Editing Van Morrison (section)

===2000s and live albums===
Van Morrison continued performing concerts throughout the year, rather than touring.<ref name="concerts" /> Playing few of his best-known songs in concert, he has firmly resisted relegation to a nostalgia act.<ref name="LA Weekly snags a rare one-on-one">{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2008-11-06/music/van-morrison-and-astal-weeks-la-weekly-snags-a-rare-one-on-one-interview-with-the-elusive-singer/1|title=Van Morrison and Astral Weeks: LA Weekly snags a rare one-on-one interview with the elusive singer|website=Laweekly.com|author=Foundas, Scott|date=5 November 2008|access-date=8 February 2009|archive-date=10 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210172505/http://www.laweekly.com/2008-11-06/music/van-morrison-and-astal-weeks-la-weekly-snags-a-rare-one-on-one-interview-with-the-elusive-singer/1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/2377/listening_to_old_voices_van_morrison |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927231804/http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/2377/listening_to_old_voices_van_morrison |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 September 2007|title=Van Morrison: The Lion in Winter|magazine=Paste Magazine|date=14 November 2005|author=Whitman, Andy|access-date=15 May 2009}}</ref> During a 2006 interview, he told Paul Sexton:

{{blockquote|I don't really tour. This is another misconception. I stopped touring in the true sense of the word in the late 1970s, early 1980s, possibly. I just do gigs now. I average two gigs a week. Only in America do I do more, because you can't really do a couple of gigs there, so I do more, 10 gigs or something there.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/van-morrison-seeking-the-man-inside-473055.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401063439/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/van-morrison-seeking-the-man-inside-473055.html |url-status=dead |archive-date= 1 April 2010|author=Sexton, Paul|date=7 April 2006|title=Van Morrison: seeking the man inside|work=The Independent|access-date=25 January 2008|location=London}}</ref>}}

{{listen
| pos=left
| filename = Astral Weeks Live.ogg
| title    = Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl|description= The 2008 titled song, "Astral Weeks (I Believe I've Transcended)" with the opening lines: "If I ventured in the slipstream between the viaducts of your dream" shows "a deeper, louder roar than the blue-eyed soul voice of his youth – softer on the diction – but none the less impressively powerful."<ref name="McNulty, Bernadette" />}}

On 7 and 8 November 2008, at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] in Los Angeles, California, Morrison performed the entire ''Astral Weeks'' album live for the first time. The ''Astral Weeks'' band featured guitarist [[Jay Berliner]], who had played on the album that was released forty years previously in November 1968. Also featured on piano was [[Roger Kellaway]]. A live album entitled ''[[Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl]]'' resulted from these two performances.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-morrison1-2008nov01,0,3773763.story?track=ntothtml|title=Van Morrison discusses Astral Weeks which he performs at the Hollywood Bowl|work=Los Angeles Times|author=Lewis, Randy|date=1 November 2008|access-date=3 November 2008}}</ref> The new live album on CD was released on 24 February 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123543248786353835|title=Van Morrison revisits 'Astral Weeks'|date=24 February 2009|work=The Wall Street Journal|author=Fusilli, Jim|access-date=24 February 2009}}</ref> followed by a DVD from the performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/849/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20090221212852/http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/849/|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 February 2009|website=Blurt-online.com|date=18 February 2009|author=Rosen, Steven|title=Van Morrison: Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl|access-date=24 February 2009}}</ref> The DVD, ''[[Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl: The Concert Film]]'' was released via Amazon Exclusive on 19 May 2009.

In February and March 2009, Morrison returned to the US for ''Astral Weeks Live'' concerts, interviews and TV appearances with concerts at [[Madison Square Garden]] and at the [[Beacon Theatre (New York City)|Beacon Theatre]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/tonyblog/?p=8580|archive-url=https://archive.today/20110727082914/http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/tonyblog/?p=8580|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 July 2011|website=Timeoutny.com|author=Shteamer, Hank|date=7 January 2009|title=Van Morrison brings Astral Weeks to NYC 28 and 29&nbsp;February|access-date=23 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wnew.radio.com/2009/02/06/am-nuggets-van-morrison-twofer-at-beacon-theater-playing-astral-weeks-in-entirety/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816133823/http://wnew.radio.com/2009/02/06/am-nuggets-van-morrison-twofer-at-beacon-theater-playing-astral-weeks-in-entirety/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 August 2011|website=Wnew.com|title=A.M. Nuggets: Van Morrison Two-fer at Beacon Theater, Playing Astral Weeks in Entirety|author=Simpson, Matt|access-date=6 February 2009}}</ref> He was interviewed by [[Don Imus]] on his ''[[Imus in the Morning]]'' radio show and put in guest appearances on ''[[Late Night with Jimmy Fallon]]'' and ''[[Live with Regis and Kelly]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imus.com/guestbook/2009/10/26/the-imus-morrison-love-affair-part-ii.html|website=Imus.com|title=The Imus-Morrison Love Affair, Part 11|last=Kanfer|first=Julie|date=26 October 2009|access-date=23 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/zontv/2009/03/jimmy_fallon_van_morrison_just.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306062237/http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/zontv/2009/03/jimmy_fallon_van_morrison_just.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 March 2009|website=The Baltimore Sun|title=Z on TV: Fallon stumbles in debut even with DeNiro, Morrison|author=Zurawick, David|date=3 March 2009|access-date=10 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locatetv.com/tv/live-with-regis-and-kelly/6126710|website=Locatetv.com|title=Live with Regis and Kelly:Episode 93|access-date=24 February 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304031156/http://www.locatetv.com/tv/live-with-regis-and-kelly/6126710|archive-date=4 March 2009}}</ref> Morrison continued with the ''Astral Weeks'' performances with two concerts at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London in April<ref>{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/live_reviews/article6128843.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425142339/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/live_reviews/article6128843.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 April 2009|work=[[The Times]]|title=Van Morrison at the Royal Albert Hall|author=Paphides, Pete|date=20 April 2009|access-date=25 April 2009|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/helenbrown/5186265/Van-Morrison-performing-Astral-Weeks-live-at-the-Albert-Hall-review.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422010049/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/helenbrown/5186265/Van-Morrison-performing-Astral-Weeks-live-at-the-Albert-Hall-review.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 April 2009|author=Brown, Helen|date=20 April 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Van Morrison performing Astral Weeks live at the Albert Hall, review|access-date=26 April 2009|location=London}}</ref> and then returned to California in May 2009 performing the ''Astral Weeks'' songs at the [[Hearst Greek Theatre]] in [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]], the [[Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles, California)|Orpheum Theatre]] in Los Angeles, California and appeared on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=32421 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707113447/http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=32421 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 July 2011|website=Allaboutjazz.com|title=Van Morrison will bring 'Astral Weeks' shows back to California|date=24 March 2009|access-date=24 March 2009}}</ref> Morrison filmed the concerts at the Orpheum Theatre so they could be viewed by [[Farrah Fawcett]], confined to bed with cancer and thus unable to attend the concerts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/morrison-films-la-shows-for-farrah_1103538|website=Contactmusic.com|title=Morrison films LA show for Fawcett|access-date=25 October 2009|date=15 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b124066_farrah_fawcett_gets_comfort_from_fave.html|publisher=E!|title=Farrah Fawcett gets comfort from fave musician|author=Malkin, Marc|date=14 May 2009|access-date=16 May 2009}}</ref>

In addition to ''It's Too Late to Stop Now'' and ''Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl'', Morrison has released three other live albums: ''[[Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast]]'' in 1984; ''[[A Night in San Francisco]]'' in 1994 that ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine felt stood out as: "the culmination of a career's worth of soul searching that finds Morrison's eyes turned toward heaven and his feet planted firmly on the ground";<ref name="ANISF" /> and ''[[The Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast 1998]]'' recorded with [[Lonnie Donegan]] and [[Chris Barber]] and released in 2000.

[[File:Moondance.jpg|250px|right|thumbnail|Morrison performing at the [[Edmonton Folk Music Festival]] in 2010.]]
Morrison was scheduled to perform at the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]'s 25th anniversary concert on 30 October 2009, but cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2009/10/leonard_cohen_a_2.html|title=Leonard Cohen and Van Morrison at MSG this weekend but Van will not be back for Rock Hall of Fame|website=Brooklynvegan.com|access-date=30 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028132710/http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2009/10/leonard_cohen_a_2.html|archive-date=28 October 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> In an interview on 26 October, Morrison told his host, [[Don Imus]], he had planned to play "a couple of songs" with [[Eric Clapton]] (who had cancelled on 22 October due to [[gallstone]] surgery),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ericclapton.com/eric-clapton-news/eric-clapton-cancels-rock-roll-hall-fame-concert|title=Eric Clapton cancels Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert|website=Ericclapton.com|access-date=30 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710195449/http://www.ericclapton.com/eric-clapton-news/eric-clapton-cancels-rock-roll-hall-fame-concert|archive-date=10 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> and they would do something else together at "some other stage of the game".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/imus-in-the-morning/show/17256/episode.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205044239/http://www.tv.com/imus-in-the-morning/show/17256/episode.html |url-status=dead |archive-date= 5 February 2008|title=Imus in the morning Season 13 Episode Guidel|website=Imus.com|access-date=13 December 2009}}</ref>