By now it was after midnight , and the crowd was subdued . The momentum of the show had been lost halfway through Joni ' s set . this was Van ' s first appearance on stage in more than two years and The Last Waltz was suddenly revived with a spectacular version of ' Caravan '. Van burned through his great song ' Turn it up ! Little bit louder ! Radio ! ' complete with kicksteps across the stage at the end . Van turned the whole thing around . God bless him for being the showman he is . Levon Helm , This Wheel ' s On Fire , 1993 . He was really up for it . On the night everything was all laid out and everybody had turned up . But twenty minutes before he was due on , he just disappeared . He ran back to the hotel , decided he didn ' t look right , changed . Then he wasn ' t going to do it . I literally went back to the hotel , got him back and virtually pushed him on stage . When he went onstage , it was electric . It was one of the most magical performances I ' ve ever seen him do . It was unbelievable . He went out there and really stormed the place . All the artists like Clapton , Dylan and Joni Mitchell were out there in a little area to the side and everybody came out to watch it and they couldn ' t believe it . To a person , they all stood up and roared with the audience . And that ' s where he ' s at . When he ' s onstage there ' s no one to touch him . But off stage he ' s unbearable . Interview with Johhny Rogan for ' Van Morrison A Portrait of the Artist ', 1984 ' As Neil Diamond left the stage , John Simon took over the piano , while Richard Manuel began to sing an Irish lullaby , ' Tura Lura . ' During the first verse , the crowd started a mellow chant , softly voicing its growing expectations , mouthing a rhythmic series of strongly positive yeses . Then , at the sudden entrance of Van Morrison , the audience ' s total affirmation of the musical event was vigorously confirmed . Clad in a maroon suit and a brightgreen shirt , Morrison pumped the audience with his movements , burning up the floor boards , singing the song as a Ray Charles lullaby . Surprised by Morrison ' s first public appearance in more than three years , the audience went wild , cheering him at the song ' s finish . He kept the flame up , cutting directly into ' Caravan ' with the horn section blasting , The Band ' s volume high , and his voice blending triumphantly with their music . Morrison ' s talented exuberance sent The Last Waltz whirling beyond its showcaseofstars structure , transcending all categorical boundaries , crossing the frontiers of stardom to effectively celebrate The Band ' s music , as well as his own . Robbie Robertson sought to push the experience even further , shouting for Van Morrison to turn on your radio ! demanding that he kick the goddamn shit out of the tune . Not only did Van belt the song to the rafters , he took Robbie literally , kicking his leg into the air , cakewalking a stylized cancan , dancing offstage . Van ' s exit caused an eruption his performance had stunned the crowd into a frenzy . The hall was charged with emotion , and Robbie Robertson capped the electrifying moment by crediting the singer who ' d already left the stage , actually introducing him for the first time Van the man ! was all he had to say . Emmett Grogan , Oui , 19767