Somme Memories 2

Tommy Jordan, born 20th May,1898- 36th (Ulster) Division
“I remember we were running up the trenches, and on the way here’s this fellow lying at his machine gun, tired looking. As I looked at this gunner I recognised him. I used to carry the goods home for my mother at the weekends, and Mr O’Hagan,who owned the grocer’s shop where my mother dealt in, had this display, a biscuit cabinet. And Mr O’Hagan used to say to this bloke “Austin, tidy up those broken biscuits, please.” So when I was running past him I shouted ” Austin, tidy up those broken biscuits, please.” He shouted “Who said that!” We had to move on but it was rather funny, with everyone asking me what it was I said to him. When I met him going to work years later, he says, “Do you know I thought I was going crackers then.”
I remember too we were in a village close to the men of the 16th (Irish) Division, and a lot of Australians. This Australian, a great fella, but very overbearing…anyway, something happened and there was a row between some of our people and these Australians. How the Irish Brigade got word of it nobody knew, but they came down and beat up the Australians. Now I saw fellas, fellas arm in arm afterwards, fellas of the 11th Inniskillings with their orange and purple patches, and the other fellas with their great big green patch on their arms…

John Spencer tells this story: There was a halt in the marching, and he was hanging over this gatewaywhen down comes a nun. John says,”Bonjour Madamoiselle”, and she replies ” What are you blethering about?”. I think she was from Kilkenny, but what on earth she was doing there we couldn’t imagine. She was a lovely girl and John talked about it with great gusto. Oh yes, it was his pet story.

There were lots of funny things as well as terrible things. Yes, some things do distress me. Now when you first came to interview me, Dr Adamson, things kept poppin’ up on me, I couldn’t sleep for weeks, things just came back. People ask me how I remember the names of all those villages, but I can’t forget it.. I belong to the Methodist Church, the little church in Ballynafeigh. I lay the wreath on Armistice Day. I think there were eighteen names on that hall table there: I knew every one, and when it comes up it bothers me. I just hate that time of year, it brings things up.”

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Somme Memories 1

Thomas Alexander Ervine, born 14th July, 1895….36th (Ulster) Division
“We had a football team and I unfortunately had to keep the ball all the time, although it wasn’t easy to carry it about with you. Our sleeping quarters were everywhere and any wee corner you could get into. We got this old barn one time and I was sleeping in the hay-loft and the other men were all down below. And here didn’t the rats scrape and scrape and nearly drive me up the walls. I had to get up in the middle of the night, and I threw the ball at them, and it bounced from one man to another, and they called me for everything for throwing it down. But the blinking rats were driving me up the walls, they were terrible!
Before the Battle of the Somme I captured a German: well, I didn’t capture him as he came up to me with his hands up. And some of the men- like, all you could see was the tops of their heads looking up over the trench-well, anyway, they were shouting at me: “Shoot him, Tommy, shoot him!” But I didn’t like to shoot a man in cold blood, it wouldn’t have been right anyway. So I took him down a hill and searched him at the bottom, but he had nothing on him- we got word at one time that the Germans had been using daggers. I don’t believe it though, because I don’t think the Germans were really bad people or wicked in any way, as far as I could see. So I walked him along to where the reserves were coming up and I told him to go on down there, and he walked down the hill with his hands up, and that was the last I saw of him.
I went back to my own battalion as the attack had opened up (1st July 1916), and I went in with them. I didn’t get very far until someone fired a gun and hit me in the leg. I fired back at him and hit him in the face, and I could see the blood running out of his face, in gushes like, coming out of his cheek. He was a nice looking young man , but he was a sniper, and if I hadn’t got him God knows how many people he would have killed before we would have got him.

Anyway I was still able to walk and I went down into the trench. I only got a few yards when a shell burst above my head and I was all shrapnel in my shoulders and my back; my arms had pieces of shrapnel everywhere, so I went out for the count right there. When I wakened up on the 4th of July I was in Colchester hospital. I don’t remember how I got from France to England.

When I wakened up I saw two nurses standing looking at me and they laughed and one of them says ” there’s a wee souvenir for you”- it was two wee bags made out of pieces of lint and they were filled with wee pieces of shrapnel and a bullet that was taken out of me.”

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The Two Heroes and the Belgae: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: Part 1

Second Lieutenant J.R.R. Tolkien

Part 1: The Two Heroes

On Tuesday 29th June 2010, the Somme Association took 47 senior politicians and general public from Northern Ireland to visit the Battlefields of the Somme prior to the Ceremonies at Thiepval, the Ulster Tower and Guillemont on 1st July. It is my custom to relate the story of the Two Heroes J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis on our journey to Thiepval from Arras. And this is what I say…

During the Great War, J.R.R. Tolkien enlisted into the Lancashire Fusiliers as a Second Lieutenant. The Lancashire Fusiliers enjoyed a fine reputation They dated back to the landing of William of Orange in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and had shattered the French Cavalry at the Battle of Minden in the Seven Years War. Following the Napoleonic War, Wellington had described them as “the best and most distinguished” of British regiments, just as he had also said that “the 27th of Foot (Inniskilling Fusiliers) saved the centre of my line at Waterloo”.

My grandfather Samuel and his brother from Bolton served with them in the Boer War when they suffered the heaviest casualties in the attack on Spion Kop, but had gone on to the relief of Ladysmith. Of Tolkien’s school friends in the TCBS (Tea Club and Barrovian Sociey) Robert Quilter Gilson had joined the 11th Suffolks and Geoffrey Bache Smith the 3rd Salford Pals (19th Lancashire Fusiliers).This battalion had just achieved fame in the securing of “W Beach” in Gallipoli when it had won a historic six VCs in one morning.

Late on Sunday 4th June 1916 Tolkien set off for London and thence to France where he was present at the Battle of the Somme. The approximate centre line of the battlefield was defined by this Old Roman Road to the Land of the Belgae which runs straight from Albert in the West to Bapaume in the East. Tolkien’s battalion disembarked in Amiens and marched on to a hamlet called Rubempré ten miles away. Here they were billeted in those conditions of the Western Front to which they would soon become accustomed.

Then on Friday 30th June they moved near to the Front Line. The attack began early the next morning, but they were not to be in it, for they were to be held in reserve, going into battle several days later when it was planned that the German line would have been smashed open and the Allied troops would have penetrated deep into enemy territory.

At 7.30am on Saturday 1st July the troops of the British Front Line went over the top including, of course, the famous 36th Ulster Division. Rob Gilson of the TCBS serving in the Suffolk Regiment was among them. Tolkien’s battalion remained in reserve, moving to a village called Bouzincourt, where the majority bivouacked in a field. Soon the awful truth dawned that on the first day of battle twenty thousand allied troops had been killed and the 36th Ulster Division had suffered five-and-a-half thousand casualties. To their right the 1st Salford Pals (15th Lancashire Fusiliers) were all but wiped out, the remnants joining the Ulstermen. Only they had been able to penetrate the German lines, which generally had remained intact. On Sunday 2nd July, Tolkien attended Mass in front of a portable field altar, being administered by a Chaplain of the Royal Irish Rifles as his battalion’s Padre was an Anglican averse to Roman Catholics, something Tolkien never forgot.

On Thursday 6th July, Tolkien’s 11th Lancashire Fusiliers went into action, but only A Company was sent to the trenches and Tolkien remained at Bouzincourt with the remainder. Finally on Friday 14th July, B Company went into action. The sights which Tolkien now experienced, the images, sounds and the people he met , stayed with him until his death in 1973. He never forgot what he called the “animal horror” of trench warfare.

His first day in action had been chosen by the allied commanders for a major offensive and his company was attached to the Seventh Infantry Brigade for an attack on the ruined hamlet of Ovillers, which was in German hands. The attack was unsuccessful and many of Tolkien’s battalion were killed around him by machine gun fire. On his return to the huts at Bouzincourt, Tolkien found a letter from his friend G P Smith, to say that Rob Gilson had died at La Boisselle, leading his men into action on the first day of battle. A Service of Remembrance is held at the Lochnagar mine crater near La Boiselle every year on the morning of 1st July and we visit it regularly.

Day now followed day in the same pattern; a rest period, back to the trenches and more attacks. Tolkien was among those who were in support at the storming of the Schwaben Redoubt, a massive fortification of German trenches, upon which Northern Ireland’s National War Memorial, The Ulster Tower, stands facing Thiepval Wood which is now owned by the Somme Association. Although he was to make revisions to “Kortirion among the trees “during two days in a dugout in the Thiepval Wood front line, none of the “Lost Tales” which form the basis for the much later “Silmarillion” can be dated to his time in France, let alone in the trenches, when all his energies, like those of his men, were devoted to pure survival .

British losses continued to be severe and many more of Tolkein’s battalion were killed. On 27th October 1916 he was rescued from the battle by “Pyrexia of Unknown Origin” (PUO) or as the soldiers simply called it “Trench Fever”, a highly infectious disease caused by a Rickettsial organism Bartonella Quintana, carried by the louse Pediculus corporis. By 8th November he remained ill and was put on a ship back to England. But his other friend G B Smith was not so lucky. He had been walking down the road in a village behind the lines, when a shell burst near him and wounded him in his right arm and thigh. An operation was attempted, but fatal gangrene set in. They buried him in Warlencourt British Cemetery, where we visit him.

The Young C.S. Lewis 

C S Lewis arrived at the Front Line trenches on his nineteenth birthday, 29th November 1917. To his great surprise he found that the Captain of his company of the Somerset Light Infantry was none other than his old teacher P G K Harris. Lewis was also to suffer from Trench Fever at the beginning of February 1918 but returned to the Front on 28th February and during the First Battle of Arras from 21st to 28th March 1918 he was in or near the Front Line. By this time three of his “old set” of friends had been killed, Alexander Sutton, Thomas Davy and room mate Edward Moore. Edward was posthumously awarded the Military Cross and, as he had promised, Lewis took care of his mother Jane until she died thirty-three years later.

Still around Arras, Lewis saw action in the battle centred on Riez du Village between 14th and 16th April when he was wounded by a British shell exploding behind him. The medical board described Lewis’ wounds thus: “shell fragments caused three wounds, in the left side of his chest, his left wrist and left leg.” The shell fragment in his left chest was to remain lodged in the upper lobe of his left lung for the rest of the War. Sadly the news that his Serjeant Harry Ayres had been killed next to him caused him great grief. Lewis remained in hospital until June, when he was transferred to convalesce in Bristol. He remained there until October and did not return to France.

Thus Tolkien and Lewis had survived the Great War and it was perhaps their similar experiences which drew them together in Oxford to form that legendary friendship which culminated in the development of the group of friends, all of whom were male and Christian, and most of whom were interested in literature, which was known as the Inklings. Certainly for Tolkien, Lewis must have seemed like all his former friends rolled into one.

The first story which Tolkien put on paper was written during his convalescence at Great Haywood early in 1917. This is the Fall of Gondolin, which tells of the assault of the last Elvish stronghold by Morgoth, the prime power of evil and these are the Elves who form the basis of the Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. Discussing one of the principal characters in the Lord of the Rings, Tolkein wrote many years later, “my Sam Gamgee is indeed a reflection of the English soldier, of the privates and batmen I knew in the 1914 war and recognise as so far superior to myself.” The Hobbit itself is almost a parallel of the Great War as Bilbo Baggins is plucked from his rural life and plunged into a brutal conflict. So also are Sam Gamgee and Frodo Baggins pitched against the forces of darkness and witnesses to a carnage in Middle-earth reminiscent of Armageddon which could only have been imagined by those Heroes of World War One.

To be continued

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Blues on the Bay

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Ceremony to remember the British soldiers who died in the Easter Rising

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The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Dr Justin Welby, meets representatives of the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC)

The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Dr Justin Welby today hosted a luncheon and meeting with representatives of the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) from Northern Ireland.

The meeting was held at the invitation of the Archbishop, for him to be informed of the origins and work of the LCC; in particular its role in committing former loyalist paramilitary groups to the peace process and opposing all forms of criminality; and its work to address severe educational under-achievement in loyalist communities. During the meeting, the LCC members and the Archbishop discussed issues relating to social justice, peace and reconciliation and resolving the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland.

The Archbishop heard about the impact of educational under-attainment, particularly in relation to working-class Protestant young men, as well as the long-term problems relating to high levels of suicide in disadvantaged communities. The delegation re-affirmed its commitment to ensuring that Northern Ireland remains peaceful and stable, and to addressing ongoing divisions between communities. The delegation also highlighted the importance of how any legacy process should be comprehensive and inclusive and not marginalise the loyalist community.

The LCC members discussed what assistance the Archbishop might be able to offer in terms of supporting the work of the LCC   and to consider what role he might have, as an international church leader, in helping Northern Ireland deal with painful legacy issues. The members also discussed with the Archbishop the importance of developing young leaders within working-class Protestant communities, and asked what advice and support he may be able to provide in relation to developing initiatives which develop the capacity of young people and expose them to a wider range of influences and experiences.

The LCC members presented the Archbishop with a copy of ‘Bangor – Light of the World’, an historical account of the evangelism of Saint Columbanus from Bangor Abbey, Co. Down written by the eminent Ulster historian, Dr Ian Adamson.

The LCC was represented by David Campbell (Chairman), Richard Monteith (Secretary), Winston Irvine, Jackie McDonald, and Robert Williamson of the Dalaradia organisation.

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Annual Daniel O’Connell Lecture

Oconnell Inv 2016

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Speech to the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) at Farset, 12th May 2016

Dalaradia's photo.

As founding Chair of the Somme Association I am delighted and indeed honoured to be have been invited to speak at the launch of a very important initiative. It is appropriate to be standing here at Farset as the Farset organisation was responsible for organising along with myself to take young people from the two main communities to visit the Ulster Tower and Thiepval Memorial in France in the 1980’s. This trip  began to explain our Common Identity and Common History in the First World War.The Somme Association was initiated as an inter-community project to honour all the soldiers from Ireland who took part in the First World War particularly, the 36th Ulster Division and the 10th and 16th Irish Divisions. The creation of a new flag showing great respect for those who fought in this war on the 100th Anniversary of the Somme is therefore to be welcomed

Helen’s Tower was designed in 1848 by William Burn in the Scottish style and construction was completed in October 1861. It was part of an ambitious landscape project by Lord Dufferin covering the five miles between it and the coast at Helen’s Bay, to aid local labourers  made destitute by the Great Famine. The tower was eventually named in honour of his mother Helen, who was a grand daughter of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the great Irish playwright, orator and politician. It was built as a Gamekeeper’s residence but became a retreat for his mother who suffered from cancer of the breast and poems were written in its honour by Tennyson, Kipling, Argyll and other luminaries of the nineteenth century literary world.

However, the tower took on an unforeseen poignancy after the battle of the Somme in 1916. The land around the tower had been used as a training camp by the 36th (Ulster) Division prior to their embarkation from Belfast for France and, for those soldiers, Helen’s Tower would have been a lasting image as they sailed out of Belfast Lough. For this reason, in 1921, funds were raised by the families of the fallen initiated by Sir James Craig and a replica, the Ulster Tower, built on the battlefield at Thiepval.

A verse from “Helen’s Tower” by Alfred Lord Tennyson reads –

“Helen’s Tower, here I stand,
Dominant over sea and land.
Son’s love built me, and I hold
Mother’s love in letter’d gold.
Love is in and out of time,
I am mortal stone and lime.
Would my granite girth were strong
As either love, to last as long
I should wear my crown entire
To and thro’ the Doomsday fire,
And be found of angel eyes
In earth’s recurring Paradise.”

In the Memorial Room of the Ulster Tower at Thiepval, the first four lines are inscribed,although slightly altered to make them a fitting tribute to the Sons of Ulster:

“Helen’s Tower here I stand, dominant over sea and land.

Son’s love built me and I hold Ulster’s love in lettered gold.”

This new flag represents that continuing love and remembers everyone who gave so much for so many.

It may be that there are certain setbacks of such magnitude and heroism, in this case the enormous losses of the 36th Ulster Division at the Somme, that they serve to sustain and temper a people instead of weakening them. Or else, perhaps the setbacks come to have an energising, emblematic power. Perhaps, it may be that the Somme has come to symbolise unconsciously the thwarted nationhood of the Ulster People. Perhaps at the level of community consciousness the loss of the sons of Ulster and the founding of Northern Ireland are intertwined. The Battle of the Somme became Northern Ireland.

And so, to the Mothers of Ulster we say:-

“Mothers of Ulster. Grieve no more for your sons. For your sons now lie in the bosom of a great and noble nation. And your sons are no longer solely the Sons of Ulster, they have become the Sons of France”.

In Ullans or Ulster-Scots:

“Mithers o Ulster, Greet nae mair fer yer sons. Aye, fer yer sons noo lee amang a grand an gintil fowk,
An yer sons are nae mair jist the Sons o Ulster, They have becum the Sons o Fraunce forbye”.

To the people of France we say:-

“People of France, mother of nations, we thank you for your generosity and kindness to these our children who rest now in peace in the most beautiful gardens on earth. We pray that their sacrifice will not be in vain and that there will be no more war and that the peoples of Europe will walk together in mutual forgiveness, understanding and respect until the end of the world”.

Au people de France nous disons:-

“Peuple de France, mére des nations, nous vous remercions de votre générosité pour nos enfants qui reposent en paix dans les jardins les plus beaux du monde. Nous prions pour que leur sacrifice n’ait pas été vain, pour qu’il n’y ait plus de guerre, et pour que les peuples d’Europe puissent marcher ensemble et se pardonner, se comprendre et se respecter mutuellement jusqu à la fin des temps”.

Zu den Franzosen sagen wir:-

Bevölkerung von Frankreich, Mutter von Nationen, wir danken Ihnen für Ihre Grosszügigkeit und Freundlichkeit für unsere Kinder, die in diesen schönen Gärten in Frieden ruhen. Wir beten, dass das Opfer unserer Kinder nicht umsonst gewesen ist und dass es zu keinem weiteren Krieg mehr kommen wird, dass die Völker Europas in Vergebung, Verständnis und Respekt miteinander in die Zukunft gehen können.

To the sons of Ulster and Soldiers of Ireland we say:-

“Sons of Ulster, Soldiers of Ireland do not be anxious. The war is over – both here and in your beloved Ireland. The Western Front is no more and Ireland at last is at peace with herself and with her people. We will always remember you, so long as the sun shines and the rain falls and the wind blows and the great river Somme runs gently to the sea”.

Innui, deir muid le fir Uladh agus le fir na hÉireann:-

“A Fheara Uladh agus a Shaighdiúirí na hÉireann, ná biodh imni oraibh. Tá an Cogadh thart – ní amháin san áit seo, ach in bhur dtír dhílis féin in Éirinn. Níl an Fronta Thiar ann níos mó, agus, so deireadh, tá tír na hÉireann faoi shíocháin léi féin agus len a pobal. Ach chomh fada is a shoilsíonn an ghrian, agus a thiteann an fhearthainn, agus a shéideann an ghaoth, agus chomh fada is a théann abhainn mhór an Somme go caoin chun na farraige, bedh cuimhne againn araibh go deo”.

Finally I speak in Lakota (Oglala Sioux), the Hymn of the Warriors

Ho Tunkasila Wakan Tanka
Oyate oyasin unsiwicalapo na owicakiyapo
Nahan waci wicasi na waci winyan wopila tanka
Nahan oyate oyasin canku luta ognamani owicakiyapo
Lecel wacin ho hecel lena, oyate kin nipi kte.
Mitakuye Oyasin

Which in Wasicu(English) is

Grandfather Great Spirit, Almighty God,

Have pity on and help all the People
Many Thanks for the Participants here today, male and female,
Help all the People to walk the Red Road of Peace
This I ask so that the People will prosper
You are all my relatives

Dr Ian Adamson OBE

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Launch of Somme Commemorative Standard

Dalaradia's photo.

Dalaradia's photo.
Dalaradia's photo.

Today 12th May 2016, the Loyalist Communities Council, of which Dalaradia is a part , launched a Flags Protocol at Farset International Belfast, in recognition of important centenary events taking place this year in relation to the Battle of the Somme.

Our groups patron Dr Ian Adamson, introduced the launch.

We are aware that flags and emblems can be highly potent symbols of community allegiances and are important demonstrators of our Loyalist and Unionist heritage and culture.

The statement is below:

STATEMENT BY THE LOYALIST COMMUNITIES COUNCIL (LCC)

Since the new year, the LCC has been consulting on the need to adopt protocols for the flying of flags, and the erection of eleventh night bonfires, in an attempt to demonstrate best practice in our communities, and mutual respect for those of differing opinion.

The LCC is aware that flags and emblems can be highly potent symbols of community allegiances and are important demonstrators of our Loyalist and Unionist heritage and culture. In recognition of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme the LCC would encourage all commemorations to be conducted in a spirit of respect, pride, and enjoyment.

The LCC would wish to prevent our national emblems being left on display in a dilapidated state and would ask that steps are taken to prevent this occurring.

Accordingly, the LCC has agreed the following protocol for the display of flags and emblems. The LCC cannot enforce this protocol but appeals for its widespread adoption, and adherence to, in Loyalist and Unionist areas:

1. The national flags of the United Kingdom and of Northern Ireland should be displayed and flown in our communities in a respectful manner, in places where they will command such respect and not be used for provocative purposes, and they should be maintained in good order.

2. In recognition and respect for the service and sacrifice of the 36th (Ulster) Division in this centenary year of the Battle of the Somme, a special commemorative Ulster Division centenary flag has been produced by the LCC. This flag, which features the emblem, and battle honours of the Ulster Division, along with the national flag, will be erected on arterial routes in our communities subject to appropriate respect being shown in the vicinity of churches, schools, and other cross-community buildings.

3. The Ulster Division flags will be erected during the month of June, 2016, in time for the 1 July centenary. They will be taken down promptly after Ulster Day, 28 September 2016.

4. With regard to the erection of eleventh night bonfires the LCC would emphasise that it has no responsibility for any bonfire site.

5. The LCC would appeal to all bonfire organisers to ensure that the sitting of bonfires, the choice of combustible material used, and the adornment of any bonfire should at all times have respect for public safety and security of home and business owners, and the safety of those attending bonfire lighting.

END

http://www.lcc-ni.com

 

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Van at Alpharetta – Review

Reviewed by Atlanta Journal Constitution
There isn’t much filler at a Van Morrison concert – and that’s a good thing, since he’s only onstage for 90 minutes.But, as evidenced at his sold-out Sunday night appearance at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, the forthright musical treasure knows how to stuff plenty of emotion into a tight, compact show.

At exactly 8 p.m., the recently knighted Morrison strode onto the stage with his saxophone, snapped his fingers and led his four-piece band into the instrumental “Celtic Swing.”

In characteristic Morrison-wear – brown fedora, tinted glasses, dark suit sitting atop a paisley shirt and ascot tie – the 70-year-old singer-musician looked and sounded hearty.

With his left hand on a gold, corded microphone and his right clasping the stand, Morrison leaned back to blast a note in “By His Grace” as keyboardist Paul Moran sprinkled rustic organ throughout the song.

Without ever pausing for a break – though the un-vain Irishman did turn his back to the crowd to blow his nose a few times during the show – Morrison, his band and potent backup singer unleashed a fulfilling sample of a 50-year career, pushing the tempo during “Wavelength,” throwing his right hand down with the beat throughout “Sometimes We Cry” and breaking out a tambourine for added texture on “Real Real Gone.”

No one expects talking during a Van Morrison concert – from the stage, that is – and the famously business-like singer didn’t surprise and suddenly break into a soliloquy. But he absolutely threw himself into the show, cupping the mic during a stomping “Baby, Please Don’t Go” to create a megaphone effect (that equates to playful for Morrison) and, after mumbling something indecipherable, breaking into “Georgia on My Mind.” It sounded exactly as you would expect the Hoagy Carmichael classic to sound under Morrison’s guidance – rich, tight and soulful, filled with scats and asides as Morrison dug into the lyrics.

Dancing bass anchored “Wild Night” and the combination of brass from Morrison and Moran ushered in the creeping, insinuating “Moondance,” during which every member of the glistening band took a brief solo spin.

A swinging take on “Brown-Eyed Girl” prompted the expected singalong (“shalala,” anyone?) and “Whenever God Shines His Light” – a 1989 duet with Cliff Richard – injected a spurt of gospel into the concert.

After performing “In the Garden,” a lovely song driven by a honeyed piano melody, Morrison strolled off the stage, still singing, but quickly returned to romp with his band on John Lee Hooker’s “Think Twice Before You Go.”

As the familiar strains of Morrison’s Them gem from 1964, the eternal barroom rocker “Gloria,” filled the amphitheater – the same venue he played during his last Atlanta visit in 2010 – guitarist Dave Keary led a monster jam that continued for about 10 minutes after Morrison again left the stage.

With such a lengthy coda, fans might have expected Morrison to return. But the enigmatic singer had probably departed the premises in a private car by the time the last note rang, maintaining his mysterious air a little longer.
-Melissa Ruggieri

Setlist
Celtic Swing
Close Enough For Jazz
By His Grace
Someone Like You
Wavelength
Sometimes We Cry
Real Real Gone/You Send Me
Baby Please Don’t Go
Georgia On My Mind
Wild Night
Days Like This
Precious Time
I Can’t Stop Loving You
Moondance
Brown Eyed Girl
Crazy Love
Whenever God Shines His Light
In The Garden
Jackie Wilson Said
Think Twice Before You Go
Gloria

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