Alternative rock megastars Pearl Jam weren’t enough to keep the crowds away from Van Morrison’s competing set at the Gentilly Stage on Saturday evening. Despite new rules regarding chairs and blankets, finding a solid vantage point for the singer-songwriter’s packed show was a battle for anyone that didn’t mark their territory early in the day.

The Northern Irish troubadour stepped up to his golden microphone–sax in hand–before a dense crowd of onlookers eager to revel in his classics. Almost instantly, the band jumped into a pair of appropriately jazzed up numbers in “Celtic Swing” and “Close Enough for Jazz.”

The songs kicked off a career-spanning set that was a bit heavy on covers, and a bit light on tunes from his masterful late-60s LPs Astral Weeks and Moondance. Out of the two records, only the latter’s titular track found it was into Morrison’s 90-minute performance, and even it was peppered with parts of the Rodgers and Hart jazz standard “My Funny Valentine.”

While Morrison has always incorporated elements of jazz into his material, yesterday’s show saw a few of his pop classics take a turn in that direction, as hits like “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Wild Night” were delivered with arrangements that differed from the original offerings. The songs were given new life by an impressive, yet restrained, backing band that kept the flashiness at bay until the evening’s closing “Gloria” demanded a round of extended soloing.

Though he never veered into Prince tribute territory (that job was saved for the sky writer above, who spelled out “Prince,” “1999” and the symbol that was once the artist’s name with his plane), Morrison did dive into a number of covers that he has been performing for years, including Ray Charles’ “I Believe to My Soul” and John Lee Hooker’s “Think Twice Before You Go.” His rendition of Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya,” in particular, was met with cheers from an audience that probably identifies with the lyrics more than most.

At 70 years of age, Morrison appeared to have little trouble belting out varied material. His range may not be what it once was, but his vocal style lent itself well to the choice covers and updated arrangements of his originals, which were executed to perfection by his band. Even though he left a few notable tunes on the table (this writer was itching for “And It Stoned Me” and “Into the Mystic”), it looked like most of his fans barely noticed. Smiles have a way of sticking around for a while when you’ve just sung along to “Brown Eyed Girl” with Van Morrison.