Van Morrison at the O2 Apollo Manchester

Sir Van Morrison has said he's on tour again because he needs the money. But nothing about his performance at the O2 Apollo Manchester suggests he's going through the motions.

And that's despite a distinctly prompt start to proceedings that leaves many scrambling for their seats during the first few songs. Sir Van may have been punctual but he wasn't about to get the job done in perfunctory fashion. From the songs on his latest record Keep Me Singing, to the encore, a reworking of a tune he wrote when he was 18, Gloria, there's an evident drive for artistic integrity and invention.

Most importantly, at 71, he has preserved his magnificent tenor voice. Like a bottle of fine Bordeaux it's holding up astoundingly well. It soars on stand-out number The Mystery and gets gutsy on classics such as Here Comes the Night and Jackie Wilson Said. He increasingly adds a gruff, gravelly dimension to phrases a la Louis Armstrong and some of most his effective work is in unison with his excellent backing singers - either singing duets or trading phrases.

If his new album. Keep Me Singing, isn't actually ground-breaking it shows he can still pen affecting songs in whatever genre he so chooses. Live though, there's a sense of joy just below the surface of his impassive singing stance and it's reflected in the careful attention to detail and the playful reworkings of old numbers.

"At 71 he has preserved his magnificent tenor voice. Like a bottle of fine Bordeax it's holding up astoundingly well"

Most bands stick to one setlist but this one selects from an extensive menu. Have I Told You lately I Love You is set to a jaunty almost ska-type beat, a rhythm which reappears elsewhere in the music. If that robs the audience of a heart-felt ballad, they're rewarded in spades with several impassioned slower numbers such as the The Beauty of Days Gone By and Carrying a Torch.

Brown-eyed Girl is sandwiched by a swinging hard-bop melody; more Cannonball Adderley than pop, with the wordless finale sitting more languidly behind the beat. His band plays with precision and elegance all night, offering the sort of discreet support that a legend deserves. There wasn't even so much as a titter when Van picked up and started blowing harmonica that was in the wrong key.

Guitarist Dave Keary brings just the right kind of Duane Eddy meets Wes Montgomery twang while Paul Moran shifted deftly from keyboards (most prominently B3 Hammond) and brass. The rising and falling swell of Raincheck is a particularly impressive outing for the song and gives Van's jazz chops the chance to stretch out. Tore Down a La Rimbaud is taken with real gusto.

And as he sings the finale Gloria you're in no doubt you're watching a legend at work. Sir Van, is still the Man.