Spiritual elevator at Live at the Marquee as Van Morrison soars to new heights

Uplifted and yet mellow at the same time, a shared glow united the elated audience exiting the Marquee after Van Morrison’s swinging show last night.

It was a magical second appearance for Van, an overdue return having helped launch this transient venue in 2005. Overdue, but well worth the wait.

Historically, reactions to Van’s shows vary hugely, probably moreso than any other artist on the planet.

One man’s trumpeted epiphany is another man’s muted snorefest. Sometimes you’d wonder were people at the same show, but not last night.

@vanmorrison Almost two hours in, just warming up. #LATM seated show nobody sitting

— Joe Dermody (@JoeDermody) July 9, 2015

Flawless. He was in awe-inspiring form. While pretty much everything went down a storm, there’s always an extra ripple for the hits; these included ‘Baby Please Don’t Go,’ ‘Gloria,’ ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ ‘Days Like This,’ ‘Moondance’ (with lengthy solos mashing in ‘My Funny Valentine’ and other gems), ‘Here Comes The Night’ and ‘Precious Time’.

For me the highlight was the country-infused ‘Whenever God Shines His Light,’ with ‘Jackie Wilson Said’ a close New Orleans second.

Van doesn’t really do chat, but he did speak a little. Early on, he cited the bluesmen who authored his first few songs.

“I didn’t write any of them, just thought you should know that,” he said, and the burst of laughter told us we were in for a chilled and memorable night.

Last night, setting a blues tone with a jazzy sax instrumental, then ‘Close Enough For Jazz ‘and ‘By His Grace,’ Van was the king of swing and, from the youngest boob-tuber to the oldest lounge lizard, everybody dug his thing. For an artist with a sound more aged than any oak, it’s funny how easily he appeals across the generations.

It can’t just be the music. Even live, people also seem to connect with the lyrics, which somehow achieve a universality even when they’re deeply personal, like ‘Precious Time,’ a bouncy tune, though it’s a stark tale of human mortality, or the spiritual lift of ‘When The Healing Has Begun.’

For a gig in a tent, this went straight to the heavens. On this night, the Marquee had a spiritual elevator to the stars installed, how can any show ever stand up to this?

He has set a whole new bar, miles above the stars.