Singer Van Morrison turns 70

Fans from across the globe made the pilgrimage to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland and Van Morrison's city of birth to celebrate the singer's 70th.

Singer Van Morrison

The singer called in another year with two back-to-back performances on an iconic avenue; the tree-lined streets of Belfast's Cyprus Avenue, a street that inspired Morrison and a place that he immortalized in his 1968 album, Astral Weeks. The birthday boy hit the stage in his uniform of suit, dark glasses, and hat.

Just as he stepped onto the podium, heavy rains drenched the crowds, but couldn't dampen spirits; even the singer who is usually described as ‘grumpy' by the press seemed to be in a cheerful mood as he cracked 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 singer who has taken home as many as 6 Grammy Awards belted out Moondance, Brown Eyed Girl, Days Like This, Baby Please Don't Go, among a handful of others. Right through the performance, Morrison earned more than a few standing ovations. He ended the first of his two performances with No Guru, No Method, No Teacher. But the fans had the final word as they sang Happy Birthday to the legend.