Seeing Van Morrison At Bath Festival.

The big day had finally arrived. I had been looking forward to this event since February when it was announced that Van would be headlining the Grand Finale of the Bath Festival, almost in our own back yard. I caught the 12.50 train at Westbury and found my friend Jacquie who had boarded the train at Warminster. The weather was a bit unsettled and showery, but I wasn’t worried about that because the forecast was good for the evening. Soon we arrived in the beautiful Georgian city of Bath which was known to the Romans as Aquae Sulis and nestles like a jewel in the seven surrounding hills. The city is renowned for the healing properties of its water ever since King Bladud was cured of leprosy here back in the olden days. I was quite bladud by the end of the evening as well, I can tell you..

Our first stop was to a restaurant called Giraffe. I’m not sticking my neck out here when I say the food was very nice. Then we repaired to the Huntsman pub which is a fine old regency building quite near the river Avon. Soon, we were joined by Jane and Charlie. It was nice to see them again, and Fumiko, and finally Emer from Dublin and her friend Sinead. It was great to meet them for the first time. It was still drizzling rain, so we stayed in there a couple of hours and waited to see if anyone else turned up. Finally, the rain eased off and me and Jacquie made a move.

The Forest.

The Hothouse Flowers had just started their set on the main stage. The audience was very small for them unfortunately. I think people had been watching the weather forecast and delayed their arrival. It looked like quite a sad scene to begin with. Jacquie hadn’t been feeling too good either which was a shame. It cheered us up though to meet Maurice from Belfast. I hadn’t seen Maurice since Liverpool last year. After a bit of a chat Maurice went for a wander around. Jacquie said it would be best if she went home, so I walked most of the way back to the station with her. It was disappointing but probably for the best. 

Maurice & Me.

When I got back, the Hothouse Flowers were still playing.  I listened to the end of their set which included the only song I know of theirs called Don’t Go. I got myself a drink and fancied a bit of a sit down. The grass was too wet, so I went to the second stage which was in a tent and sat on the floor resting against the stage. After a few minutes a security man said I had to stand up because a band were about to play. I stood up, the tent filled up and a band came on. I think they were called The Forest. I listened to a couple of songs, they sounded good, but I wasn’t all that interested. Other people were really enjoying them.

Van the Man.

The sun came out and people started arriving in droves. We were all set for a great evening. I found Jane, Charlie and Fumiko again and we stood around chatting and Maurice joined us. Corrine Bailey-Rae was on the main stage. I have seen her four times now, always at outdoor events supporting other people. She is pleasant enough, but I would rather chat to my mates. When she finished, I did catch a few minutes of Tom Speight on my way to the bar and I thought he sounded quite good. After Corinne we should have got to the front to get a good position, but we left it a bit late. Finally, it was time for Van the man.

I dropped my pen somewhere during the proceedings so I couldn’t write a setlist or make notes. Luckily for me, another long-time Van fan called Hugh provided a setlist. Thanks Hugh. This is it: Let's Get Lost, How Far from God, Baby Please Don't Go/ Got My Mojo Working/ Playhouse, Days Like This, Wild Night, Moondance, Sometimes We Cry, Symphony Sid, It Once Was My Life, Cleaning Windows, Boppin' The Blues, Ain't Gonna Moan No More, Broken Record, Did Ye Get Healed?, Enlightenment,  Vanlose Stairway, Whenever God Shines His Light on Me, Think Twice Before You Go, In the Afternoon/ Raincheck, The Party's Over, Help Me, Brown-eyed Girl, Gloria.

I think the highlight of the evening for me was Did Ye Get Healed even though I had to keep moving to try and get a good view and because of people talking. (See my video below, the sound is quite good) I never get tired of hearing Enlightenment either, however many times I hear it. I might have heard It Once Was My Life performed live before, but I can’t remember when. It isn’t one of my favourite songs on the recently released 3cd set of The Healing Game, but I thought the band did a great job of it in Bath. I was very impressed last night with Teena Lyle’s percussion playing and Dave Keary on guitar, but all the band were great. We knew the evening was coming to an end when Van started the crowd-pleasers Brown Eyed Girl and Gloria. I started making my way towards the exit and left as soon as Van ended and managed to catch the 9.49 home. I was in my local pub at 10.20 for a last pint after a great day. Apart from Van, the best bit was meeting up with my friends. I hope we do it again soon. Next event for me is Glastonbury Festival. I’m excited about that already. Bring it on!
PS, Thanks to Jane Haslam for a couple of the photos.

Sunset In Bath.