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Post by admin on May 18, 2008 15:36:10 GMT
So Cambridge was a month ago now and Tull have been gigging hard since so would the fresh and energetic Tull I saw firing on all cylinders that night be running out of steam a wee bit by now? Not a bit of it! They were absolutely excellent. I could tell pretty much as soon as they took the stage that IA was going to have a good night, he and the rest of the band were obviously in good spirits and it certainly reflected in the performance. You'll be pretty familiar with the set by now so I wont go through it again song by song. Ian’s voice was solid throughout and was clear in the mix despite it actually being very loud compared to recent tours (no bad thing of course!) Martin was of course spectacular! Much more animated than Cambridge and was up front by the monitors numerous times. No guitar hero showboating of course...but he was rocking! As I mentioned before the volume was well up so his guitar parts had real punch but the mix was pretty much perfect. I had a better view of Doane this time round and he played a blinder and does indeed sing backing vocals with David Goodier on Heavy Horses! Speaking of David Goodier and more specifically John O Hara...I take it all back, their playing was excellent again but this time I thought their performance was spot on too, much more enthusiastic and lively. They looked like they were having fun! And special guest for the night was Anna Phoebe, who was sensational! She’s an exceptional performer and judging by the amount of people queuing for her signing session, made a whole load of new fans. I got the vibe that the whole band had a really good show and I’d rate it as exceptional. Without doubt one of the best Tull performances of recent times for me, and I really am struggling to find anything to criticise….well ok then, the back projections were a bit dim sitting near the front so the effect of them wasn’t as good as Cambridge. So there you go, 9.75 out of 10 and song of the night……. Aqualung!! Set List: My Sunday Feeling / Living In The Past / One For John Gee / So Much Trouble / Serenade To A Cuckoo / Nursie / Song For Jeffrey / Gypsy (with Anna Phoebe) / Katerina’s Theme (with Anna Phoebe) / A New Day Yesterday / Bourée (with Anna Phoebe) For 1000 Mothers / We Used To Know & With You There To Help Me / Dharma For One / Heavy Horses / Farm On The Freeway / 99 Lives (with Anna Phoebe) / Thick As A Brick / Aqualung Locomotive Breath (with Anna Phoebe)
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Post by Col on May 18, 2008 17:51:01 GMT
In my position as Mrs Col...thought I'd add my 2 cents to this thread.
My point of view is probably different to the majority here in that I'm not a die-hard. Being married to a die-hard tho, here I was going into my 10th Tull gig. (If someone had told me 13 years ago that by 2008 I would have seen Jethro Tull in double figures, I would have laughed out loud....anyway...I digress....).
I was slightly disappointed to hear that Anna Phoebe was the special guest, only in the sense that I'd seen her with Tull before, and was quite up for somebody I'd never seen. However, she was great, and definitely added something to the show, and the band obviously dig playing her songs.
Stand-out Tull moments for me were Heavy Horses, We Used to Know and Thick as a Brick.
Ian was in a very good mood. Whilst plugging the merch, he mentioned that the "older" fan could treat themselves to a set of 4 ovaltine mugs, and that next year, they would be selling Jethro Tull incontinence pants (at which point the backdrop displayed a pair of pants with the Tull logo on, much to the surprise of IA who commented that they were obviously coming to the end of the tour). Very funny moment.
I thought IA's vocals sounded ok, to me as a casual fan, he obviously knows his limitations and the song choices reflect that. However, in terms of musicianship, they are a tough act to follow and I could quite happily sit there all night and not hear IA sing a note because the music is simply brilliant!
In general tho, I thought this was the best show I'd seen from Tull in a few years. Much more rocky! The volume seems to have gone up a notch but still crystal clear sound.
Only downside, I thought the audience were a bit subdued. I've never been to a Tull gig where everyone sat down for Locomotive Breath LOL
After last night's performance, very much looking forward to the RFH.
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Post by nonrabbit on May 18, 2008 19:19:35 GMT
In my position as Mrs Col...thought I'd add my 2 cents to this thread. My point of view is probably different to the majority here in that I'm not a die-hard. Being married to a die-hard tho, here I was going into my 10th Tull gig. (If someone had told me 13 years ago that by 2008 I would have seen Jethro Tull in double figures, I would have laughed out loud....anyway...I digress....). I was slightly disappointed to hear that Anna Phoebe was the special guest, only in the sense that I'd seen her with Tull before, and was quite up for somebody I'd never seen. However, she was great, and definitely added something to the show, and the band obviously dig playing her songs. Stand-out Tull moments for me were Heavy Horses, We Used to Know and Thick as a Brick. Ian was in a very good mood. Whilst plugging the merch, he mentioned that the "older" fan could treat themselves to a set of 4 ovaltine mugs, and that next year, they would be selling Jethro Tull incontinence pants (at which point the backdrop displayed a pair of pants with the Tull logo on, much to the surprise of IA who commented that they were obviously coming to the end of the tour). Very funny moment. I thought IA's vocals sounded ok, to me as a casual fan, he obviously knows his limitations and the song choices reflect that. However, in terms of musicianship, they are a tough act to follow and I could quite happily sit there all night and not hear IA sing a note because the music is simply brilliant! In general tho, I thought this was the best show I'd seen from Tull in a few years. Much more rocky! The volume seems to have gone up a notch but still crystal clear sound. Only downside, I thought the audience were a bit subdued. I've never been to a Tull gig where everyone sat down for Locomotive Breath LOL After last night's performance, very much looking forward to the RFH. Hi Jen and thanks for that I am glad that this is continuing to be a great tour and I know some of my American Tull buddies are anxious that they can keep up the momentum for the States. But imho the band are having such a good time- and it's showing!- they will be as enthusiastic over the pond. I agree with you about the audience reaction, I didn't expect it to be quite so subdued either...see the Loco video at Glasgow.. I was waving my hands about like mad I'm suprised I wasn't told to keep my hands down and frogmarched off like the poor bloke in the aisle Keep Tullan Tull !!
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Post by Col on May 18, 2008 19:46:48 GMT
I agree with you about the audience reaction, I didn't expect it to be quite so subdued either...see the Loco video at Glasgow.. I was waving my hands about like mad I'm suprised I wasn't told to keep my hands down and frogmarched off like the poor bloke in the aisle LOL, I just watched it. Ipswich was similar, one lone guy at the front, although he was on crutches, so maybe that was why he was left alone (altho I don't think there was a security bod in sight). I did tell Col to get up and join him, but he wouldn't!! He said he'd feel like a bit of a tit standing there with one other person He was itching to get up!! Hopefully the London gig will be a bit more rocking at the end. Just as a general aside, over the years, I've read many Tull forums over Col's shoulder that really disparage the band, but after last night, I think it's about time some of the fans sorted themselves out. I felt at times, I was at the pictures, not at a gig. There was a woman, front row centre, who was asleep (I kid you not) for the last few songs, all cosy in her nice big chair. I know there is a certain older generation of fans, but c'mon, you ain't dead yet!
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Post by admin on May 21, 2008 20:02:02 GMT
Another excellent review,this time from www.eveningstar.co.uk/Time hasn't taken its toll on Tull 19 May 2008 | 11:30 NIGEL PICKOVER Jethro Tull in full flight WHAT I find so un-nerving about rock legends strutting their stuff decades on from crazy-hair heydays is that their journey is your journey - and the ravages of time have taken place both on stage and in the audience.
When I first started loving the folk-rock gods of Jethro Tull, my gold-spangled locks dangled closer to waistline than shoulder. And at 17 I was allowed to play the band's signature song, Aqualung, to my school's assembly.
Then, Tull were the hairiest of the early rock legends. Their spell-binding, flute-led, earthy rock, blues and folk tunes capturing the hearts of a generation of rebels who partied long and hard and, for the blokes at least, thought baldness would never come.
Today, for many, the follicle challenges of the 21st century have arrived and the sell-out audience at Ipswich's Regent Theatre have endured a battle scar or two along the way. Gone are the days when the throng would have stormed the stage at the first sign of frontman Ian Anderson's flute.
Ian Anderson The fans are still there - it was fabulous to see the Regent packed to the rafters in a 1,650 sell-out - but this is a more discerning audience now. The crowd jumped to its feet only at the end, when Aqualung and Locomotive Breath belted down upon us.
This was billed as Tull's 40th anniversary tour and it is worth putting the band's incredible history into perspective. Anderson and Co were on the road a full ten years before Ipswich Town won the FA Cup in 1978.
What is in no doubt is the quality of the band's musicianship which, like a good claret, benefits from the caress of time.
Let's start with 60-year-old Ian Anderson; this charismatic and learned, Isle of Skye-loving singer and flute maestro bounds around the stage with all the passion of those years so long ago.
As he plays, with leg constantly cocked up into the air, you feel as if the stage manager should plant this pedigree hound his own lamp-post to lean against. Anderson narrated the evening in style, taking the audience through the four-decade journey with wit and knowledge thanks to an incredible memory of dates and places. Top stuff.
Lead guitarist Martin Lancelot Barre, a little older than Anderson, has lost none of the raunchy guitar riffs that marked him out as one of the axe greats from the earliest days.
Barre has stayed with Anderson throughout a journey which saw Tull crack both the European and American music scene - today, as in yesteryear, when the Eagles once supported the boys in the US.
Barre is older, balder, greyer and wiser now - but he shares Anderson's passion for the musical journey to go on. There's no sign of these two OAP rockers putting away their instruments just yet.
Highlights for me were a shortened Thick as a Brick from the album of the same name; Heavy Horses, another title track; Nursey and a couple of tracks from stunning emerging violinist Anna Pheby who joined the band as a support instead of singing before the stars came on. Nice touch, guys.
Ipswich has an enduring love affair with Tull, a real band still going strong into a fifth decade and not some clever tribute outfit, and Anderson and Co will be welcomed back to Suffolk for a long time yet.
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