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Post by Aqualung55 on Sept 15, 2009 23:06:55 GMT
When I get more time, I will write a review, but for now, the set list tonight was
Dun Ringill (sadly, and amazingly, Ian's mic was off for 2/3rds of the song.....and clearly, he didn't know.)
March the Mad Scientist
Just Trying To Be (described as an "Aqualung out-take")
Jack in the Green
Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square
Skating Away ........
Pastime in Good Company
Back to the Family
Tea With the Princess
Fat Man
Rocks on the Road
INTERVAL
Some Day the Sun Won't Shine For You
Serenade to a Cuckoo
Mother Goose
Andantino (Florian guitar piece - earth shatteringly good)
A Change of Horses
Bouree
My God
A VERY different version of Aqualung
Encore
A very slightly less different version of Locomotive Breath
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Post by steelmonkey on Sept 16, 2009 1:21:42 GMT
Wow...I'm excited..a very, very impressive set list---hopefully more or less intact when he gets to California ( unless, of course, he wants to toss bouree, serenade and fat man in favor of, say, lost on crowds, secret language II and an acoustic bit of passion play). Good quantity, good quality....can't wait! Thanks for the set list!
Do I dare believe that tea w/Princess and change of horses are new songs with words?
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Post by maddogfagin on Sept 16, 2009 7:45:07 GMT
Also my thanks for the set list. The band did an instrumental in India called "Tea With Anoushka" so "Tea With The Princess" may be and update/rewrite of the former. It'll be very interesting to see if, or maybe how, the set list changes during the course of this mini UK tour.
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Post by Aqualung55 on Sept 16, 2009 9:26:08 GMT
Tea with the Princess and A Change of Horses are indeed, songs with words ;-)
Tea with the Princess is also correctly identified as being Tea with Anouska...but now a song rather than an instrumental.
It was a last minute decision to go last night and I am glad I did, but I was disappointed that the Cresset, which I reckon holds about 800 ?? was no more than two thirds full. I wondered (aloud) if that was because being billed as "An Evening with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull...." put people off. Maybe it's a credit crunch thing (though judging by the audience, many will be now drawing their final salary pensions); however, the hardcore Tull fans have plenty of outlets (official website, this fine old forum, A New Day, etc etc...to know what's going on, and given that the band was 3/5ths of the current Jethro Tull, and Florian Ophale and Mark Mondesir are 'known to us' , then it's a concern....or is it? Discuss! (50 marks)
Anyway, The Cresset is an ok venue, intimate and with half decent acoustics (not as wonderful as The Barbican but better than many venues where I have seen Tull)
I overheard a bloke in the bar before the gig started talking to his mate about "the best Tull gig he ever saw". As I pondered the fairly sparse crowd (I was Billy No Mates last night by the way) I thought about the worst Tull gig I ever saw. (If there's a BEST them by default, there has to be a WORST). That was 1994, Kettering, in what was basically a sports hall. Ian's voice was poor, the acoustics were bad, and I considered as I drove home that night I may never see, or indeed, want to see, Tull again.
17 gigs later (and that includes the best ever ;-) here I was at a barely half full venue in Peterborough, on my own, and no Martin Barre. It could only get better.
To start with, it didn't. "Ten minutes to the start of the show" said the p.a. system in the bar, at 7.20.
At 7.40, a single spotlight hit on Ian as he played the gorgeous intro to Dun Ringill.....definitely a favourite of mine.....he spoke the "Francis Wilson bit" but you could only just hear him. All part of the show? No. As he started to sing, only the front couplew of rows, I guess, and Ian himself, through his stage monitors, could hear. From my spec, centre and half way back, I wondered what the hell the mixing desk were up to.....and not much was my immediate thought.
"We can't hear" someone shouted from the back. On he played. Eventually, sound was restored, but long after we'd missed the first verse, first chorus and much of the next verse. Damn!
Things can only get better.....as D.Ream once sang. Thank goodness they did.
Whilst we all know Ian's vocals aren't what they were, for a bloke who does the sheer number of gigs year in and year out that he does, he's fine by me, especially when he can assemble a bunch of fine players as he does. This was - no pun intended - the second time I have seem Florian Ophale and Mark Mondesir, and I have to say that they are absolutely awesome. That is NOT to take anything away from all Tull members past, but in my opinion, these two guys are just THAT good. I thought so at the Barbican and I think that even more now. Andantino (I hope I heard that correctly) was Florian's solo spot, and he enthralled the audience. Mark doesn't thrash those skins, but the sound he creates makes you wonder how he does it in such an economical style. And let's not forget Dave and John, who are very much part of Tull now, though, yes, like others, I miss Peggy and Andy Giddings.
With such a back catalogue to choose from, I wouldn't complain if I never heard Bouree or Serenade to a Cuckoo again, but we had some real treats last night. The highlights for me we without doubt the new songs, especially Tea with the Princess, dedicated to the Shankars. Jack in the Green and Skating Away, well....you can't get enough of stuff like that.
Ian's usual witty banter wasn't as up to par last night, although I suspect that was probably mainly down to it being a fairly sedate crowd. Sorry, guys, I should have run to the front and shook my head off its shoulders during Aqualung, but I couldn't have done, as it was a very different Aqualung (as was Loco Breath) I'll leave everyone to hear for themselves rather than describe.
So....marks out of ten........?
Seven, on this showing, with marks deducted for the dreadful cock-up at the start and 1 mark off for us lot not turning out in bigger numbers.
Not got a ticket yet? I should try to if I were you; that set list I have sent should surely whet the appetite.
Anyone got any questions? I'd be happy to answer.
Ste Greenall, Huntingdon, Cambs
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Post by maddogfagin on Sept 16, 2009 16:01:05 GMT
Thanks for the Cresset review aqualung55. You're right IMO with your thoughts about Mark and Florian and, like you, I was at the Barbican gig and reckon that they both played their part in making it a superb concert. As "first reserves", IA certainly knows how to pick them. Loved your comment about Kettering in '94 - the sports hall in Swindon in '92 where they played was similar and not a venue I'd want to go back to I would expect youtube to have some footage of this series of concerts soon but if anyone is still in doubt about Florian's playing, check youtube as there's some damn fine stuff if his on there Sibiu 30.08.2007
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Post by prestonplatform on Sept 16, 2009 22:22:36 GMT
Thanks for the short review sounds like this is an interesting show. I am off to Buxton and Lancaster . Now really looking forward to my annual Tull fix . I think these will be shows 60 and 61 since 74 New album seems to now be happening next year ....
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Post by JTull 007 on May 9, 2020 0:54:27 GMT
Thanks for the Cresset review aqualung55. You're right IMO with your thoughts about Mark and Florian and, like you, I was at the Barbican gig and reckon that they both played their part in making it a superb concert. As "first reserves", IA certainly knows how to pick them. Loved your comment about Kettering in '94 - the sports hall in Swindon in '92 where they played was similar and not a venue I'd want to go back to I would expect youtube to have some footage of this series of concerts soon but if anyone is still in doubt about Florian's playing, check youtube as there's some damn fine stuff if his on there Sibiu 30.08.2007 NO DOUBTS HERE !!!!
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