TIM DE LISLE GIG OF THE WEEK
When we think of a pop concert, we probably picture a packed club, a heaving moshpit or a mud-strewn festival. But pop is a broad church and every summer there are also genteel gatherings of older music-lovers, from Kenwood House to Kelvingrove Park.
Had it not been for the pandemic, pop veterans like Tom Jones and Diana Ross would have been on tour in 2020. As it is, they’ve all had a year off – all bar one. This week Van Morrison took his band on a mini-tour culminating in two nights at the Electric Ballroom in London, restricted to one-third capacity – the first socially distanced indoor gigs from a big name. He would deserve a knighthood, if he didn’t have one already.
Van has little time for lockdown, which he says was led by ‘pseudo-science’, but you don’t have to agree with him to admire his dedication. At 75 he has been performing for 62 years, ever since ce he started a skiffle band and called The Sputniks. ks. To warm up for the e London dat e s , he e joined the series of f socially distanced outdoor gigs at Newcastle Racecourse (which continue e until September 19). . Warm wasn’t quite e the word: with an icy cy wind blowing, it was not a marvellous night ht for a Moondance.
Where Sam Fender er sold out two shows last month, onth Van only half-filled the arena. Of the 500 cattle pens, each seating five, about 400 were occupied, and mostly by couples. Still, it made the queue for the portaloos manageable.
Van appeared wearing an overcoat over and kept it on all evening. eve He rattled through his hi 90-minute set: even the slow s songs were fast. But he h wasn’t grumpy, and he played p t he hits, from Bro wn Eyed Gi r l to Jackie Wilson Said. Every track c o mes steeped s in a love of jazz, blues bl and soul that grew out of his father’s record c coll o l l e c t i o n . Whi l e there are m many expert solos, the i nstrum nstrument that means most is Van’s vo voice, casual yet piercing. You come away feeling that music may be the food of love, but it’s more than that: it’s the stuff of life.