6809eed7   
   From: cof42@embarqmail.com   
      
   My DVR managed to catch an "Austin City Limits" with Van   
   the other evening. I've never seen the guy before but quite   
   familiar with his music. After watching it, Im left with this one   
   thought that rises high above anything else I could have taken   
   from the performance:   
      
   The guy doesn't even bother to  enunciate any more.   
   He just kind of mumbles through the songs now.   
      
      
      
   db   
      
      
   "The old geezer"  wrote in message news:76a00d77-5   
   9c-4dfe-8d9c-f252244c5a07@x41g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...   
   > This is why I've never paid my hard earned $$$$ to see this musical   
   > icon:   
   >   
   > Written by:   
   >   Luke Sacks   
   >   Published:   
   >   March 19, 2008 around 1pm   
   >   
   > Editorial: Van Morrison Owes Us More   
   > No matter how much success a musician has found or how many sold out   
   > shows   
   > that person has played over the years, he or she should never forget   
   > what   
   > got them to the top of the mountain: the fans. The hard-working, 9 am   
   > - 5 pm   
   > fans who pay good money to attend shows, buy merchandise and, at   
   > least   
   > before the digital revolution, buy albums.   
   >   
   >   
   > On Saturday night, my wife and I trekked up to the United Palace   
   > Theater in   
   > New York City to see Van Morrison, an icon and legend in the music   
   > world.   
   > The man has put out enough albums to fill a CD rack and has played the   
   > best   
   > venues around the world for the last 30 years. He knows what he is and   
   > the   
   > fans know too. He's a musical genius. A guy with a voice so smooth   
   > and   
   > silky, it can hypnotize you. He's funky and jazzy and has one of the   
   > most   
   > distinct voices in all of music. He is almost mystical. But he's also   
   > clueless.   
   >   
   > Fans, including my wife and I, shelled out anywhere from $80 to $350   
   > for   
   > tickets and fees to see Morrison perform for a mere 92 minutes on   
   > Saturday   
   > night. The set was mind-blowing. A fusion of jazz, funk and rock with   
   > just   
   > enough lullaby to melt you into your seat, Morrison crafted a setlist   
   > of   
   > mostly newer material and selections from his forth-coming album   
   > filled with   
   > life and eclectic punch. It was a wonderful set of music. But it   
   > wasn't   
   > enough. With a ticket time of 7:30 SHARP (The word SHARP actually   
   > appeared   
   > on the ticket), Morrison was off the stage and probably on his way to   
   > a nice   
   > steak dinner before most New York City concerts even get started. It   
   > was   
   > 9:02 pm and he was already giving a half-hearted bow to the crowd.   
   > Read on   
   > to find out why Luke thinks Van isn't the Man.   
   >   
   > Now granted, the formula of Set I > 30 minute break > Set II is   
   > probably   
   > more of a Jamband standard than something that should be considered   
   > usual   
   > procedure. Van Morrison isn't going to come out and play a Phish-like   
   > marathon or wail into the wee hours like Umphrey's McGee might. But   
   > he   
   > certainly could play over two hours the way Eric Clapton, Stevie   
   > Wonder or   
   > the Police did on their tours last year. Phil Lesh is nearly four   
   > years   
   > older than Morrison and can play all night. So clearly, it's not an   
   > age   
   > thing. It's an attitude thing. And it seems to cause problems for   
   > Morrison   
   > away from the stage too.   
   >   
   > Morrison, who was reportedly kicked out of an Austin, Texas hotel for   
   > a   
   > run-in with staff during his SXSW appearance last week, could have   
   > given his   
   > New York City fans, who showed up on time and lined up in around the   
   > block   
   > on a cold winter's night, a chance to enter and get seated before   
   > stepping   
   > on stage to start the show.   
   >   
   > But he didn't. He got up there when he felt like it and got off stage   
   > when   
   > he felt like it and paid no mind to the fans. He couldn't even be   
   > bothered   
   > with an encore despite the fact that his next scheduled concert date   
   > is   
   > March 21. This wasn't a guy giving his road crew a break with a 15-   
   > minute   
   > head start. This was a guy so impressed with his own accomplishments,   
   > he   
   > forget how he reached them in the first place. When the house lights   
   > came on   
   > and the stunned crowd began slipping on warm coats and heading out   
   > into the   
   > frigid night, a woman behind me said out loud to no one in particular,   
   > "No   
   > encore? Something must be wrong." She hit the nail right on the head.   
   >   
   > The old geezer   
   >   
   > NP: Elm Street - Lanterna   
   > ND: Talamore Dew Irish Whisky   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)