Photo Credit: Marc Millman
Over the weekend, August 26 and 27, the annual Páirc Festival took place at the New Irish Centre in Birmingham. The event, which is billed as a celebration of Irish music and culture, was headlined by Van Morrison, who shocked the audience with a special guest, longtime member of The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood, who sat in with the acclaimed “Brown Eyed Girl” singer, and later, assisted Chris Farlowe during his set.
Morrison’s frame took place during the initial day of the musical gathering. The Irish singer, who rose to prominence in the mid-1960s and is known for classics such as “Into The Mystic,” “Moondance,” and “Days Like This,” delivered a packed set of music, ranging from traditional numbers that played off the festival’s regional concept to covers by the likes of Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, Ben E. King and more.
Wood’s wife, Sally, had performed with Morrison at the Sandringham Estates concerts the evening before, Friday, August 25, framing the ensuing team-up of the two veteran players. Also happening during the Páirc Festival, Wood and prestigious blues and soul singer Farlowe came together. The aforementioned musician is known for his single, “Out of Time,” written by Wood’s bandmates, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
After the sit-ins, Wood followed up by sharing comments via his official Instagram account, adding a video in which Morrison can be heard singing “This Little Light of Mine,” paired with the caption: “Thank you @vanmorrisonofficial for a great night at Birmingham’s @paircfestival! It was fantastic to play with you and our friend @chrisfarlowethefilm.”
The aforementioned video shows Wood adding some riffs to the gospel tune. The musician followed a few hours later, more clips from the Páirc Festival, which showed off the collaborative nature of Wood’s experience at the New Irish Centre in Birmingham. Watch below.