Van Morrison Performs 'Astral Weeks' in Full

Posted on Nov 10th 2008 5:00PM by Steve Baltin
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Widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, Van Morrison took to the stage for two nights at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend to celebrate the he 40th anniversary of his Warner Bros. debut, which Morrison performed for the first time in its entirety.

The songs and Morrison have aged four decades, and the singer wisely treated the album as such. Morrison and his band, including original 'Astral Weeks' musicians Jay Berliner and Richard Davis, changed much of the material for the live setting, extending 'Sweet Thing' into a jam at the end, adding a Flamenco flair to 'Beside You' and a bluesy choo-choo riff for the finale of 'Cyprus Avenue.'

Morrison's voice was ever powerful, delivering the finale of 'Ballerina' with the force of a prize fighter. And when Morrison sang "I know you're dying, baby/And I know you know it too/Every time I see you/I just don't know what to do," during the album's closing track, 'Slim Slow Slider,' he did so with 40 years of life behind him.

For those who missed the landmark performances, fear not. Both shows were recorded for an upcoming CD that is scheduled for release in January.