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Posted in To Do | music | pictures | video on March 3, 2009
Van Morrison played the Theater @ MSG (pics, setlist) & Jimmy Fallon's first episode (video) -- Beacon tonight
photos by Eric M. Townsend
"Still, surprise was not why a capacity crowd was gathered at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. Mr. Morrison was paying tribute to "Astral Weeks," his best-regarded album but one that was overlooked when it was released in 1968; it never appeared on the Billboard album chart.Van Morrison played his first two of four "Astral Weeks" shows over the weekend. Last night he performed on the very first Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show which you can watch in its entiretly at NBC's site. Tonight (3/3), he kicks off his first of two nights at the Beacon Theatre. The other two shows were at the Theater at MSG. Setlists and more pictures from those, and some Fallon videos, below...This return trip wasn't quite a celebration, though. Nor was it a re-evaluation or much of a revision. Instead it often felt like obligation and, accordingly, Mr. Morrison treated the task perversely.
First came the delay of gratification. He began with an hourlong set consisting mostly of curios and cuts from other albums. Occasionally he was clarion clear: the soft-loud dynamics of "So Quiet in Here" were arresting, and "Who Drove the Red Sports Car" was an impassioned holler. When he strayed from his own songbook, he sounded invigorated, as if trying to renew his lineal claims: that Ray Charles cover, soon followed by "St. James Infirmary Blues," with Mr. Morrison playing scraping, arch alto sax." [NY Times]
Jimmy Fallon's First Late Night Intro (w/ Conan & the Roots)
Van Morrison played two sensationsal sets at the Wamu Theater last night in the second of two nights at the 5600 person capacity MSG venue. Van put together a crowd pleasing song list for the first set that many fans have been waiting his whole career to hear. It could only be characterized as a 'greatest hits' set and which varied from the ones he played in November at the Hollywood Bowl. He was in great voice and played sax, guitar, and harp on top of leading a 14 piece band (2 cellos, 2 violins, gtr, bass, sax, trumpet, pedal steel, 3 backup singers, drums, and keyboards/flute) with hand gestures and occasional verbal commands. The Astral Weeks set was glorious. He changed the order of songs slightly by moving Slim Slow Slider towards the beginning and ending with Madame George which was indicative of his attitude toward the material. It's his so he enhanced and accentuated what he felt like while bringing the seminal album to life. Here's the full set: [1938 Media]Northern Muse
Spirit
Moondance
Wild Night
Jackie Wilson Said
Baby Please Don't Go
Can't Stop Lovin' You
And it Stoned Me
Comfortably Numb (Yes - Pink Floyd cover!)
Queen of the Slipstream
And the Healing has Begun
Domino
Brown Eyed Girl
Common One
intermission
Astral Weeks
Beside You
Slim Slow Slider
Sweet Thing
Cyprus Avenue
The Way Young Lovers Do
Ballerina
Madame George
encore:
Listen to the Lion
Gloria
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Posted on March 3, 2009 1:21 PM
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Comments (17)
it wasn't a capacity crowd because tickets are too fucking expensive. the concert industry will probably be taking a big hit soon unless they lower prices.
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 1:44 PM
oh my GOD jimmy fallon was so painful.
Posted by dan | March 3, 2009 1:51 PM
sound sucked, but it was worth it....all $108 to sit in the back
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 1:59 PM
What the hell was going on while Morrison was performing on Late Night last night???
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 2:07 PM
Yeah, when the "cheap seats" are close to $100.00, we'll find another great performer to see in NYC on a Friday night. Would loved to have seen that show though ...
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 2:09 PM
What a great setlist. Fuck the NY Times.
And yeah, would love to see any of these four shows... for less than $100, please...
Posted by Brian F. | March 3, 2009 2:12 PM
"Comfortably Numb"??
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 2:13 PM
He's been doing that cover for years. Actually, I'm pretty sure a live version of his cover was in "The Departed" at one point.
I'm not a big Floyd guy, but Van's version's incredible.
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 2:18 PM
Jimmy Fallon was horrible. I never thought a talk show host could be worse than Carson Daly, but we have a winner. His fidgeting, lame jokes, and skits were atrocious. God I miss Conan at 12:37. The world has changed for the worse. Lorne, please hire someone, anyone, else.
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 3:13 PM
"Jimmy Fallon was horrible."
"oh my GOD jimmy fallon was so painful."
Awfully critical. It was the FIRST SHOW. Don't be so quick to judge.
So now that you have this substantial opinion, are you just not going to watch ever again, after judging one show?
Ever thought an album was horrible when you first heard it? Or even better, after you heard one song? Then, that album grows on you and ends up being one of your favorites.
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 5:27 PM
"Awfully critical. It was the FIRST SHOW. Don't be so quick to judge.
So now that you have this substantial opinion, are you just not going to watch ever again, after judging one show?
Ever thought an album was horrible when you first heard it? Or even better, after you heard one song? Then, that album grows on you and ends up being one of your favorites."
Obviously you're unfamiliar with his prior work. The show is just an extension of such a mediocre filmography.
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 5:35 PM
unless his awkwardly terrible delivery is a shtick or something, yes, if the rest of the show is like that, i will not watch it.
the roots ALMOST saved it. ALMOST.
Posted by dan | March 3, 2009 5:43 PM
Fallon's Van Morrison imitation on SNL was funny...a career peak for both of them.
for the record, Conan sucked for the first few months too. Learning on the job is a fact of this particular gig.
Posted by Anonymous | March 3, 2009 5:46 PM
Morrison's version of Comfortably Numb can be heard in The Departed when DiCaprio's character is screwing Damon's character's girlfriend.
Posted by Anonymous | March 4, 2009 3:04 AM
"Conan sucked for the first few months too"
Conan sucked for the first 16 years and he still sucks!!!
I'm not a big Jimmy fan, but I thought he did pretty good for his first show, that is except for that train skit with De niro.
Posted by Troy | March 4, 2009 11:16 PM
you're all assholes
Posted by liamo | March 4, 2009 11:21 PM
Heard him Wednesday at the Beacon.
I thought "Comfortably Numb" was my favorite.
$90 for the 2nd balcony is ridiculous!
We heard Sarah Vowell speak last friday, in a similar sized venue. Tickets were $35 and $25.
that's a reasonable price.
Posted by Bob | March 6, 2009 9:15 AM