Live at the Marquee review: Van Morrison finally brings the sunshine to Leeside

The audience's attention waned during the first half of Van Morrison's set in Cork — but the veteran rocker dialled it up to eleven when he dug deep into some of his classic tunes

Fri, 31 May, 2024 - 22:30

Joe Dermody

Spiritually uplifting, poetically inspired, and musically on a higher plane, Van Morrison has once again graced Cork’s Live at the Marquee with his unique genius.

Yes, of course, anyone hoping to hear their personal favourites from Van’s immense back catalogue won’t have had their prayers answered.

They will, however, have had their expectations surpassed.

Van and his remarkable band are touring on the back of the release of Accentuate the Positive, his 45th studio album, a homage to an era of ballroom rock with gems like ‘You Are My Sunshine’, ‘Flip, Flop and Fly’ and ‘I Want A Roof Over My Head’.

Ireland In 50 Albums, No 6: Astral Weeks, by Van Morrison

On stage at 8pm sharp, this was a sharp, slick show. Admittedly though, in virtually any waters, he’s an odd fish. The audience is enthralled but, an hour in, and not one word from The Man.

The lack of familiar hits leads to a lot of the crowd talking through half of the show. Brilliant music, and yet unfamiliarity does breed contempt for some. And yet still we love him.

When Van takes the dial up to 11, all is forgiven.

The vibe clearly kicks up a notch with ‘Days Like This’, ‘Enlightenment’, and ‘Precious Time’. Then a few more mellow tunes.

“Thank you,” says Van. “That one was by Sam Cooke, this next one is by Ray Charles.”

The vibe kicked up a notch when Van Morrison turned to songs such as ‘Days Like This’ and ‘Jackie Wilson Says’ — and Live at the Marquee was hopping by time he blasted into ‘Gloria’. Picture: Chani Anderson

Now it kicks on. From ‘Wild Night’ on, we’re back on familiar turf. Then ‘Jackie Wilson Says’. Plus he introduces the band members.

We don’t ask for much. By the time we reach ‘Gloria’, the place is hopping.

Park for a moment the fact that Van is 78 years old: He rocks for all ages. After the universal acclaim for his recent years of sublime jazz, blues, and country-infused folk, you’d easily forget that Van is also a ballroom rocker at heart.

A chunk of this night really is a tribute to the now obscure heroes of teenage Van’s (even then) vintage vinyl collection.

He still adores bands with names like Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Big Joe Turner and His Blues Kings, and Steve Gibson & The Red Caps.

Back in the days of oil-slick banana haircuts, the sight of posters with band names like that was enough to make grocers pull down the shutters at 3pm, double bolt the doors, and head for home.

Walking back the road from the Marquee towards Cork City, the musical reviews of strollers are mixed. Some didn’t love the first half.

This was, nonetheless, a top-tier night all through.

The overheard adjectives all point to something elusive in the performance.

Was it fantastic, enigmatic, charismatic, or just plain old “really incredible, really powerful stuff altogether”?

This was a rocking night. A really powerful rocking night.

Van is back and he’s bad, maybe a little introverted. Whatever you do, step carefully around his blue suede shoes.

Live at the Marquee, Cork, FAQ: Where it is, access, start times, parking, gig list, etc

Out and about at Live at the Marquee