Not a fan of bucket lists, per se. Every day should be a bucket list, if that makes sense. However, there are a few ticks on my list and one of them was catching Van Morrison live. Used to go to loads of shows as a young dude, then of course, I played music and went to loads of shows and now I’m taking my son. But, Van always escaped me.
So mid-September, Van was scheduled to play the Ascend, a relatively new open air theater on the river here in Nashville and I splurged on fourth row seats for me, my son, and my brother, Dave, who came down from Chicago. It was a lovely night, as we were treated to positive vibes under the stars propelled by a stellar set by the star, the Belfast Cowboy. Van and band were in top form, from the opening strains of “Moondance” to the bluesy refrains of “Night Time” to the classic remains of “G-L-O-R-I-A”, with much more in-between. Wild night had us calling.
Stating the obvious, life is full of ups and downs, and the world is certainly a tumultuous place at times, but there is so much beauty around us. Van Morrison’s music oozes with romance and possibility, and it was wonderful to be transported into that world for a couple hours with the other Hoekstra boys, making it one of the better nights I’ll have this year, or any year, for sure. Thanks Van
Doug Hoekstra 