Austin360 blogs > ACL Festival > Archives > 2006 > September > 15 > Entry
Van Morrison (Friday, 8:30 p.m. AT&T Stage)
It is one small measure of Van Morrison’s longevity that the last time I saw him was 27-odd years ago at the inevitably-referred-to “late-lamented” Armadillo World Headquarters. Back then, he stayed over and played a night for free, so enamored he was of the ‘Dillo’s shrimp enchiladas. Someone on hand recalled him swinging from the door lintel of the dressing room, lost in simple bliss. Since then he has put out a score of albums reflecting every prismatic nuance of blues, soul, Celtic gospel, rock and (most lately) country.
Now, three decades later, Van the Man was back in town, as natty as a Martin Scorcese gangster in a suit coat, tinted glasses and a pale fedora. (The illusion was not confined to the stage. A cadre of motorcycle cops and dark limos came sweeping through backstage. I thought for a crazy moment that Charles Attal and Charlie Jones had gone into the funeral business. But of course, it was Morrison and his entourage.)
“Was he always this laid-back?” asked a young fan, who was hoping to hear “Caravan.” Well - yes and no. What might have sounded “laid-back” registered to these ears as smoldering intensity; the precise focus of a master of the game who doesn’t need to squander his focus and energy to achieve a transcendent effect.
Beginning with a tongue-in-groove rendition of “Back On Top,” Morrison wound in and out of his current predilection, country music, as reflected in his latest album, “Pay the Devil.” The Jerry Lee Lewis-weeper “Big Blue Diamonds” shared stage time with a countrypolitan-perfect take on “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”
But it is part of Morrison’s gift to segue from country to Muscle Shoals-style soul (“It’s All in the Game”) to swampy blues (he pulled out the sax for “St. James Infirmary”) to the Muhammad Ali rock ‘n’ roll combination of “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Wild Night” and “Gloria.”
There is, however, one moment that lingers. Far back in the crowd, a quarter-mile from the stage, a little kid stared in wonderment as all the grown-ups around him rose to their feet and began swaying and singing in unison. He probably didn’t know there was a guy onstage with the improbable name of Van Morrison singing a song called “Brown Eyed Girl.” It hardly mattered. The song still has the power to engender the same sense of wonder and delight in children today as it did in their parents. And, if everything works out just right, that youngster may tell his kids about sitting in a field on a late summer night listening to Van Morrison sing.
(photo by Jay Janner AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
Permalink | Comments (21) | Post your comment | Categories: 2006 Reviews
Comments
By Fred Rickard
September 21, 2006 09:28 AM | Link to this
The one disappointment at ACL. Was really looking to experience his music and performance. Sound was bad, stage show was lifeless, truly something magical was missing that night. Maybe the stage and location. AT& T Blue Room would have been a better choice.
By rachael
September 20, 2006 01:50 PM | Link to this
Van defintely had NO interaction with the audience which is very important at a concert like ACL where there are thousands of people standing around to hear him. I am a huge fan but he seemed to be “playing it cool” and it came across as being arrogant.
By rick
September 18, 2006 01:46 PM | Link to this
Can’t believe the negative comments on Van’s show. Ya’ll would have probably hated Ray Charles or B.B. King as well if you were fortunate to ever have seen them. Next time do your homework. I had a group of 20 year olds next to me raving about the quality and the craftmanship of the music. All of you were disappointed with the show should stay home and get out of the way of people who get it.
By RP
September 18, 2006 11:47 AM | Link to this
I am amazed at all of the positive reviews of Van’s closing concert. I am a Van fan, but this show was terrible. The sound was crappy and the set list was boring. Van looked completely uninterested in the entire affair and had NO interaction with the audience at all. I can not blame anyone who hated this show. It stank!
By Max
September 18, 2006 09:40 AM | Link to this
Van was the Man for the most part. I only wish he would have played what may be his greatest ever: Into the Mystic, with the Sax that warms your heart at the same time it raises goose bumps on your arms. One other thing…What the hell was going on with the video??? Was the director asleep at the switch? Perhaps he flunked out of RTF 101? Come on dude, you don’t zoom in on the back up singer when the Steel Guitar player is doing a smoking solo!Maybe he or she drank more beer than I did!
By Music Fan
September 17, 2006 07:49 PM | Link to this
I chose to miss Los Lonely Boys and John Mayer to see Van Morrison. Major artists should not be on different stages at the same time!
By Houston
September 17, 2006 07:44 PM | Link to this
Excellent performance! Van is extremely talented and versatile. During the show he said ‘I feel like I’m conducting a workshop’. If you have been familiar with his music since the 60’s as I have, you know it was not arrogance - just tellin’ it like it is.
By M3
September 17, 2006 02:30 PM | Link to this
I can’t say it was a big dissapointment seeing Van, cause my expectations were pretty low to begin with. I was hoping that my previous Van shows were an anolomy and that he would really rock the house, but alas, was just what I feared it would be. With all the energy and emotion of a disinterested role player, Van had no real connection with the audience. He really phoned it in. Was hoping for much more, but got what I expected. We left halfway through the set.
By Chris
September 17, 2006 01:27 PM | Link to this
Okay, I’m just as big a fan as anyone out there…waited a long time to be blessed with Van’s presence, but have to say he was a little disappointing. The backup singers sang more lyrics than he did at times. We were upset that he and John Mayer were scheduled at the same time!
By Big O
September 16, 2006 09:32 PM | Link to this
Best Van Morrison show I have seen since he played the Armadillo in ‘72 with a 14 piece band. Van is probably an acquired taste. If you don’t appreciate jazz, blues, pop and country, you probably won’t get it. If you want Kool-Aid you aren’t going to enjoy fine wine.
By Rude Dog
September 16, 2006 05:01 PM | Link to this
Van Morrison put on the best show of any artist at ACL yesterday.It’s to bad that the youngsters don’t appreciate music in it’s truest form.He schooled everybody in how to play real country music and of course his older hits were mighty nice.I waited 30 yars to see Van because he never comes to TEXAS, people do not realize what you had last night.Jist amazing is all I can say,can’t wait for the ACL taping he did on Thursday to be shown.
By Tracy
September 16, 2006 01:22 PM | Link to this
My guess is that “Cathi” has no idea who Van Morrison is or what he’s all about. His talent and intensity are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I’m headed to the Stones concert next month but I know I won’t see a better show than our Van the Man. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.
By Ken
September 16, 2006 12:49 PM | Link to this
Van Morrison was brilliant conveying a number of different styles and bringing new life to some of his classics.
By Brad McGrew
September 16, 2006 12:47 PM | Link to this
Van blew the top off this festival. I was considering never coming to ACL again because of poor, overlapping sound and mosh-pit crowds. I am sure I have seen a better show but I can’t remember when. If you did not love this set maybe its your taste in music or lack there of.
By untexan
September 16, 2006 11:42 AM | Link to this
My wife and I have waited almost 30 years to see Van Morrison. It was worth the wait. A spectacular show. Some of the “Brown-Eyed Girl” crowd should drop back to “Astral Weeks” and begin to understand what Morrison is all about. It dominated Day 1 of the festival in just the way Solomon Burke did a couple of years ago and was the best closing act by far of any of the four ACLFests we have attended.
By Ken
September 16, 2006 10:56 AM | Link to this
Like many great artists, Van is constantly evolving. It was a brilliant set of blues, jazz, country, and straight ahead rock.
By Ken Miller
September 16, 2006 10:06 AM | Link to this
this show was one of the finest I have ever experienced.His voice and band were the best! feel sorry for anyone who did not enjoy and appreciate the muscianship.You were lucky to be there.
By sleepy
September 16, 2006 09:21 AM | Link to this
van morrison was a snoozer, should have had an hour set much earlier in the day.
By Tom Ordon
September 16, 2006 08:59 AM | Link to this
Van performed a masterful and inspiring set that did not rely on volume to shove the music down your throat like Gnarls and Thievery. With style and class, he touched on all parts of his career, from (as he mentioned) the very first song he ever recorded a vocal on (Them’s “Don’t Start Crying Now” through his latest country album, even entering the “mystic” with his scat vocals a few times. Too many highlights in his 90 plus minute set to mention. Real music. A wonderful set.
By charles Ford
September 16, 2006 12:05 AM | Link to this
We were sorta shocked at the “Lawrence Welk” treatment given to these songs so we left before “Brown-Eyed Girl” and “Gloria”….our mistake..
CF
By Cathi
September 16, 2006 12:03 AM | Link to this
Van should’ve been scheduled earlier in the day- it was a sleeper….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz