Post by prestonplatform on Apr 13, 2008 23:03:57 GMT
On a night of European Champions league cup glory for Manchester United just a mere half mile away Jethro Tull were simultaneously producing their own performance of two halves.
The first half a rather luck lustre affair : the second half a dynamic even inspirational performance spanning the years and belying Tulls veteran status.
Such was the nature of the concert witnessed at The Lowry on Wednesday 9/4/08
The proceedings began with a duo from Mostly Autumn . Bryan Josh was joined by Heather Findlay and played acoustic renditions of This Great Pearl and Evergreen . They were joined by ¾ of Jethro Tull on a track from Passengers and by the fluent guitar lines of Martin Barre on a cut from their forthcoming new release.
I was familiar with Pearl and Evergreen the latter being my favourite Mostly Autumn track , however this performance was substantially below the standard expected from members of such a prestigious UK progressive rock band. These tracks rearranged for an acoustic rendition sounded weak and repetitive. The Passengers track was equally insipid and the introduction of Ian Anderson on flute did little to raise it from average rock fare.
Anderson frankly looked disinterested and played from a reclined position from the drum rise. As a consequence his flute interventions seemed to lack substance and were substantially well below par.
The unrehearsed nature of this section of the concert was further revealed when Heather Findlay introduced the next song to be performed from their forthcoming album but ‘tonight featuring Jethro Tulls guitar player...total silence..... she had forgotten Martins name ......Anderson subsequently took over and announced Martin Barre.
Martin was received with polite applause and embellished the track with some tasty guitar work.
As soon as Bryan and Heather exited the stage an evening with Jethro Tull began.
No fanfare or elaborate stage introduction (as previously witnesssed by the sweeping roadies of 1972 ,the wonderful Strange Avenues intro of 1989 ,or the personal introduction for each gig by Ian in 1995) was necessary. This was to be an evening with the emphasis on the music rather than showmanship.
The rhythm section of Perry and Goodier drew a cheer as they introduced Living In the Past and the songs from Tulls wonderful back catalogue just flowed and flowed. I particularly enjoyed ‘One For John Gee performed live for the first time during this 40th anniversary tour. This track personified the enduring, genre breaking and eclectic nature of Tull’s music. Its inspired Jazz like sound and structure allowed members of the ensemble the freedom to improvise and solo. Martin Barres contribution in this piece particularly, showed his ability to play in a variety of genres and styles.
Despite , a great selection of songs the first half was lacking. On reflection I am not sure exactly which ingredient did not quite gel. Maybe, it was the lack of a grand entrance, or Andersons uncharacteristically weak flute on Serenade to a Cuckoo, or perhaps the sampled flutes during a blistering rendition of ‘For a thousand mothers’, or even the obtrusive backdrop of images and videos of Ian Anderson in his 20 something prime. These images compared with the stark reality of Ian in his dog eared years were a real distraction.
At any rate, the general consensus amongst the number of die hard Tull fans in the first few rows during the interval was that Tull were playing within themselves. The set was great, the performance was ok but .......
This was however a performance of two halves and the second half undoubtedly belonged to Tull.
Second half of review to follow......
Set list
Opening act Mostly Autumn acoustic Bryan Josh , Heather Findlay, Great White Pearl, Evergreen
+ 2 other songs with Tull
Living In The Past, One For John
Gee,
So Much Trouble, Serenade To A Cuckoo, Beside Myself,For a Thousand Mothers ,A New Day Yesterday (incl. Kelpie), Bourée - [Interval] - Heavy Horses, We Used To Know/Witches Promise/With You
There To Help Me, Dharma For One (w. drum solo), Pussy Willow ,Farm On The Freeway, Thick As A Brick,
Aqualung (standard version), Locomotive Breath
The first half a rather luck lustre affair : the second half a dynamic even inspirational performance spanning the years and belying Tulls veteran status.
Such was the nature of the concert witnessed at The Lowry on Wednesday 9/4/08
The proceedings began with a duo from Mostly Autumn . Bryan Josh was joined by Heather Findlay and played acoustic renditions of This Great Pearl and Evergreen . They were joined by ¾ of Jethro Tull on a track from Passengers and by the fluent guitar lines of Martin Barre on a cut from their forthcoming new release.
I was familiar with Pearl and Evergreen the latter being my favourite Mostly Autumn track , however this performance was substantially below the standard expected from members of such a prestigious UK progressive rock band. These tracks rearranged for an acoustic rendition sounded weak and repetitive. The Passengers track was equally insipid and the introduction of Ian Anderson on flute did little to raise it from average rock fare.
Anderson frankly looked disinterested and played from a reclined position from the drum rise. As a consequence his flute interventions seemed to lack substance and were substantially well below par.
The unrehearsed nature of this section of the concert was further revealed when Heather Findlay introduced the next song to be performed from their forthcoming album but ‘tonight featuring Jethro Tulls guitar player...total silence..... she had forgotten Martins name ......Anderson subsequently took over and announced Martin Barre.
Martin was received with polite applause and embellished the track with some tasty guitar work.
As soon as Bryan and Heather exited the stage an evening with Jethro Tull began.
No fanfare or elaborate stage introduction (as previously witnesssed by the sweeping roadies of 1972 ,the wonderful Strange Avenues intro of 1989 ,or the personal introduction for each gig by Ian in 1995) was necessary. This was to be an evening with the emphasis on the music rather than showmanship.
The rhythm section of Perry and Goodier drew a cheer as they introduced Living In the Past and the songs from Tulls wonderful back catalogue just flowed and flowed. I particularly enjoyed ‘One For John Gee performed live for the first time during this 40th anniversary tour. This track personified the enduring, genre breaking and eclectic nature of Tull’s music. Its inspired Jazz like sound and structure allowed members of the ensemble the freedom to improvise and solo. Martin Barres contribution in this piece particularly, showed his ability to play in a variety of genres and styles.
Despite , a great selection of songs the first half was lacking. On reflection I am not sure exactly which ingredient did not quite gel. Maybe, it was the lack of a grand entrance, or Andersons uncharacteristically weak flute on Serenade to a Cuckoo, or perhaps the sampled flutes during a blistering rendition of ‘For a thousand mothers’, or even the obtrusive backdrop of images and videos of Ian Anderson in his 20 something prime. These images compared with the stark reality of Ian in his dog eared years were a real distraction.
At any rate, the general consensus amongst the number of die hard Tull fans in the first few rows during the interval was that Tull were playing within themselves. The set was great, the performance was ok but .......
This was however a performance of two halves and the second half undoubtedly belonged to Tull.
Second half of review to follow......
Set list
Opening act Mostly Autumn acoustic Bryan Josh , Heather Findlay, Great White Pearl, Evergreen
+ 2 other songs with Tull
Living In The Past, One For John
Gee,
So Much Trouble, Serenade To A Cuckoo, Beside Myself,For a Thousand Mothers ,A New Day Yesterday (incl. Kelpie), Bourée - [Interval] - Heavy Horses, We Used To Know/Witches Promise/With You
There To Help Me, Dharma For One (w. drum solo), Pussy Willow ,Farm On The Freeway, Thick As A Brick,
Aqualung (standard version), Locomotive Breath