Van Morrison & Ray Charles, Wembley Arena 1996.

One of the most unusual Van concerts we ever went to was at Wembley Arena in summer 1996. Van was in a double bill with Ray Charles, so I felt we had to go. In the paper we had read that Van had been awarded the OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours which I thought was a good omen. We arrived at Paddington Station and booked a room in a crummy hotel. All the decent ones were booked up. As soon as we got unpacked, we headed for the West End. In the tube station I could hear raucous singing in the distance which echoed along the tunnels and got louder and louder. Suddenly we were surrounded by about 1,000 Scottish football fans all wearing tartan and kilts and carrying flags. It was like a scene from Braveheart. This was the day Scotland were playing England in Euro 96 at Wembley Stadium right next door to the Arena where the concert was.

"Oh no”, I said to Kim, “This is all we need," It didn't bode well.

In Trafalgar Square there must have been at least 20,000 Scots who had completely taken over the place. It was all good natured, for now. We hurried to my favourite London watering hole The French House in Old Compton Street, Soho. I like it because it is often frequented by actors, writers and the like and there is always somebody interesting in there to talk to. On one occasion a few years previously, I met the famous illustrator Ralph Steadman in there. I nipped to a nearby bookshop and bought a copy of Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas which he had illustrated (The Picador edition) He graciously signed it, and did a little Ralph Steadman original doodle in it for me.

We bought a bottle of Chardonnay, sat at the bar and got chatting to one of the clientele. I told him that we were going to see Van. He was really interested and we ended up having a really long strange conversation about Madame Blavatsky,The Theosophical Society, Krishnamurti, The Golden Dawn and The Rosecrucians. It was really weird. I had only wanted a quiet drink. I asked him what he did for a living and he smiled and said he was a piano tuner. I think he was a musician, but I’m not certain. Eventually it was time to leave for Wembley and we hailed a taxi. The taxi driver was a very timid little Indian man and as we drew near to the stadium, he refused to go any further when he saw the thousands of football fans streaming down the road from the game that had just ended.

"They will kill us" He moaned.

We got out of the taxi and went in a large pub that was packed with Scottish and English fans.

“I’m going to get battered in here,” I said to Kim.

The Scottish fans were amiable and good natured. It was the English who seemed intimidating. Luckily though, England had won 2-0 so there wasn't a bloodbath. The atmosphere in there was quite tense. We left the pub breathing a sigh of relief. Walking up to the Arena we saw the coach carrying the England team leaving Wembley and while queuing up outside we saw a long white stretch limo arriving. I bet Ray Charles was in it. I couldn’t imagine Van riding around in one of those. Van was first on stage which is a sign of his humility because he was a much bigger artist than Ray in terms of record sales in 1996. Van and his band were all in a row across the stage. He looked uncomfortable in this venue which is like a vast shed. The first song was Not Feeling It Any More which was an odd choice to start a concert with. This was followed by Raincheck, Summertime in England, Some Peace of Mind, See Me Through / Soldier of Fortune, Tupelo Honey / Why Must I Always Explain, Vanlose Stairway / Trans-Euro Train, Whenever God Shines His Light, The Healing Game, Moondance, Full Force Gale, Have I Told You Lately, It's a Man's Man's Man's World. During the show Van made a long rambling speech and then asked if there were any requests. The highlight for me that night was The Healing Game because I had never heard it before. It was nice to see Ray Charles, but I wasn't in the mood by then and we left before the end to avoid the rush.

The next day before we caught the train home we went for a walk. We looked at the paintings along the Bayswater Road, went for a stroll in Hyde Park and looked at an exhibition in the Serpentine Gallery. The football madness was over for another day and peace had returned to the capital. As I reflected on the concert the night before I realised that if Van isn't in the mood then he just can't do it. It was the first Van Morrison concert that I hadn't particularly enjoyed. These days I try to go to concerts without any expectations, and then I’m not disappointed