Van Morrison at 80

A few words on Van Morrison taking in: Millstreet Music Fair 1996, Stump’s Mick Lynch, Cork Jazz Festival 1996, Humpers Inc. and Rathmines College 2003.

Detail from It’s Too Late To Stop Now triple gatefold. Photograph by Paul McDermott.

Van Morrison turned 80 yesterday (31 August, 2025). I’ve only ever seen him play live three times and those gigs were all in 1996.

Below are three stories.

Photograph by Paul McDermott.

Story 1 - Millstreet Music Fair 1996

The Millstreet Music Fair had two stages. A smaller stage indoors in the Green Glens Arena and another big stage was outside in a field. Van headlined. The Coors, The Saw Doctors, Altan, Paul Brady and a host of smaller acts were also on the bill.

I worked the main stage, setting up backline and rolling equipment on and off the stage. A regular gang of us used to get this humping gig: myself, Mick Lynch from Stump, Puppy, Andrew “DJ Fork” MacDonagh and Frontline’s Jim Casey. Ricky Dineen from Nun Attax/Five Go Down to the Sea? was definitely there for some of these gigs.

Mick and Puppy were Humpers Inc. They even had business cards made up.

Humpers Inc. business card. Thanks to Emmet Greene.

I’d get the call and would spend a few days setting up stages and erecting PA systems. I’d usually get the nod to hang on for the stage work.

I once spent the best part of a week in the Green Glens Arena in Millstreet with Pearl Jam. They were starting their European tour in Cork so spent a few days rehearsing and sorting out the productions’ sound and lights.

They were sound. They played baseball in the empty showjumping arena and we showed them how to play hurling. That was a pretty cool week.

The gigs weren’t always so cool. I also spent a week in the Green Glens Arena working a Power Rangers show. Pearl Jam and the Power Rangers - I’ve done them all.

Getting asked to do the stage was not connected to any particular skillset.

I’m just very tall.

‘Bulbs’/‘Cul De Dac’ (7”, Warners, 1975) and Millstreet Music Fair pass. Photograph by Paul McDermott.

At Millstreet Music Fair, a young Dublin band called Juniper opened proceedings on the main stage. Soon afterwards Damien Rice, Juniper’s lead singer, left the band. The rest of the band renamed themselves Bell x 1.

Gavin Friday played indoors. He played songs from the brilliant Shag Tobacco. Emmylou Harris and Cowboy Junkies also played. It was a really great day.

A few minutes before showtime Van’s blacked out people carrier arrived backstage and out jumped the man himself with his then wife Michelle Rocha. The boxer Stephen Collins and his wife were with them. Van went straight on stage and launched into the first tune. Rocha and the others stayed backstage drinking champagne.

For the duration of the gig I was crouched at the side of the stage. I could feel someone standing directly behind me.

I looked up. There was Emmylou Harris. She looked like a goddess. She watched every minute of the gig, sang along and when it was over walked past the event junkies still quaffing back the champers and made her way back to the indoor stage.

After the gig Jim Casey was asked to load the leftovers from Van’s rider into the car. Six bottles of champagne were among the leftovers. Only four were put in the car.

We celebrated Van’s great gig.

Photograph by Paul McDermott.

Story 2 - Cork Jazz Festival 1996

Van played the Cork Opera House on 26 and 27 October 1996 as part of the Cork Jazz Festival. Once more I did the load in, set-up and stage.

After we’d set up the backline Van’s tour manager asked myself and Mick Lynch to run a pathway with white gaffa tape from the stage door of the Opera House to the centre of the stage.

A little path for Van to follow.

We were told to make little white arrows to guide Van’s way. Mick went berserk!

“What the Fuck like, can’t he find his way for 30 fucking feet?”

Mick grabbed the gaffa tape from the tour manager’s outstretched hand and we duly ran our pathway all the way from the stage door to Van’s lovely Persian rug in the centre of the stage.

Once finished we found the tour manager back at the stage door scratching his head. He was looking into the Half Moon Club backstage bar.

“Lads could ye also run a pathway from here, through the bar, round the back and out onto the stage from the other side.”

Mick threw the gaffa tape at him and told him to get fucked.

The gigs were amazing. Watching the band up close from the side of the stage was just absolutely thrilling. Afterwards we stripped the backline down and loaded up the truck. I remember chatting to the truck driver about life on the road. He was from the North, he had been with Van since the very early days, nearly 30 years.

He said that Van had only ever spoken to him a handful of times.

Photograph by Paul McDermott.

Story 3 - Rathmines 2003

My old colleague Michael O’Dea launched his poetry collection Turn Your Head in Rathmines College. Michael had asked a guy to play live piano as people mingled and drank wine. Afterwards over a pint in Slattery’s I got chatting to the pianist. He was just back from playing an American tour as a member of Van’s band.

I had so many questions.

How did you get the call? How did the audition go? How was the tour? How many songs did you have to know for the setlist?

He smiled.

Two weeks before he flew out to meet the rest of the band a courier arrived to his door with a huge padded envelope. Inside was Van’s back catalogue on CD.

That was the setlist.

75 Van Songs: Into the Van Morrison Songbook by Stuart Bailie. Photograph by Paul McDermott.

Published in 2020 to coincide with Van’s 75th birthday Stuart Bailie’s 75 Van Songs is highly recommended. It can be purchased on Bandcamp here.