It’s pretty rare that a “jazz musician” is given the freedom of the city, any city, anywhere, especially if he’s a “rocker” too. Feel free to replace the words in quotes with “bluesman” and “soul singer”, as the same applies. So Friday 15 November is a special day in Belfast up there in its own sweet way with the time Van Morrison was on hand to perform when President Bill Clinton switched on the Christmas lights in front of the city hall. And the healing had begun. Here’s a list of Van Morrison songs from way back to simply savour ahead of the big day. ‘Brown Eyed Girl’; ‘Sweet Thing’; ‘Cyprus Avenue’; ‘Slim Slow Slider’; ‘Domino’; ‘Moondance’; ‘Crazy Love’; ‘Caravan’; ‘Tupelo Honey’; ‘Listen to the Lion’; ‘Warm Love’; ‘Bright Side of the Road’; ‘Vanlose Stairway’; ‘Cry for Home’; ‘Have I Told You Lately…’; ‘Dweller on the Threshold’; ‘Real Real Gone’; ‘Days Like This’; ‘In the Afternoon’; ‘Precious Time’; ‘Only a Dream’; ‘Fast Train’; ‘Celtic New Year’; ‘Gypsy in my Soul’; ‘Behind the Ritual’, and, of course, ‘Born to Sing.’ Van Morrison pictured
http://www.waterfront.co.uk/whatson/performancedetails.aspx?id=42579&dates=2013/11/15