the morning back at base for lunch, and in the afternoon visited areas of the site even I had never seen before. Becky was really good fun; she is a huge fan of David Bowie and we passed the time while working by asking each other quiz questions about David Bowie. By the end of the shift I was calling her Dave 😊. Finally, Millie announced that all areas were complete for the day, gave us our meal tickets and told us to meet at the Greenpeace tree at 6.00 Friday morning.

Berna, Gretta, Peter, Emer, Paul, Me, Helen.

That evening it was great to see that Gretta’s sister Berna had arrived from Ireland. Also wonderful to meet up with fellow Van Morrison fan Emer from Dublin. A gang of us made our way to the Acoustic Stage crew bar for a couple of hours. Although the music on the main stages didn’t begin until Friday there was plenty of entertainment going on all over the site. At 10.30 there was to be a display by hundreds of drones. The best place to view it was said to be the Pyramid Stage field which was packed with about 100,000 people. I watched from the back of the hill. It was an awesome, but short display. The drones spelled out GLASTONBURY, LOVE & the PEACE sign in the sky. It must have been visible for miles around. I was hungry after that and bought a vegetarian burrito which was delicious. On the way home I met Odele and we arranged to meet at the Peace Garden in the morning at 11.00. I was in bed by midnight. and soon fell fast asleep.

Emily receives peace flame.

There was no work for me on Thursday, so I set off on another long slow walk to Kings Meadow and the Peace Garden where there was to be an opening ceremony and group meditation. This area is perfect for a spot of mindfulness far from the madding crowd. A few people had already arrived and I was pleased to meet up with Chris Bullzini who performed on the highwire last year under the name ‘The Great Bullzini’. This year he was part of the peace ceremony. The poet Louise Stewart Daisy (Pure LSD) was also there with her children. She said she remembered me from last year which was nice. I sat under the shade of a tree and wrote notes to remind myself of all I had done so far until Odele arrived. The ceremony opened with a Japanese Buddhist band whose name I think translates as ‘Flame Of Hope’. 

Chris Bullzini.

It seems strange to see Buddhist monks with shaved heads playing electric guitars, but the music was like a sound meditation, beautiful. There were also native Mexican singers and musicians there. The most moving part for me was short speeches by Israeli and Palestinian peace activists calling for peace in Gaza. It is a very sobering thought that while we are enjoying ourselves at Glastonbury insane wars continue in the world. Emily Eavis was there to accept the peace flame which was lit from an eternal flame in Hiroshima Japan. Emily reminded us that Glastonbury has always been a peace festival. On the Saturday a seven-minute silence for peace was observed on the Pyramid field led by Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic.

Odele suggested that we go to the nearby Hare Krishna tent for lunch. In all the years of going to Glastonbury I had only visited them once previously and hadn’t been impressed. This year I found the food delicious, beautiful vegetable curry and rice, a refreshing slice of watermelon, a banana, and an apple juice drink. It was great. There is no cost, you just give a donation of what you think is appropriate. I wish more of the food outlets had the same ethical attitude as the Hare Krishnas. I always enjoy the Thursday morning meetups with Odele at Glasto, but after that we went our own ways. As with last year I headed for the bandstand where an old friend Tony Carter always plays at 2.00 on Thursday with his folk duo Hodmadoddery. After a quick little chat with Tony I headed back to Tom’s field and had a much needed shower to freshen up for the evening.

Thursday evening is the recycling crew’s party which Michael Eavis used to always attend to thank the workers for their efforts, but sadly these days he has had to cut back on what he can do. This year was a bit special because Fiona who has organised the recycling for two decades is retiring, and her son Jake who was her right-hand man is also stepping down. Fiona is a great lady who really cares about her workers. She will be missed, but I’m sure Bronwen and the rest of her team will carry on the good work in the same spirit as Fiona. After the speeches and presentations there was a band performing, but I didn’t stay for that as I had to be up for work at 5.00. Tomorrow the music would begin on the main stages, and what a day it would turn out to be.

To be continued……………………………..

 

My Glastonbury 2024: Part 3, Keeping Fit At Glasto.

However warm it is at Glastonbury during the day it can get very cold at night. That wasn’t a problem for me the first few nights because after walking about 20 miles every day and then drinking a few pints of cider, once I got in my sleeping bag it was like sleeping in the arms of Morphia. I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol on Thursday because I had to get up for work, so I kept waking up because of the cold and had to put on more layers of clothes. As soon as it was daylight, and I could hear the cows mooing in their nearby barn (called the Pilton Mootel) I was up and about. At 5.30 I set off across the site to be at the Greenpeace tree for 6.00. 

Tea break with Millie.

After roll call we soon had the Greenpeace field nice and tidy and then worked our way up to Kings Meadow which contains the Stone Circle. Millie lined us all up in a row and off we went across the field. Even at this time of the day there were hundreds of all night party people still sitting around among the stones, so we picked our way around them and soon had it all spick & span. This is always a good area for litter pickers to find things. I found an unopened packet of cigarettes which are very expensive these days, so someone I know was pleased about that. Then we headed even further up the hill to Strummerville. This is an area dedicated to the memory of Joe Strummer of The Clash. Joe loved Glastonbury and always came with Keith Allen and his daughter Lily. They always built an enormous bonfire. The fire lives on today and we found lots of people huddled around it early in the morning. Then we headed across the field above the Tipi village before stopping for a break.  

Keeping Fit.

We finally arrived at The Park at 11.00 where from the Park Stage TV fitness coach Joe Wicks was conducting a keep-fit class for 1,000 people. We all joined in, it was great fun, although more exercise was probably the last thing I needed. Word got to Joe that we were there, and he said,” A big shout out to the recycling crew at the back there, you are doing a great job”. We all waved our litter picking sticks at him. Finally, the word came through from Bronwen that the morning pick was complete. Me, Peter & Helen relaxed at a coffee place for a while before starting the long walk home. Squeeze were on the Pyramid Stage when I arrived. I wasn’t going to bother with them, but started listening and enjoyed their set, especially Cool For Cats. 

Josh Rouse

After lunch which was vegetarian tagine, and a rest I headed for my favourite stage The Acoustic. When I arrived, there was an American singer-songwriter performing called Josh Rouse. I didn’t know anything about him at all, but his songs were very pleasant although I can’t remember what they were called. After that, more and more people arrived until the Acoustic tent was rammed. They were here to see The Red Hot Chili Pipers. They are a loud Scottish rock band with bagpipes as the main instrument. I found them amusing as a novelty for a while, but then they got on my nerves, I can only take so much noisy bagpipes. Thankfully the crowd thinned out after that, and I was able to lie on the ground and listen to Stornoway who were much more to my taste although I’m not an expert on their music. 

Stornoway.

I saw them here a few years ago and thought they had disbanded, but here they were. I can’t remember what the songs were called, but they finished with an excellent folky version of The Only Way Is Up which was made famous by Yazz. They said that they were playing acoustic sets later at the Wishing Well and The Crows Nest. I found a video of them singing Zorbing at The Crows Nest which you can see below if you want. After that I wandered back to the Pyramid Stage and listened to Paul Heaton, formally of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South. He was reunited with Norman Cook aka Fat Boy Slim for Happy Hour and sang a whole list of hit songs ending with Caravan Of Love. 

Polly Jean Harvey.

The highlight of the evening for me was PJ Harvey’s performance. Her career has largely passed me by I’m afraid, but after seeing her at Glastonbury I think I am a fan now. The reason I wanted to see her is because a friend of mine in Westbury Sasha plays in a PJ Harvey tribute band called 50ft Queenie. That was one of the songs performed. I also enjoyed Let England Shake, Inside The Old Year Dying, The Garden, Dress,(See video below) To Bring You My Love, and others that I can’t remember now. PJ Harvey reminds me of Kate Bush crossed with Patti Smith and a dash of Freida Kahlo. She is wonderful. I went right down to the front of the Pyramid Stage on the right-hand side for the next band LCD Soundsystem because people had recommended them to me. I had imagined them as kids with computers, but found they were a proper rock band who looked to be aged in their 50s. The music is very infectious, and you can’t help dancing because it pulsates right through you. I thought they were great, although the singer and main man James Murphy seems to have a chip on his shoulder about something. 

LCD Soundsystem

I moved to the back before their show ended to avoid the crowds and stood on one of those stone benches where you get a great view across the vast crowd. Dua Lipa was the headliner on Friday, but it was dark by now and I was exhausted. I would have loved to have seen Fontaines DC on the Park Stage, but it was just too far away for me. You can hear the music quite clearly from Tom’s field, so I crawled into my sleeping bag and drifted off into oblivion while Dua Lipa sang me a lullaby. Another exciting day at Glastonbury was just hours away.

To Be Continued……………………….

 

My Glastonbury 2024: Part 4. Whoosh!

Red Arrows Over Glasto.

I have been home for a week now, and still haven’t finished my Glastonbury tale, so I’m going to combine the events of Saturday and Sunday into one story before my memories of Glasto 24 fade away into the mists of Avalon. Saturday morning at 6.00 found us back at the Greenpeace field to start the day. We followed much the same route as before but finished the shift in the Glade area which turned out to be the hardest work we had done so far because it had been packed with ravers the night before watching Faithless and other dance acts until almost dawn. It was tough, but we are a great team, got stuck in and by 11.30 it was soon looking brand new once again. My feet were beginning to ache though with all the walking, and I was glad of a sit down when we got back to base. 

Femi Kuti.

I had arranged to meet Odele, but first I made my way to the Pyramid Stage to see Femi Kuti. He is a singer-songwriter and political activist from Nigeria. I wanted to see him because in 1989 I saw his father the legendary Fela Kuti also play on the Pyramid Stage. Femi and his band played a joyous set of uplifting music. He had a great brass section and girl dancers and singers and delivered a powerful message about corrupt governments. Then I made my way to the Leftfield Stage to meet Odele. When I arrived, there was an interesting talk taking place about the Post Office scandal and other injustices in Britain today. Me and Odele were here to listen to the next talk ‘Election 24, A Change Is Gonna Come’. We wanted to hear Angela Rayner from Labour, and Caroline Lucas from the Green Party speak. However, Angela and Caroline both sent their apologies. They were both too busy with the election only days away. When they agreed to speak at Glastonbury, they didn’t realise Sunak was going to call an election on July 4^th. 

Discussion Leftfield.

We were disappointed, but still stayed for the debate. Angela’s place was taken by the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Lynn Brabin who spoke very well. The talk was chaired by John Harris from The Guardian. He asked for a show of hands of who the audience were going to vote for, and it was about 90% Labour with a few Greens and Lib Dems. Nobody admitted to being a Conservative, but I suppose no Conservative would go to the Leftfield Stage would they? I think the consensus among the audience was that the unelected House Of Lords should be abolished and replaced with a second chamber that reflected the popular vote, so that everyone’s vote was rewarded, which doesn’t happen with the first past the post system we have now. Anyway, I don’t want to get too political.

Kellie & Donna.

After that we had some food and a chat and Odele wandered off to see something else. I didn’t want to walk much further so made my way back to the Pyramid where I thought Cindi Lauper might be good fun. Sadly, when I arrived, I found she had just finished her performance. I stayed and listened to Keane, mainly because I was too tired to go anywhere else. They are celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their Hopes & Fears album. I’m not that familiar with their music but recognised Somewhere Only We Know and Everybody's Changing. I walked back to Tom’s Field because I thought an hour’s nap might liven me up for the evening, but it was too hot in my tent and impossible to sleep. So, I sat around chatting to the gang. Russell came back saying that Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party was the best act he had seen in years. Then, Whoosh ! The Red Arrows aerial display team hurtled across the sky which was spectacular. That evening, I thought I should make the supreme effort and watch Coldplay because although I’m not a fan I knew it would be visually awesome because everyone was wearing wristbands which lit up. When I arrived at the back of the field, I asked someone how long it was before Coldplay, and he said 25 minutes. I just couldn’t be bothered waiting and it was getting cold. I went back to me tent and fell fast asleep.

Pillow Queens.

Sunday morning was our last shift at work, and we tore into it with gusto. Everyone was in a good mood, and we had our areas finished by 11.00. We had to pick up hundreds of those Coldplay wristbands. Bronwen sent word that we were to help out on the Pyramid field. When we arrived, the work had already been done, So it was an early finish for us. We went back to the office where Millie handed out more meal tickets and that was work done for 2024. We had been a great team. Millie was a brilliant leader, so I hope we are all in Millie’s team again next year. I was looking forward to my first cold cider for days, but Tom’s Bar wasn’t open until 12.00, so I had to wait, never mind. After lunch I enjoyed a couple of cans while Seasick Steve and then Paloma Faith played across the fields. I love Sundays at Glastonbury, it isn’t hectic, everyone is tired, but in a good mood, relaxed, and just want to chill out for the last day. 

Will Varley

I made my way to the Acoustic Stage for a couple of hours. I wanted to see Michele Stodart from The Magic Numbers because I had met them last year. She had pulled out due to illness and had been replaced by a singer called Katya. After her was Bernard Butler who is a great guitarist who first found fame with Suede. More recently he received great critical acclaim with Irish actress and Singer Jessie Buckley, releasing the album For All Our Days That Tear the Heart. I enjoyed his set, but mainly I was just passing time because I was really looking forward to seeing someone on the Leftfield Stage at 5.30, so I set off in that direction with plenty of time to spare. When I arrived, there was an excellent Irish female rock band playing called The Pillow Queens. I’d never heard of them before, but thought they were great, and will follow their career with interest in the future. After their set I thought I ought to go to the loo before Will Varley who was the reason I was here. I had great trouble getting there though because thousands of people were heading to the Other Stage to see Avril Lavigne. Fearing a crush the security had put up a barrier to stop people from entering the field from the front and were herding them towards the back of the field. I think what had happened was that people were disappointed with Shania Twain on the Pyramid and had decided to see Avril Lavigne instead, resulting in Avril getting twice the audience they were expecting. Anyway, finally I explained that I wasn’t interested in Avril Lavigne, I was here at the Leftfield for Will Varley, and they let me through the barrier to go to the loo. Just in time I might add!

Will & Band.

I have two albums by Will and saw him at the Tree House in Frome a while ago. I think he is just as good as Ed Sheeran or George Ezra and deserves to be better known. At Glastonbury he had assembled a great little band and went down a storm with the Leftfield audience. I filmed one of his songs We Don’t Believe You which you can find below. After Will’s great set I watched some of England’s game against Slovakia with some lads who were following it on their phones. Then I made my way back to the Acoustic Stage where I met up with Peter, Helen, Paul, Gretta, and Berna. The London Community Gospel Choir were performing when I arrived. I didn’t like them all that much. I was expecting a Mahalia Jackson/ Edwin Hawkins type experience, but they mixed up the gospel songs with pop, R&B and tried to make it funky and commercial. That didn’t matter because it was the next act I had come to see Judy Collins.

Judy Collins.

Judy is a legend who I have followed since the 1960s and have several of her albums but had never seen her before. She came out of the Folk scene of Greenwich Village in the early 60s along with Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. She is 85 now, so I wasn’t expecting a great vocal performance, but was thrilled just to see her. Judy knows the limits of her voice these days, so didn’t attempt songs like Amazing Grace for instance, but she can still display a lot of emotion in her voice. Between the songs she told lots of jokes and stories about her life. It was Judy who made Leonard Cohen famous as a songwriter when she recorded songs like Suzanne which she performed at Glastonbury. It is nine days ago since I saw Judy and I should have written down a setlist but didn’t, so I can’t remember all the songs, but I recall a fabulous version of Mr Tambourine Man and a stunning emotional delivery of Send In The Clowns. It had been a privilege to be in her company.

My Favourite Stage, The Acoustic.

After Judy the Acoustic Stage field got busier and busier until it was jam packed. Some of the people were here to see The Gypsy Kings, but I suspect most of the crowd had voted with their feet and didn’t want to see SZA on the Pyramid Stage who is almost unknown in Britain, so what was she doing as a headliner? It was so crowded I couldn’t actually see the Gypsy Kings, but the music was wonderful, romantic, and danceable. Peter even invented a dance which he called ‘The Crab’ which we all joined in with. It involved moving sideways. Helen & Gretta in particular were dancing the night away. I left before the end to avoid the crowds and get some food. I had a drink in Tom’s Bar before it closed. Peter returned and we met up with Pete from our team. I sat up talking and drinking until 1.30 aided by a bottle of brandy from my tent. I slept well that night!

Mani's Picture of me.

On Monday morning tens of thousands of bleary-eyed revellers began to leave the site, but we decided to wait until Tuesday to avoid the traffic chaos. I went for one last long walk across the site ending with a leisurely cup of tea at the Tiny Tea Tent. Walking back across the campsites I was pleased to see how tidy it looked. There were huge heaps of rubbish bags left by the bins, but hardly any garbage blowing around in the wind like previous years. On Monday evening we just sat around in Tom’s Field chatting and chilling out. Unknown to me a guy called Mani was drawing my picture which he showed to me afterwards. He also did the same for Odele. On Tuesday morning I had a shower and put on the cleanest clothes I could find, used up my last meal ticket for breakfast, said cheerio to Odele who was just starting work on the post-festival clean up, gave my litter-picking stick to another worker, and we began to pack up our stuff and take down the tents. 

Peter, Paul, Helen, Me.

Carpy from the next tent played me some Van Morrison as we packed. When we had the trolleys loaded, he took our photo one last time. I travelled home with Kate and as we drove through Pilton we passed the social housing which Michael Eavis built to provide affordable housing for local people, and I thought what a great man he is. Soon we were back in Westbury and Kate dropped me on the square. Nine days had gone by in the twinkling of an eye, like Whoosh! and Glastonbury was over for another year. I don't think it was a vintage year musically, but Glastonbury is mainly about people, friendship, love & peace. 200,000 people living together in a spirit of tolerance and harmony. Let's hope it continues and the Glastonbury spirit spreads throughout the world.

Time to go home, with Kellie, Kate, & Donna.

THE END.

 

 

Seeing Van Morrison & The Hothouse Flowers at Westonbirt Arboretum 7/7/2024

After being a fan of Van Morrison for fifty years my enthusiasm for his music had waned in the last few years. I hadn’t even bought two of his recent studio albums and it had been well over a year since I last saw him live at Cheltenham Jazz Festival. However, I still think Van has the greatest back catalogue of anyone in music, and Sunday’s concert in the bucolic surroundings of Westonbirt Arboretum has certainly restored my faith in him as a live performer. This is what happened on Sunday. 

Lee & me.

The rain of Sunday morning had cleared to warm sunshine when my niece Lee picked me up on the town square in Westbury at 4.30. It only took about 40 minutes to drive to the 600-acre Westonbirt estate 3 miles south of Tetbury. I had never been here before, but it is an idyllic setting for a concert. Managed by Forestry England, it is the most important and widely known arboretum in the United Kingdom. Established in 1829 it contains over 2,500 species of trees and exotic plants from all over the world. It is adjacent to the Highgrove estate of King Charles 111, but Charles and Camilla were nowhere to be seen on Sunday evening. 

Me & Treve

The days of big Van fan pre-show gatherings seem to be a thing of the past, but on arrival, almost as soon as we had opened out our fold up chairs, I was pleased to see an old Van fan friend Treve who I hadn’t seen since Liverpool in 2018. The first act was a singer called Vince Freeman who I had never heard of before. The next band on stage were The Hothouse Flowers from Ireland. This band and Van go back a long way. I remember they played at Glastonbury on the same scorching hot day as Van in 1989. Also, they were the support band to Van in Bath a few short years ago. They were obviously thrilled to be sharing the same stage as Van yet again. 

Hothouse Flowers.

The singer and piano player Liam Ó Maonlaí is a very likeable and humorous band leader who knows how to engage the audience. They are a rock band, but with a strong element of Irish traditional music. A lot of the songs were in Irish, but it didn’t matter if the audience didn’t understand the words, by the end of their performance large sections of the crowd were dancing and jigging about. The only song I recognised was their big hit Don’t Go with a kind of calypso arrangement. They were perfect music for a sunny summer’s evening. Then it was time for the main event, Van the man. 

As soon as they all shuffled on stage, I realised the band were unchanged from Dublin a few nights before. They are, Pete Hurley, Colin Griffin, John McCullough, Dave Keary, Chris White, Matt Holland, Jolene O’Hara, & Dana Masters. I must say it is great to see Chris and Matt restored to the band adding a rich warm sound. Van looked well and was in very good humour and in a chatty mood, introducing many of the songs with a few words. He started with the Everly Brothers song When Will I Be Loved, followed by Louis Jordan’s I Wanna Roof Over My Head. Then he sat on a chair to sing the great Hank Williams song I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.

The crowd seemed to enjoy all this, but I wanted to hear a Van classic. This was provided by For Mr Thomas written by his friend Robin Williamson. (See video below) It was another friend Mose Allison who wrote the next song Benediction. Then another classic from the Philosophers Stone album Crazy Jane On God which Van informed the audience was written by W.B. Yeats. This Sunday evening Radio 2 listening type audience recognised Days Like This and the upbeat jazzy Have I Told You Lately? and all sang along. I never tire of hearing Enlightenment and Van never seems to tire of singing it either. The words obviously mean a lot to him. “Think!”, he exclaimed quite pointedly at the end. 

The Ray Charles song What Would I Do was a highlight for me, I wish I had filmed it to share because Van seated at the piano sang it very soulfully and emotionally, improvising a few words at the end. His voice is still as good as ever, quite remarkable when you think that he will be 80 next year. Northern Muse from the Beautiful Vision album was also excellent. Van introduced all the band individually by name which shows what a good mood he was in. The crowd pleasing and danceable Wild Night followed with Van improvising, “Take me way back, to the wild night”. Van was in jazz mode for the next three songs Symphony Sid, Laughin’ and Clownin’ & Moondance with all the band getting the chance to show off their skills. I used to get fed up with hearing Moondance but enjoyed it tonight because absence makes the heart grow fonder. Green Rocky Road is one of Van’s best recordings of recent years and it was performed brilliantly. Then we were treated to one of the greatest songs Van or anyone else ever wrote, namely Into The Mystic. Van and the band excelled themselves on this classic.

The crowd immediately recognised Jackie Wilson Says and started dancing and singing along. When Gloria began, me and Lee started packing up our chairs and moving towards the back. As soon as Van left the stage, the band played on, and we were heading for the carpark. Before they finished, we had made a sharp exit to avoid the traffic. I was back home 40 minutes later. What a wonderful night it had been. Thank you very much Lee, and a big hand for Van and the band. A new album by Van should manifest itself through my letterbox any day now, so hopefully I'll tell you what I think of that next week. Cheers. 

Westonbirt Arboretum.