|
Post by admin on Apr 14, 2008 20:48:23 GMT
Aaah, a sit down, a cold beer and a chance to waffle on about saturdays gig. right, where was I?........ First up, the venue was top notch, a lovely old building with great acoustics and possibly my new favourite venue to see Tull. A decent sized crowd too, don't know if it was sold out but it couldn't have been far off. No supporting act tonight so straight down to business: MY SUNDAY FEELING LIVING IN THE PAST The first two songs in the set were pretty much identical arrangements to the Living With The Past live versions, a much chunkier sound than recent tours, much more rocking and all the better for it. SERENADE TO A CUCKOO very faithful to the original NURISE Loved this, Ian sang it really well and it was padded out with the full band ending very much like the Little Light Music version (I missed that tour so i think this was the first time I've heard this live) ONE FOR JOHN GEE Special guest time: Mick Abrahams took the stage in place of Martin, never one of my favourite tull tunes but Mick on guitar and the big screen playing some really early footage it actualy worked really well. a surprising highlight. SO MUCH TROUBLE Brilliant slide intro from Mick! I WONDER WHO BABY, THE NEXT FOOL IN LINE WILL BE Not sure I caught that title right but Mick Abrahams introduced this as an Alexis Corner song Tull used to include in the set at the Marquee so from a historical point of view this was a bit of a wow moment. from a musical point of view however, it's no great surprise it got binned when Tull started creating their own music! Don't worry if you miss this on the tour, you've heard this song a million times before, it's about as text book as a slow blues shuffle can get....."well I woke up this morning, and Loooorrrd I got da blooz" x2 etc etc kinda thing WE USED TO KNOW/WITH YOU THERE TO HELP ME (Martin back!) BESIDE MYSELF A NEW DAY YESTERDAY All pretty straight run throughs but really good, especially BM Martin's guitar and the overall mix was much louder and rockier than previous tours and it sounded really good. BOUREE Closed the first half. Interval & part two to follow but a couploe of pics until then (all pics are from the second half so there's a couple of visual clues to what's coming up in there!).........
|
|
|
Post by prestonplatform on Apr 14, 2008 21:33:09 GMT
Sounded like a great show,nice review. Pictures brilliant.I would have loved to have heard Nursie .One of my all time favourites.
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Apr 15, 2008 8:17:44 GMT
Good review Col ) Great pics !! -Can't wait Looked like a nice sized venue going by the size of the stage.
|
|
|
Post by TM on Apr 15, 2008 12:59:15 GMT
Thanks for the review and pics Col. ;D
|
|
|
Post by admin on Apr 15, 2008 20:22:52 GMT
Sounded like a great show,nice review. Pictures brilliant.I would have loved to have heard Nursie .One of my all time favourites. Ian sang it really well too, one of the highlights of the set, I'd be very surprised if it's dropped. Good review Col ) Great pics !! -Can't wait Looked like a nice sized venue going by the size of the stage. Thanks for the review and pics Col. ;D you're welcome guys....on to part 2: ..which kicked off with FOR 1000 MOTHERS and it rocked! not too much to say about it really as it was a pretty close to the original arrangement but definitely a statement of intent about how the second half was going to pan out. Nice to hear Tull at plenty of volume with Martin at the forefront of the sound again. HEAVY HORSES. Again the full song, I liked the back projections that went with this number, they were very well done and complimented nicely the atmosphere of the song. Good singing from Ian too, he hit the 'Heavy Horses!' bit of the chorus with real clout which I haven't heard for a while. Nice B/V's from David Goodier too (and Doane? He looked like he was singing into a mike but it was hard to see clearly from where I was sitting so i could be wrong) CAT'S SQUIRREL heralded the return of Mick Abrahams. It started well and finished well but I must confess the guitar noodling in between went on a bit too long for my tastes. The only part of the show where I found myself fidgiting in my seat and admiring the architecture. FARM ON THE FREEWAY Martin back, and it was excellent. Exactly as the album version, nice to hear it live again DHARMA FOR ONE Featuring Ian on......CLAGHORN! He's made a new one and it sound's (and I quote) just as f**king terrible as before! Seriously though, it was good fun and was a nice touch. Doane's mini drum solo was pretty cool too. THICK AS A BRICK AQUALUNG Encore LOCOMOTIVE BREATH I'm lumping these three together as they are the 'hits' and IMO how they play these three songs is fairly good indication of Tull being on form or not. If Ian is struggling with his voice or the band are a bit off colour any one of these can sound like a pale imitation of the original but Tull absolutely nailed the lot. I know It's a cheesy cliche and I've already used it but they rocked. Super tight playing and Ian singing good too, it may read as a fairly predictable ending to the show but I haven't heard the band play these songs with as much fire in their bellies for a long time. And that was it, all over too soon but to finish up a quick word about the production and the players: The 'show' was excellent, after a few tours of the band looking like they were bravely soldiering on despite the fact the lighting rig hadn't turned up it made a big difference to see them properly presented as a rock band again. No over the top effects but well a very well thought out light show. And the big screen was huge but brilliant. The back projections were excellently designed and gave a real historical perspective that added to rather than distracted from seeing the band And the players: Ian: has set himself a pretty high standard to keep up over the years and he didn't disappoint. His playing was spot on, his voice held out very well for the whole show and he was looking fully match fit! Bodes well for the long tour Martin: Star of the night! I doubt he thought it was a vintage performance for himself as I saw him shake his head in apparent frustration a couple of times and a roadie crept on a few times to fiddle with his gadgets but whatever technical issues he was having he either pleyed around them brilliantly or they never made it to the PA because he was superb. His usual quiet unassuming self of course but he just gave another masterclass of rock guitar playing. Doane: There was no Fat Man for Doane to come to the front and bash his bongo's so from where I was sitting I didn't see much of him but he sounded as solid as ever. David: Nice backing vocals in Heavy Horses and he comes across visually as a very Tull sort of guy and fits in well, apart from that I'm not really enough of a musical nerd to comment on his bass playing. Sounded good to me tho John O Hara: is this the first time I've mentioned him? Hardly surprising really, he did a top notch job of replicating authentic sounding keyboard parts for all the songs so no complaints there but a little interaction with the crowd would be nice. He plays like a Tull keyboard player but performs like some session bloke paid to play his bit. So there you go, one excellent Tull gig down, three to go for me. Roll on Ipswich. I'll post a couple more pics and catch up elsewhere on the board over the next couple of days.
|
|
|
Post by admin on Apr 17, 2008 9:04:37 GMT
|
|
|
Post by nonrabbit on Apr 17, 2008 9:44:41 GMT
Lovely pics Col.......Thanks......especially liked the last one!
|
|
|
Post by silkenmist on Apr 17, 2008 11:08:43 GMT
as promised....a few more photos! Thanks for sharing Colin. From the looks of it, a grand concert was had by all. Silken...
|
|
|
Post by admin on Apr 17, 2008 11:53:07 GMT
Thanks for the complinents. I'll take my camera every time I go so if it's not a problem to take photos hopefully I'll have some more to post at my other gigs.
|
|
|
Post by admin on Apr 25, 2008 20:45:59 GMT
Cambridge review from: www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridge News > LifeStyle > Music > Review: Jethro Tull Review: Jethro Tull JETHRO Tull's 40th anniversary tour is all about meeting old friends - friends you are delighted to see again, friends who have not become an embarrassment over the years. In Jethro Tull's case the friends came both in the form of songs which had not seen the light of day for decades and Mick Abrahams, the band's original guitarist. Songs came from right across the band's history, starting in the late 60s when Jethro Tull began life as part of the great British blues boom, moving on to their golden baroque'n'roll period in the early 70s and taking in their later agrarian period. Logically, the band started with songs from their early career, harking back to their days at the Marquee in London, and it was soon time for Mick Abrahams - who played on the band's first album This Was - to take over from Tull's guitarist Martin Barre who was to become his replacement. The clock was turned back 40 years with Ian Anderson swapping his flute for a harmonica and a Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee tune - with Abrahams playing the traditional 60's-style guitar which ultimately led to his departure from the band as Anderson sought a more progressive approach. With Barre back on the guitar the band launched into selections from Stand Up, Living in the Past and Heavy Horses, not to mention an impressive cut from Thick as A Brick. Old friends also appeared in the constantly revolving backdrop of images from the band's past - not to mention old hair which is no longer with us in the case of Anderson and Barre. Anderson's once crowning glory now replaced with black headgear. The trouble is that it doesn't seem like 40 years since a greatcoat was an essential piece of clothing. The band was on fine form, with a very slick creation of their classic repertoire, some of which had become a little more ornate with the passage of time. Anderson still leaps around the stage and gurns as effectively as he did 40 years ago and if his flute is the signature sound of the band, Barre's buzzing guitar remains a crucial element. Of course what everybody was waiting for was the der der der der der der intro to Aqualung, which duly came in a muscular version to close the set - with an equally powerful Locomotive Breath and a guitar duet between Barre and Abrahams as an encore. There was a standing ovation and everyone went home happy. Now where did I put my greatcoat and hair? Published: 14/04/2008 10:24:03
|
|
|
Post by Aqualung55 on Apr 28, 2008 22:14:29 GMT
Hi, just found this Board today, so thought I'd better put some footprints down.
Have to agree with all that's been said about the Corn Exchange gig - and yes, it is a truly splendid venue. Slight disagreement with Col.....I LOVED Cat's Squirrel, and having seen Neil Finn perform in the Corn Exchange as well as Ray Davies, ne'er did I think I'd see an original Tull member perform an original Tull track, never mind meet the great man in the foyer afterwards.
Highlight for me was the full Heavy Horses, having only heard it in medlies before, but also, to see Martin and Mick LOVING IT on Locomotive Breath.
Took my mate Damo along for his first Tull gig, and loved it so much we managed to get Peterborough Broadway tickets as well.
Incidentally, for those keen on music of this era, check out the Cambridge Rock Festival (AKA Rockinbeerfest) at Wood Green Animal Shelter, Godmanchester, for a helluva line up, and, for me, walkable!
Ste G
ps -anyone going to Mick Abrahams birthday gig in MK?
|
|
|
Post by admin on Apr 30, 2008 20:22:33 GMT
Hi, just found this Board today, so thought I'd better put some footprints down. Slight disagreement with Col.....I LOVED Cat's Squirrel, Disagree away mate. I did actually go home a very happy bunny and I was just really trying not to sound like too much of a brown noser by trying to inject a bit of balance! I'm just not a big fan of guitar solo spots, I'm more of a song person if you get my drift. and welcome to the board too, make yourself at home!
|
|
|
Post by warchild on Apr 30, 2008 21:39:41 GMT
Excellent reviews and photos. Can't wait to catch this tour.
|
|