Van Morrison Performs Historic Concerts On Cyprus Ave in East Belfast Northern Ireland

Van Morrison and his band performed on historic Cyprus Ave in East Belfast Northern Ireland on his 70th birthday. The event was a project that Maurice Kinkead (Chief Executive of Eastside Partnership) along with Eastside Arts in association with Exile Productions Ltd created to celebrate and commemorate Van Morrison’s 70th birthday. On August 31, 2015 Morrison and his band performed a pair of concerts that reunited him with a street that had been a wellspring for one of his earliest sources of aspiration for his writings and songs. This was a truly unique experience that brought together thousands of fans along with over 250 Van fans (called Vanatics) from 18 countries to come and enjoy not only these two Cyprus Avenue shows but to participate in the Eastside Arts Festival that showcased many local Northern Ireland singers, songwriters, bands, poets, and artists for a two week period leading up to the Van Morrison shows. Included in Morrison’s band is music director, on keyboards and trumpet, Paul Moran, on guitar, Dave Keary, on bass, Paul Moore, on drums, Bobby Ruggiero, and backing vocals, Dana Masters. The magic of Van Morrison was shown throughout both shows that day culminating in a breath-taking “On Hanford Street”…”in the eternal presence” and “the only time is now” and “bring it on in” brought many to tears of emotional joy as he sang or spoke about the Beechie River, The Castlereagh Hills, The Cregagh Glen, Cherryvalley, The North Road Bridge, and the pylons…all just a short distance away from the concert on Cyprus Avenue. Everyone in attendance knew they had walked up this mystical, tree-lined avenue that had drawn us there knowing we had experience something special…Van Morrison on Cyprus Avenue.