Van Morrison announces five-night residency in London
Van Morrison is set to become the first act to perform a residency for five nights at the new British Airways ARC in London.
The Northern Irish singer will play the venue for five shows this September, becoming the first artist to take up residency status at the venue after it opens on June 16th.
Morrison’s shows, which will take place on September 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th, and 29th, mark his return to the London stage after several years, following his appearances at various European festivals over the course of this summer, including the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in July.
It comes following the release of the singer’s most recent album, Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge, in January, showcasing Morrison’s blues talents in a range of both covers and original material inspired by the genre.
Despite having taken up slots at major festivals and arenas over the past few years, the residency at the British Airways ARC offers Morrison a far more personal experience to connect with his audiences, with the capacity capped at 3,800.
The benefits of this set-up were most recently cited by Sammy Hagar, who announced that he was downsizing his first UK tour in 30 years to more intimate venues. His London shows, originally set to take place in arenas, will now be played at the same venue on July 9th, 10th, and 11th.
The British Airways ARC is part of a £1.3 billion redevelopment of the Olympia in London being operated by AEG. The venue is set to be opened on June 16th by British singer Self Esteem, with a final performance of her 2025 album A Complicated Woman.
Although the shows are set to mark Morrison’s return to the live stage, he was most recently honoured by Bob Dylan with a cover of the deep cut ‘Going Down to Bangor’, in tribute to their longstanding friendship, at his show in Belfast last November.
Tickets for Morrison’s five London shows will go on sale from May 15th at 9am local time.
Van Morrison London residency dates:
September
- 23 – British Airways ARC
- 24 – British Airways ARC
- 27 – British Airways ARC
- 28 – British Airways ARC
- 29 – British Airways ARC
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