Van Morrison performs 70th birthday concerts in Belfast

Moments before Van Morrison came on stage at Cyprus Avenue, East Belfast, for the first of his much-anticipated 70th birthday concerts, the rain began.

Not just a few drops but a full deluge - which sent people shrieking and rushing for cover.

The man himself, however, was characteristically unfazed.

Inscrutable behind his usual uniform of dark hat, suit and sunglasses, he launched into a sharp and stately 90-minute journey through his back catalogue.

If this was an emotional homecoming for Morrison, to the street which fired his poetic imagination, and inspired some of his greatest songs, he didn’t show it.

Instead, he did what he has always done best: let his singing voice – still rich, strong and resonant after all these years – do the talking.

Old favourites

There were plenty of old favourites: Moondance, Days Like This, Mystic from the East.

The crowd tentatively joined in the "shalalas" of Brown Eyed Girl, as the sun blinked its way through the clouds and lit up the horse-chestnut leaves over their heads.

There was no sign of his former collaborator Cliff Richard (to the relief of some), when Morrison performed Wherever God Shines His Light, but the veteran 60s singer PJ Proby popped up unexpectedly, wearing a loud mustard-coloured blazer, to duet on – what else – Whatever Happened to PJ Proby?

And Morrison dedicated a meditative version of Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child to the former hostage Brian Keenan.

This was never going to be a mystical event, despite its lovely, leafy location. A large-scale concert like this means barriers, taped-off zones, security staff.

Posh street party

Outside the ticketed area close to the stage, it was more like a rather posh street party.

Bunting-draped gazebos were erected in many of the gardens, and residents – who were issued with special permits for the day, allowing family and friends to join them – spilled out on to the street sipping prosecco.

A stall offering black plastic Cyprus Avenue street-signs was doing a brisk trade, there was coffee and ice-cream for sale in the grounds of Bloomfield Presbyterian Church, and one enterprising home-owner even installed a giant inflatable pub outside his house.

Back on stage, Van was loosening up a little. He surprised the crowd by cracking a joke. "Did you hear the one about the Dalai Lama? He went to a hot dog stand in New York and said make me one with everything." The audience giggled appreciatively and Morrison launched into an up-tempo version of Enlightenment.

After the show, Morrison retired for a cup of tea with PJ Proby in the church hall, to keep his strength up for the second performance at 6pm.

Many of the fans were enraptured by what they had heard.

David Saldanha, from London, said "It was very moving indeed to see Van in Cyprus Avenue and on his birthday."

Saldanha opened his bag and showed off his his copy of Morrison's celebrated 1968 album Astral Weeks. "When Van sang Ballerina, from Astral Weeks, I took this out and I held it in my hands while I listened to him. It was mind-blowing."