Review: Van Morrison At Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza 2021.

The big day had finally arrived. My first Van Morrison gig for nearly two years. Van was returning to Glastonbury Abbey for his fourth appearance at the Extravaganza, organised by the one and only greatest living Englishman Michael Eavis. The weather forecast was good as well. It promised to be a great night. Glastonbury is only 30 miles from where I live in Westbury, but if you haven’t got a car, like I haven’t, it is quite complicated to get there. I had to catch the train to Castle Cary and then a taxi to Glastonbury. The taxi lady dropped me off on the High Street which was bustling with tourists and festival goers. I made my way to the Aroha B&B which is in Bove Town, just at the top of the High Street. It is run by a lady called Michelle who is originally from New Zealand. Aroha is a Maori word meaning Love & compassion. I’m really pleased I chose it because it has nice vibes. I couldn’t have wished for a nicer place, highly recommended if you are ever in Glastonbury. 

Wizard.

Once I had sorted myself out, I headed for town. Outside the church of St John I met a wizard in blue robes and a pointy hat, and took a photo of him. That’s the magic of Glastonbury. There is nowhere else quite like it in the world. When I reached the historic George & Pilgrim Inn which was built in 1489, I spotted fellow Van fan John sitting at a table outside and watching the world go by. It was great to see him again. A few minutes later Emer from Dublin and her friends strolled by. Emer and John were the only Van fan friends I met that evening. The first time I saw Van at the abbey in 2004 there was a meet-up of about 20 people here, but sadly since Simon Gee of Wavelength magazine stopped organising the pre-show gatherings you don’t see that many people these days. Anyway, it was nice to sit at the table for a couple of hours and chill out, watching all the strange and wonderful people of Glastonbury walking by. 

Enlightenment.

By 4.30 the queue to get into the Abbey stretched about halfway up the High Street, but we didn’t bother joining it. Finally, about 6.00 when the queue had disappeared, we made our way across the road into the Abbey grounds. What a beautiful setting it is for a concert, steeped in legend and mysticism. I should also mention that it was a warm sunny evening, It didn’t get cold at all, even after dark. We were lucky with the weather. Almost the first person we saw was Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis. We had a little chat with him. Michael is a huge Van fan. I think this is the eleventh time he has booked Van for the festival or the abbey. 

Me & Michael Eavis.

I have met Michael about six times before, but he doesn’t seem to know me from Adam. He must meet thousands of people every year. He is always friendly and polite though. John asked if he could take a photo and Michael was happy to oblige. Tanita Tikeram was just finishing her set when we arrived. We heard one song Twist In My Sobriety which sounded pretty good actually. Then we found a good spot with a great view of the stage. The next act on were The Staves. I don’t know a lot about this band apart from hearing a few songs on YouTube. They are an English indie folk trio of sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor from Watford. As well as the girls, there were other musicians in the band. 

The Staves,

They have a newish album called Good Woman and are on tour at the moment, ending in Bristol in October. John and me both agreed that they were very good indeed. They reminded me a bit of another group I like called First Aid Kit. I might buy their album soon. As soon as the Staves finished their set, me and John made our move. I packed up my fold up chair and headed for the front. We were surprised how easy it was to get right on the barrier in front of the stage. After a short wait Van and the band came on stage. 

The band has changed slightly since I last saw them in Bournemouth 2019. It is still Paul Moran, Teena Lyle, Paul Moore & Dave Keary, but they have been joined by Chantelle Duncan on backing vocals and Stuart MacIlroy on keyboards. I hope I have got their names right. There is a new drummer as well. I thought it was Colin Griffin, but apparently his name is Nick Simms. Anyway, they are all good additions to the band. I wrote the setlist down in my trusty notebook, so I hope I have got it right and not forgotten anything. It was Latest Record Project, Deadbeat Saturday Night, Double Agent, Up County Down, Days Like This, Precious Time, Baby Please Don’t Go/ Got My Mojo Working, I Can Tell, Moondance, Cleaning Windows/ Be Bop A Lula/ Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On, Ain’t Gonna Moan No More, Broken Record, Have I Told You Lately, Sometimes We Cry, Symphony Sid, St Dominic’s Preview, Madame George, Jackie Wilson Says, Help Me, Brown Eyed Girl, Gloria. The first four songs were all from Van’s most recent album, and not among my favourite songs, but like a lot of his songs they take on new life when performed live. I wasn’t expecting any improvised extended workshops from Van in this concert because it was a festival type audience. The crowd seemed

to love Days Like This and Precious Time. I did as well, and I must say Dave Keary was brilliant on the pedal steel guitar on Precious Time. Baby Please Don’t Go etc was another crowd pleaser, but I’m getting a bit bored with it. I Can Tell was ok, but not great, and I think Van has sung Moondance  just about every time I have seen him. The audience seem to love it though, so who am I to complain. I always enjoy hearing Cleaning Windows, especially when Jack Kerouac gets mentioned. Ain’t gonna Moan No More was excellent, but I can’t say the same for Broken Record. I know it is supposed to be humorous, but I am getting tired of hearing it now. Again, however some people love it. It is only personal taste. 

Chantelle.

Then it was the Las Vegas type version of Have I Told You Lately. Chantelle showed she was more than an adequate replacement for Dana Masters. Chantelle also dueted with Van on Sometimes We Cry and Symphony Sid. I have heard that song enough times as well. I wrote in my notebook ‘We want mystical Van, this is Glastonbury!’. I was getting a bit bored. Then Van pulled the show out of the fire with a superb performance of St Dominic’s Preview. “This is more like it”, I thought to myself. 

Van The Man.

This was followed by a sublime performance of Madame George which was a special request of Michael Eavis, good old Michael!. That song alone made the whole evening worthwhile. That was followed by Jackie Wilson, Help Me, Brown Eyed Girl & Gloria. Me and John made our way towards the exit as the band played on, in order to avoid the crowds. There was a massive fireworks display at the end which we watched from outside the pub. Finally John headed off home and I went back to Aroha and fell asleep into restful slumbers almost before my head touched the pillow.... 

Next morning at breakfast I had a nice chat with the landlady Michelle and the name of Eckhart Tolle came up in the conversation. 

Church Of St John, Sunday Morning.

Michelle told me that he used to live in the very street where we were. Eckhart used to walk up to the top of Glastonbury Tor every day. This was in the days before he wrote The Power Of Now  and became famous. Anyway, finally I said cheerio. I hope I return before too long. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. There was a street artist drawing chalk designs on the pavement accompanied by quotes of famous people. One of them was by Eckhart Tolle. Talk about synchronicity!. I was going to visit the Chalice Well, but I couldn’t be bothered in the end. I just ordered a glass of chardonnay at the pub and sat outside, people watching and enjoyed the sunshine. Eventually the taxi lady arrived to take me back to Castle Cary. What a great weekend it had been.

Into The Mystic. Avalon Of The Heart.