# Van Morrison concert **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/van-morrison-concert/35875 "2000-10-06T00:06:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snetho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Snetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snetho)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/van-morrison-concert/35875/1 "2000-10-06T00:06:09Z")
Is it true that Van Morrison once did an entire concert from behind the curtain never once revealing his face? ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/van-morrison-concert/35875/2 "2000-10-08T05:43:50Z")
No, that was the Professor from _The Wizard of Oz_. Sorry. I don’t know–I’ve done a little research on it and I can’t find anything. I just felt bad for this little post–it looked lonely. And now it’s bumped so maybe I can find out the answer! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/van-morrison-concert/35875/3 "2000-10-08T19:25:52Z")
I hadn’t heard THAT story, but I CAN tell you from experience that Morrison is a TERRIBLE concert performer. I LOVE many of his records, but by all accounts, he HATES performing live (some say it’s severe stage fright). The one concert of his I SAW was at New York’s Pier 84 back in the 80s. The guy stood at the mike with his eyes closed and his hands behind his back, standing like a statue, and NEVER changed positions for the entire concert. His band was first-rate, but he raced through the lyrics, mumbling as fast as he could, as if all he wanted to do was get off the stage and go home. So, while I don’t know that he’s ever performed an entire show from behind a curtain, he is just the type who WOULD do a thing like that. Think long and hard before you pay good money to see this guy. Better you should stay home and listen to your old Them albums. ---
**Author:** ![Sequent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Sequent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sequent)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/van-morrison-concert/35875/4 "2000-10-08T19:35:42Z")
He was much better back in the day. Listen to _Too Late to Stop Now_, from about '74 I think. Awesome stuff. But he doesn’t like performing as much as he used to (remember, he was already a serious performer by the age most of us graduate from high school). Lately (ok, longer than lately), he does seem to _race_ through lyrics, and he renders every song with the same kind of ligh, jazz feel. I would tend to doubt the curtain story, only because the guy’s been performing since he was 15. But he’s so eccentric, anything’s possible, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![epeepunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f19dbf/32.png) [@epeepunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epeepunk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/van-morrison-concert/35875/5 "2000-10-09T13:45:39Z")
One reviewer I read said that with Van Morrison you never know what you’ll get. He’ll either do a compulsory set of his hits or he’ll completely surprise with a wonderful set of daring music. Looks like astorian got the former.