Van Morrison
Gibson Amphitheater, Universal City
February 21st

The new EMI release, “Van Morrison at the Movies”, is a compilation of various tracks by the legend that’ve been featured in films over the years, and those songs were a good part of his special performance last Wednesday (February 21st) at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, just a day before his award honor from the U.S.-Ireland Alliance during its Oscar Wilde party at the Wilshire Ebell Theater, as well as being a fine pre-Oscars concert too.

Morrison’s been showing his American music roots in recent years with more blues-based work, as well as his last studio release, “Pay the Devil”, showcasing country tunes. With the stunning pedal steel and dobro playing of Sarah Jory as a key anchor, this set found common ground between country and the R&B he grew up loving as a boy in Ireland.

With his ten-member band surrounding him in a semi-circle, Morrison did a slow burn onstage and was near-loose by the night’s end, moving from mic stand doing his sorta-scat vocals to strapping on his alto sax for bubbly solos.

Every song was a treat, including his own “Real Real Gone”, with a coda of Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” and the chipper, organic, percolating funkiness of “Cleaning Windows”.

He was swinging with no rush for the ever-elegant valentine of “Moondance”, turned in a conjuring take on the classic Big Easy blues of “Saint James Infirmary”, and was joined by daughter Shauna for “Wild Night”. Other “hit” choices included the audience shout-and-spell-along, “Gloria”, from his pre-solo ’60s band, Them, and his ever-boyant “Brown-Eyed Girl”.

There were plenty of rounds of solos for many-a-number from various players in the band, and the trio of backing singers delivered responding choral vocals that ranged from big band-ish styling to sheer pop gliss. All in all, this was continuing proof Van is the man, and a standard bearer for all sounds that aren’t about genre, but crossing them and linking through the steady the beating of the musical heart.