On This Day 05/01/2003 Van Morrison

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On this day, 5 January 2003, Irish singing legend Van Morrison played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall

Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison OBE (born 31 August 1945) from Northern Ireland has a recording career spanning seven decades.

Much of Morrison's music is structured around the conventions of soul music and early rhythm and blues. An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz and stream of consciousness narrative, such as the album Astral Weeks. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic soul", and his music has been described as attaining "a kind of violent transcendence".

Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK top 40. He has scored top ten albums in the UK in four consecutive decades.

Setlist

Inarticulate Speech of the Heart No. 1

I Will Be There

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Once in a Blue Moon

Foggy Mountain Top

All Work and No Play

In the Midnight

I Don't Worry About a Thing

(Mose Allison cover)

Early in the Mornin' / Goldfish Bowl

I Like It Like That / Kansas City

Carrying a Torch

Days Like This

Whinin' Boy Moan

Have I Told You Lately

Streets of Arklow / You Don't Pull No Punches But You Don't Push the River

Northern Muse (Solid Ground) / When Heart Is Open

(w/ No Prima Donna)

Stop Drinking

Precious Time

It's All in the Game / You Know What They're Writing About

(Love Is a Many Splendoured… more )

Encore:

Brown Eyed Girl

Gloria

(Them song)

On This Day 01/02/1993 Van Morrison

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On this day, 1 February 1993, Irish singing legend Van Morrison played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.

Morrison began performing as a teenager in the late 1950s. He played a variety of instruments such as guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for several Irish showbands, covering the popular hits of that time. Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B and rock band Them. With Them, he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria".

Under the pop-oriented guidance of Bert Berns, Morrison's solo career began in 1967 with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl". After Berns's death, Warner Bros. Records bought out Morrison's contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968).

While initially a poor seller, the album has become regarded as a classic. Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist, and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances.

The early to middle 1990s were commercially successful for Morrison with three albums reaching the top five of the UK charts, sold-out concerts, and a more visible public profile; but this period also marked a decline in the critical reception to his work.

The decade began with the release of The Best of Van Morrison; compiled by Morrison himself, the album was focused on his hit singles, and became a multi-platinum success remaining a year and a half on the UK charts. AllMusic determined it to be "far and away the best selling album of his career."

In 1991 he wrote and produced four songs for Tom Jones released on the Carrying A Torch album and performed a duet with Bob Dylan on BBC Arena special.

Setlist

Foreign Window

I'm Not Feeling It Anymore

Why Must I Always Explain?

See Me Through / Soldier of Fortune

Cleaning Windows

Vanlose Stairway

Route 66

So Quiet in Here / That's Where It's At

Youth of 1,000 Summers

A Town Called Paradise

Did Ye Get Healed? / It's All in the Game / Make It Real One More Time

Moondance / My Funny Valentine

Brown Eyed Girl

In the Garden / Since I Fell for You / Daring Night

What'd I Say

Enlightenment

Have I Told You Lately

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Lonely Avenue

Gloria