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On this day, 1 February 1993, Irish singing legend Van Morrison played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.
Morrison began performing as a teenager in the late 1950s. He played a variety of instruments such as guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for several Irish showbands, covering the popular hits of that time. Known as "Van the Man" to his fans, Morrison rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Northern Irish R&B and rock band Them. With Them, he recorded the garage band classic "Gloria".
Under the pop-oriented guidance of Bert Berns, Morrison's solo career began in 1967 with the release of the hit single "Brown Eyed Girl". After Berns's death, Warner Bros. Records bought out Morrison's contract and allowed him three sessions to record Astral Weeks (1968).
While initially a poor seller, the album has become regarded as a classic. Moondance (1970) established Morrison as a major artist, and he built on his reputation throughout the 1970s with a series of acclaimed albums and live performances.
The early to middle 1990s were commercially successful for Morrison with three albums reaching the top five of the UK charts, sold-out concerts, and a more visible public profile; but this period also marked a decline in the critical reception to his work.
The decade began with the release of The Best of Van Morrison; compiled by Morrison himself, the album was focused on his hit singles, and became a multi-platinum success remaining a year and a half on the UK charts. AllMusic determined it to be "far and away the best selling album of his career."
In 1991 he wrote and produced four songs for Tom Jones released on the Carrying A Torch album and performed a duet with Bob Dylan on BBC Arena special.
Setlist
Foreign Window
I'm Not Feeling It Anymore
Why Must I Always Explain?
See Me Through / Soldier of Fortune
Cleaning Windows
Vanlose Stairway
Route 66
So Quiet in Here / That's Where It's At
Youth of 1,000 Summers
A Town Called Paradise
Did Ye Get Healed? / It's All in the Game / Make It Real One More Time
Moondance / My Funny Valentine
Brown Eyed Girl
In the Garden / Since I Fell for You / Daring Night
What'd I Say
Enlightenment
Have I Told You Lately
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Lonely Avenue
Gloria