Latest news with #VanMorrison
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Neil Young review: Canadian star and Van Morrison turn back the years in Malahide, Dublin
Van Morrison, Neil Young, Malahide Castle, Dublin ★★★★☆ The electric guitar is alive and well. Neil Young, who is back touring in Europe for the first time in six years with his new backing band, Chrome Hearts, jabbed manically on Old Black, his trusty guitar, to glorious effect at the castle gardens in Malahide on Thursday night. Before the Canadian star took to the stage, we were treated to a set from Van Morrison, as part of possibly the best double-bill you'll see this year. Both singers turn 80 in 2025, although they're acting like men half their age. The Belfast Cowboy hit the ground running with a heart-lifting rendition of Into the Mystic to open his set. Looking debonair in a blue suit and trilby hat, and clutching his gold mic like a weapon, his voice is as strong as ever. He was in an ebullient mood, even chuckling (yes, sir) as he ebbed and flowed his way through classics from his canon, including Bright Side of the Road and Wild Night. Van Morrison on stage at Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin. Picture: Gareth Chaney Van the Man even had time for a bit of improvisation as he got close to the exit ramp: 'We're near the end game here,' he said, casting around to his band. 'What about some Summertime in England. Will we do it? Will we do it? Let's go.' Morrison went out in a blaze of glory with a stomping version of Gloria. Young, wearing a trademark check shirt and Maple Leaf T-shirt, powered his way through largely a hits set, with the odd surprise, including a couple of obscure Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young numbers. There was time for a stand-still, sing-along The Needle and The Damage Done, and a rambunctious Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black). An extended guitar solo filled out Like a Hurricane. It was then that his sidekick, the legendary organist Dewey 'Spooner' Oldham Jr (and one-time keyboardist for Aretha Franklin), came alive. He goes back the trail a long way with Young. There were ponchos everywhere in the crowd, as the rain came milling down. An older demographic, including more than one grey ponytail and the actor Stephen Rea, refused to have their spirits dampened by the persistent rain. Neil Young at Malahide Castle, Co. Dublin. Picture: Gareth Chaney Young had no time for grandstanding or political messages. He kept his banter to 'Good to be here with you all' sentiments, asking at one stage, 'People at the back, can you hear us? How are you doing?' 'We're wonderful, Neil,' came the eager response. Young left the ecstatic crowd with Rockin' in the Free World for his encore. Next stop on the road – Glastonbury for a headline show on Saturday. They're in for a treat. Out and about at Malahide Castle Faye Clague from Clonakilty and Yvette Daly from Kerry during the double bill concert of Van Morrison and Neil Young at Malahide Castle, Co Dublin. Pictures: Gareth Chaney Brendan Tangney and Cian O'Mathuna from Macroom, with Jim Theehan, Kilkenny. Amie O'Dowd and Elena O'Dowd from Boston at Malahide Castle. Kevin Keeler and Louise Keeler from Adelaide Australia at the gig. Audrey Darcy from Bettystown.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Neil Young and Van Morrison at Malahide Castle: Decades on these voices have never sounded better
Neil Young Malahide Castle, Dublin ★★★★★ It would be remiss not to mention the special guest that prefaced Neil Young 's show at Malahide Castle in Dublin , since it was none other than Van Morrison. In what seemed like something of a fever dream, Morrison stomped his way through songs like Cutting Corners, Days Like This, and Crazy Jane on God with some verve. His voice can shift from confiding to testifying to growling in moments, and his referencing of poets from WB Yeats to WH Auden reminds us how seriously he takes language – all this while telling his stellar band to 'make it funky'. At one point he also tells them that it's 'endgame' and given that it's Morrison you might think he's referring to Beckett's absurdist tragicomic play, but instead he launches into Summertime in England, another contrarian move, given that it's summertime in Ireland, and as he slopes off the rain starts pouring down. Returning to the stage for an encore of Gloria, he takes us somewhere fundamental, reminding us of his ability to deal in 'not facts but truths' to borrow from Lester Bangs. Then he is gone as mysteriously as he arrived, wheezing his harmonica all the way. READ MORE Many will recall seeing Morrison and Young in the Martin Scorsese-directed The Last Waltz, a 1976 concert that brought together the Band and several special guests, from Bob Dylan to Muddy Waters – what is striking is that decades on, their voices have never sounded better. Van Morrison on stage at Malahide Castle. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times Neil Young on stage at Malahide Castle playing his set after Van Morrison. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times Young strides out with The Chrome Hearts, comprising Spooner Oldham, Micah Nelson, Corey McCormick and Anthony LoGerfo, all great musicians who can read and adapt to Young's slippery brilliance. He sets the tone with Be the Rain, and its tale of 'living in fear of the wrong decisions'. It is one of a number of Crazy Horse songs, with Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) all snarling and sad, and Cinnamon Girl showcasing what a great guitarist he is, bringing us to heavy weather on something like F*ckin' Up, and Love and Only Love. His influence on bands from Metallica to Nirvana to Fleet Foxes is clear, and this Canadian (like fellow compatriots Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell), has impacted a particular kind of American culture to the point of becoming that culture. Watching him root around his own history is humbling, from his work with Crosby, Stills & Nash for the swaying Name of Love, and Looking Forward's tentative beauty and talk of 'free-roamin'' souls. Every composition translates to a kind of plea for more tenderness, with Harvest Moon as its devastating manifesto, and the warmly graceful Old Man, a kind of coda. At one point a keyboard lowers from above, a nod maybe to the celestial nature of this show, which manages to be both familiar and surprising at the same time. Rockin' in the Free World descends on to a devoted audience, and the sentiment of Beckett's Endgame seems to swirl around Young's sensibility, 'the end is in the beginning and yet you go on'. It's inspiring. Book Club friends from Naas enjoy the view and acoustic over spill from a mound just outside the fencing for the Van Morrison and Neil Young concert at Malahide Castle. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times Fans in the crowd as at Malahide Castle. Photo: Alan Betson/ The Irish Times
Wales Online
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison guitars to go under hammer for sports stars
Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison guitars to go under hammer for sports stars They are among the lots to be auctioned both online and at the Mary Peters Trust's annual, Sport Inspires festive lunch this year. Ed Sheeran (Image: PA Archive/PA Images ) Guitars belonging to Ed Sheeran and Sir Van Morrison are set to go under the hammer to support the next generation of Northern Ireland's sports stars. They are among the lots to be auctioned both online and at the Mary Peters Trust's annual, Sport Inspires festive lunch this year. The trust, set up by Lady Peters after her gold medal win at the 1972 Olympics, supports young people, both disabled and able-bodied, to achieve their sporting dreams. Sir Van's guitar has been pre-signed by the music star whilst Sheeran is to autograph his Lowden guitar with a personal message to the ultimate owner post auction. Also going under the auctioneer's gavel will be artworks by Lisburn's Neil Shawcross and James Bond actress Jane Seymour, also famous for American Western series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. Article continues below Lady Peters thanked all for their generosity. "It's early stages and plans are still being created, so expect a sprinkling of surprises on Friday November 21," she said. "It's a fantastic lunch and afternoon out for businesses, sporting organisations and individuals alike to help get the festive season well underway and it raises much needed monies for the trust. Article continues below "I'd like to thank Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison for their huge generosity and, of course, my friend and artist, Neil Shawcross, and Jane Seymour who, in addition to her high-profile acting credits, is now an accomplished and highly respected watercolourist. "The trust also greatly appreciates the work our fellow board director, Julie Hastings, did to secure such a beautiful Jane Seymour floral composition and a coveted, signed, Van Morrison guitar." The fundraiser will look forward to next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2028 LA Olympics as well as paying tribute to the achievements of local athletes across five decades since the trust's inception in 1975.
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison guitars to go under hammer for sports stars
Guitars belonging to Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison are set to go under the hammer to support the next generation of Northern Ireland's sports stars. They are among the lots to be auctioned both online and at the Mary Peters Trust's annual, Sport Inspires festive lunch this year. The trust, set up by Peters after her gold medal win at the 1972 Olympics, supports young people, both disabled and able-bodied, to achieve their sporting dreams. Morrison's guitar has been pre-signed by the music star whilst Sheeran is to autograph his Lowden guitar with a personal message to the ultimate owner post-auction. Also going under the auctioneer's gavel will be artworks by Lisburn's Neil Shawcross and James Bond actress Jane Seymour, also famous for American Western series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. Peters thanked all for their generosity. "It's early stages and plans are still being created, so expect a sprinkling of surprises on Friday November 21," she said. "It's a fantastic lunch and afternoon out for businesses, sporting organisations and individuals alike to help get the festive season well underway and it raises much needed monies for the trust. "I'd like to thank Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison for their huge generosity and, of course, my friend and artist, Neil Shawcross, and Jane Seymour who, in addition to her high-profile acting credits, is now an accomplished and highly respected watercolourist. "The trust also greatly appreciates the work our fellow board director, Julie Hastings, did to secure such a beautiful Jane Seymour floral composition and a coveted, signed, Van Morrison guitar." The fundraiser will look forward to next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2028 LA Olympics as well as paying tribute to the achievements of local athletes across five decades since the trust's inception in 1975.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison guitars to go under hammer for sports stars
Guitars belonging to Ed Sheeran and Sir Van Morrison are set to go under the hammer to support the next generation of Northern Ireland's sports stars. They are among the lots to be auctioned both online and at the Mary Peters Trust's annual, Sport Inspires festive lunch this year. The trust, set up by Lady Peters after her gold medal win at the 1972 Olympics, supports young people, both disabled and able-bodied, to achieve their sporting dreams. Sir Van's guitar has been pre-signed by the music star whilst Sheeran is to autograph his Lowden guitar with a personal message to the ultimate owner post auction. Also going under the auctioneer's gavel will be artworks by Lisburn's Neil Shawcross and James Bond actress Jane Seymour, also famous for American Western series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman. Lady Peters thanked all for their generosity. 'It's early stages and plans are still being created, so expect a sprinkling of surprises on Friday November 21,' she said. 'It's a fantastic lunch and afternoon out for businesses, sporting organisations and individuals alike to help get the festive season well underway and it raises much needed monies for the trust. 'I'd like to thank Ed Sheeran and Van Morrison for their huge generosity and, of course, my friend and artist, Neil Shawcross, and Jane Seymour who, in addition to her high-profile acting credits, is now an accomplished and highly respected watercolourist. 'The trust also greatly appreciates the work our fellow board director, Julie Hastings, did to secure such a beautiful Jane Seymour floral composition and a coveted, signed, Van Morrison guitar.' The fundraiser will look forward to next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2028 LA Olympics as well as paying tribute to the achievements of local athletes across five decades since the trust's inception in 1975.
