MUSIC

By popular demand, multi-award winning musical legend Van Morrison brings his Astral Weeks Live show to The Wang Theatre on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. Tickets for the concert are on sale now and are available at www.telecharge.com/ Morrison recently released the critically acclaimed Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl a historic CD and DVD revisiting the original studio masterpiece 40 years after its original recording.

Mr. Morrison will perform the Astral Weeks material “from cover to cover” as well as a number of his classic hits from his extensive repertoire. Joining him on stage will be an orchestral string section and a band composed of world-class musicians, including renowned guitarist Jay Berliner who played with Van on the original "Astral Weeks" sessions 40 years ago. Tracks will include: "Astral Weeks/I Believe I’ve Transcended," "Beside You," "Slim Slow Slider/ I Start Breaking Down," "Sweet Thing," "The Way Young Lovers Do," "Cyprus Avenue / You Came Walking Down," "Ballerina," "Madame George.” "These concerts give me a welcome opportunity to perform these songs the way I originally intended them to be," says Mr. Morrison. "These songs are timeless and as fresh today as the day they were written, actually even more so." Rolling Stone Magazine noted that with Astral Weeks Live, Mr. Morrison "took charge of the music with the authority that comes with four decades of performing. It seemed that once he breathed in the perfume of these eight songs, he didn’t want them to end.” And, after recent sold out concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the British press heralded the show with “Five Stars,” exclaiming, “If the five-minute ovation encompassing all of a seismic, valedictory Gloria was anything to go by, he wasn’t the only one who thought…I’ve transcended.” Adding, “What we saw this weekend was dynamic creation…this was no evening of nostalgia.” Universally regarded as one of the most important albums in pop music history, Astral Weeks broke new ground with its experimental free-flowing arrangements and deeply reflective songs. Mr. Morrison’s motivation to rework the music was to get back to his original signature sound: a blend of jazz, blues, classical and folk unique to Van Morrison. Says Morrison, “I’m not just a singer, I am a soul singer,” and his Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl proves exactly that, over and over again.

A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Mr. Morrison is responsible for some of the greatest recordings of the last fifty years. A Belfast native of proud Scottish heritage, he grew up listening to American music with his parents, his favorite artists being greats like Ledbelly, Mahalia Jackson, Lightnin’ Hopkins and other legends of blues and soul. Mr. Morrison has more than 200 of his compositions featured in major motion pictures over the years, the latest being featured in the Scorsese film 'The Departed". Mr. Morrison was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame by the late Ray Charles in June 2003 and most recently was selected to receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in honor of his life achievements.

Ticketing information: www.telecharge.com/ Tour Publicist Lobeline Communications 310-271-1551 Phil Lobel / phil@lobeline.com ext 13 Joshua Miller / josh@lobeline.com ext 11