Morrison Breaks On Through

So, there I was ready for barnstorming renditions of Break on Through, Riders on the Storm and End when some floppy-haired bloke from Truro strides onto the stage. Eh? Jim Morrison's looking a bit more clean-cut than he used to.But this, of course, was Truro boy James, not Doors frontman Jim (who happens to be dead), playing to a sold-out house and reminding your bloggespondant just how good the atmosphere at a packed Eden gig is.If you'll permit me a quintessentially British interlude, I'll admit that I was worried about the weather all day. It was raining and raining and raining and after the biblical weather we had for the Gabriel gig I didn't hold out much hope for damp-fearing Morrison fans. But, miraculously, it all cleared about an hour before festivities kicked off and stayed good all evening.Things started well with support act Rushmore who, like Charlie Winston at Gabriel, were little-known but mighty impressive and dealt with the rather daunting prospect of playing in front of an already pretty packed arena admirably. Their version of the Littlest Hobo theme tune (which they played twice) ranks alongside Show of Hands's rendition of Marley's No Woman No Cry as most bizarre Sessions cover this year (although expect Mark Ronson to trump them both on July 18).Then on came James, fresh from his soiree with the royals, and the female bias of the crowd became blatantly apparent as he was greeted by the kind of cheers and screams normally reserved for Orlando Bloom. All right for some, eh James?It's easy to forget when looking at the bloke just how big his voice is. For someone whom motherly types must constantly be trying to feed ("You're all skin and bones, love"), he's got soul like James Brown and smoothness like Ray LaMontagne. And his dancing, well: it has to be seen to be believed. His band backed him up well too, creating a large, swelling sound that filled the arena brilliantly.All in all, the whole thing was a huge success. Cracking atmosphere, an enthusiastic crowd and a performer at the top of his game who seemed to really enjoy himself.Here's hoping for similar goodness from the Rufus Wainwright/Hot Chip gig on July 10. There's still tickets available (01726 811972, www.edenbookings.com) and it promises to be a special one. After all, Rufus got naked in Truro and dragged-up at Glasto and Hot Chip are just about the coolest thing in electronic music right now. What more could you ask for?