Keith 'n Sharie will be counting down with Van the Man in the 'Bury Saturday night...

Van Morrison Doing 'Astral Weeks' In Waterbury, At Foxwoods
by Eric Danton (Hartford Courant)
These days, an artist who released an album as poorly received as "Astral Weeks" was upon its debut in 1968 would find himself dropped in no time. Instead, Van Morrison kept making records, and "Astral Weeks" grew in reputation like some half-forgotten secret, gathering word-of-mouth momentum until it was viewed as a landmark album — not only Morrison's best but one of the best of all time. At once intimate and inscrutable, the album is an experimental masterpiece contrasting simple acoustic guitar with complicated percussion and lush string arrangements on eight songs mixing folk, soul and jazz. It's a powerful collection that has resonated deeply enough with fans over the years to land at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 best albums of all time. Last year, 40 years after the release of "Astral Weeks," Morrison revived the album for a handful of performances in Los Angeles and New York, marking the first time he had ever performed many of the songs in concert. He reprises "Astral Weeks" at shows Saturday in Waterbury and Wednesday at MGM Grand at Foxwoods. - complete article