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12/01/2005 Van Morrison's live shows in 2004
Like his contemporary Bob Dylan, Van Morrison has been playing frequent live shows for many years, almost without a break. In 2004 he played 82 live shows, mainly in England and continental Europe, with odd visits across the Atlantic. Morrison long since stopped doing big tours; instead, he plays small clusters of gigs in the same or nearby venues. And he plays mainly mid-sized arenas and smaller theatres, with a sprinkling of summer festivals. Whether by accident or design, the last few years have seen Van Morrison lose some long-time fans, but they seem to have been replaced by a larger, younger audience. The changing audience becomes clearer when you consider last year's setlists. In 2004, he played 127 different songs in concert, demonstrating an enviable variety of musical styles and lyrical concerns: the Morrison Songbook is, by now, a massively impressive body of work. While he played some landmark classic material like Summertime In England, Beautiful Vision and See Me Through, these were aired only once. The most common inclusions in the setlist were recent songs, from the last three studio albums. All Work And No Play, which appeared at over 80% of shows, was the most-played song, followed closely by Precious Time and Whinin Boy Moan. Of the top 20 most commonly played songs, half were from the recent albums, and the rest were mainly older crowd pleasers, such as Gloria, Brown-Eyed Girl and Jackie Wilson Said. Many fans at the rockpop end of the Morrison fan spectrum like this mix of material. But, as one who looks to Morrison for art, as well as entertainment, it doesn't ring my bell. I still revere most of the Morrison catalogue, one of the finest in all of contemporary music, but these days it's enjoyed at home rather than at The Man's live shows. Thanks to Shannon Vale for supplying the setlist stats; her writing on Van Morrison can be found at: http://www.commonones.home.comcast.net Shannon acknowledges that she analysed setlists posted on the unofficial Van Morrison fanzine site: http://www.wavelengthltd.co.uk and on http://www.setlist.com Gerry Smith
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