Van Morrison
The Theater at MSG, NYC
November 25, 2013

Shared as 16 bit 44.1 kHz FLACs

Shana Morrison set:

01-A Blacksmith Courted Me
02-Ten Thousand Things
03-Sweet Thing

Van Morrison set:

04-Celtic Swing
05-Moondance
06-Centerpiece
07-Sack O' Woe
08-Open the Door (To Your Heart)
09-Sometimes We Cry
10-That Old Black Magic
11-Enlightenment
12-Whenever God Shines His Light
13-Days Like This
14-In the Midnight
15-Baby, Please Don't Go
16-Here Comes the Night
17-Brown Eyed Girl
18-The Workshop: It's All In The Game / You Know What They're Writing About / September Song / No Plan B
19-Help Me
20-Gloria


Lineage: Stealth recorded and minimally produced by mrsaureus, being shared for the first time. Sitting center about 50 ft back from the stage, using Core-Sound High End Binaurals (DPA-4060 capsules) to Sony PCM-M10 (48 kHZ, 24 bit), WavePad Sound Editor to chop and convert to 44.1 kHz, 16 bit FLAC. This is an audience recording that aims to document the experience of being in the crowd at the show, and features occasionally loud but appropriate crowd noise.


The week of Thanksgiving was a musical feast in greater NYC, with double helpings of both Van Morrison and Elvis Costello. I always take the cake and the pie, and so I went for one serving of each, back to back: VM on Monday night and EC on Tuesday. I can say with certainty that this was my pinnacle musical experience for any 48 hour period of my life.

Van looked and sounded terrific, and although he hasn�t been doing quite as deep a cut as EC this time around, he has certainly been varying the set list so you don�t really know what to expect. I could hardly have been more satisfied with the mix of hits, new songs and covers that we got. If I hadn�t been off to see EC I�d have certainly gone to see him again at the Beacon on Tuesday night, and according to setlistfm it was a quite different show. NYC tapers! Somebody must surely have recorded that! Please post.

Anyway, this gig leaned a little more toward the bluesy Van than the Celtic mystic, although it�s always an Irish gumbo. His daughter Shana did a very concise opening set in which she performed a traditional number, a song she�d written, and one of her father�s hits in an excellent and efficient bit of crowd fluffing. I really like it when musicians perform with their kids (Merle Haggard, Dickey Betts), and Shana came out with her dad to sing background vocals.

Surprise guests were Jon Hendricks, also with HIS daughter Aria, and if that weren�t enough, Irish fiddler Kevin Burke. JH is a legendary scat singer and inventor of �vocalese�, and he�s a 92 year old dynamo, trim and petite in a smart uniform and cap. To be truthful, vocally he is no longer exactly at the top of his game, but that�s like complaining that you have help Chuck Berry remember his lyrics: if these guys want a sandwich you make �em a sandwich.

In case you�re uncertain, let me spell it out for you. This is outstanding, transcendental, awe-inspiring music. One of the very best shows I�ve seen. The one-two punch of VM followed by EC has left me musically KOed, and grateful to be a human being living right here, right now. I�m actually really and truly thankful for that.