With the Celtic poet and the folk rock hero together on a Blackout Tour '98 double bill, this was guaranteed to be an interesting gig. These two rock legends are as much renowned for their taciturn ways as for their ubiquitous back catalogues, so before the concert started it was all too easy to wonder if they had both passed their sell-by dates.
When Dylan sauntered on stage, cynicism simpered off stage left. Looking fit and dapper, he started off with a flurry of electric tracks, wielding his guitar with all the panache you'd expect from a rock icon. He cheerfully bantered with the crowd between tracks. Later, he took up a jangly acoustic guitar, which played off beautifully against the deep double bass, mandolin and steel guitar of his backing group.
The fans were euphoric when Dylan played a harmonica solo at the end of the upbeat Tangled Up In Blues. But the sultry electric grooves of other tracks went down equally well. Idiot Me Babe was played as the encore.
Van Morrison began with a rather weak version of Days Like This. The blues-soaked saxophone, harmonica and backing vocals of his band failed to lift his lethargic early performance. However, when he later played old favourites like Bright Side Of The Road, the swinging Hammond organ riffs, funky percussion and jazzy horn solos helped the songs to soar. Other crowd-rousers like Moondance and Brown Eyed Girl were notably absent from his set. Morrison was in good humour and joked with his band and the crowd.
This wasn't the most exciting gig of the summer. But the sun shone, picnic baskets were aired and this feel-good night proved that there is life in the old dogs yet.