Joined: Jul 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 286 Location: Brisbane, Qld, Aus
Re: Jethro Tull Bluesfest 2011 Australia « Reply #5 on Apr 25, 2011, 9:18pm »
We had a great day at Bluesfest yesterday! I will insert an email I sent to some Aussie friends rather than retype.
Suffice to say, JT were just great, and more energetic than their last visit in 2005. It was a very short and fast set, which clashed with Bob Dylan, playing in the next stage.
"Hi all ****,
Bluesfest was a great day - plenty of great artists. But you will want to know about Jethro Tull!
The gates opened at 11am, and luckily no rain. After seeing artists as varied as Rockwiz, Secret Sisters, Buffy St Marie and Osibisa, we were able to get to the front of the stage for JT.
The set started at 8:45 pm and went for just a little over 1 1/4 hours. From the opening Nothing Is Easy to the closing Locomotive Breath, this was short, sharp, sweet, energetic and full on! This "new" Tull rock! I don't think John O'Hara tries to be a showman like Andy Giddings, so now the spotlight is more on Ian and Martin. David Goodier and of course Doan were great as well
Ian was full of energy with plenty of "one-leggedness". There was little banter, no jokes, no new songs and just a mention of the Space Station duet. Time was tight. It all ended too soon, and of course I wondered if THIS was the last time for Tull. I don't know, there's plenty of life left in the beast! My friend thought this was better than 2005.
We missed Bob Dylan (on at the same time), and luckily most of the Dylan fans moved out of their stage/tent (to have a lie down) so it was time for Elvis Costello. He was really good and sang a lot of the old classics, but I was glad when it was all over!
So have fun the next couple of nights! I'm sure your sets will be more conventional.
Re: Jethro Tull Bluesfest 2011 Australia « Reply #6 on Apr 27, 2011, 1:31am »
Hi geoffcb, In the first image from the bluesfest, there appears to be a gentleman holding a video camera. Was that for projections onto a screen or is there a possibility of the footage making it to a general release? Nice shots btw. Saw Tull in Sydney last night and it was 2 hours of excellence.
Saw Tull in Sydney last night and it was 2 hours of excellence.
Hey I was there too (middle of row Q in stalls in front of mixing desk. Absolutely outstanding set, though bit disappointed in some cut-down versions in favour of the full (boring to me) Budapest. Noticed that the set replicated the one in Dublin a couple of weeks ago: Living In The Past Nothing Is Easy Life Is A Long Song Up To Me Cross-Eyed Mary Beggar's Farm A New Day Yesterday Thick as a Brick Bouree Mother Goose Past Time In Good Company A Change Of Horses My God Budapest Aqualung Encore: Locomotive Breath
Spin me back down the years and the days of my youth
Joined: Sept 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 2,156 Location: From down the smoke below...
Re: Jethro Tull Bluesfest 2011 Australia « Reply #8 on Apr 27, 2011, 8:41am »
Geoff and MannaPete
Nice pictures and thanks for the review and set list.
Any views on the quality of Ian's voice and singing? Of late more and more people have ben of the opinion that its a lot stronger than in previous years which some key changes may have helped.
Did you see all the Costello gig? I'd be interetsed to hear what he did.
The voice may be feeling the years but Tull are still solid as a brick
John Shand April 28, 2011
State Theatre, April 26
THE passing years have not been kind to Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson's voice, a functional rather than vigorous instrument, is now softer, more reedy and endowed with less range. His stage antics, once amusing, theatrical and lewd, seem more mannered, and were inevitably toned down in keeping with those passing years.
Yet there are other aspects of this maverick band - which over 44 years has covered blues, hard rock, progressive rock, English folk and even flirted with jazz and classical - that are unaffected by age. Anderson's wit is one (even if the Pythonesque theatrics are long gone), his flute another and Martin Barre's magnificent electric guitar playing is a third
Now, too, the desires of audience and Anderson converged within that huge back catalogue. Their best album, 1971's Aqualung, supplied four songs and the show's spine. The quirky song Up To Me was a surprise, as was My God, a rarity in their concerts, which has lyrics of particularly current relevance. Even more than Thick as a Brick, this embodied the Tull trademark of Anderson's lilting acoustic guitar being suddenly savaged by the electric onslaught of Barre, keyboard player John O'Hara, bassist David Goodier and drummer Doane Perry. It also contained the night's strongest flute playing. Although a limited improviser, Anderson infuses the instrument with such energy as to make it credible for rock.
Barre's best work came on Aqualung, a solo of spiralling melodies and thrilling momentum, delivered via one of the great electric guitar sounds in rock history. He provided the only real interest in the pedestrian Budapest, and goaded a potent Locomotive Breath.
Earlier Anderson had aired two of his gentler cameos, Life is a Long Song and Nursie, fine songs easily overlooked in Tull's heyday, and which are now kinder to his voice than most.
Perry featured on a thumping Dharma For One, which, like many pieces, was sufficiently reworked and imbued with freshness to prevent this being strictly a nostalgia show.
Thick as a brick ... Jethro Tull performs at the 22nd Annual Byron Bay Bluesfest. Photo: Michelle Smith
Re: Jethro Tull Bluesfest 2011 Australia « Reply #12 on Apr 27, 2011, 8:55pm »
Tull setlist for the 26th April concert at the State Theatre Sydney was, I think (Didn't write it down so relying on memory),
Living In The Past Nothing Is Easy Life Is A Long Song Up To Me Beggar's Farm A New Day Yesterday Thick as a Brick Bouree Farm on the Freeway A Change Of Horses My God Budapest Aqualung Encore: Locomotive Breath
Agree that Budapest is boring, must have some good memories for Ian perhaps? Would prefer something from Minstrel or Stormwatch. Feel free to correct my setlist, I'm sure to have forgotten something, or got order wrong.
Re: Jethro Tull Bluesfest 2011 Australia « Reply #13 on Apr 27, 2011, 9:37pm »
Hey all,
had the pleasure of attending both Sydney concerts over the past 2 nights. As the above guys have reported (hey Geoff!) the current lignup of Tull is energetic, refreshed, and genuinely enjoying each other and their performances. Wonderful to see!!
One of the chaps I was with the first night managed to record the concert (and gave me a copy on the second night) so I was able to refer to it to get a setlist (same for both nights April 26 & 27):
Setlist (identical both nights): Part One: Flute introduction / Living In the Past Nothing Is Easy Life Is A Long Song Up To Me Nursie Beggars Farm A New Day Yesterday Thick As A Brick (excerpt) Farm On the Freeway Bouree
Interval
Part Two: A Change Of Horses Dharma For One My God Budapest Aqualung Locomotive Breath (encore)
No balloons! No squeezey-thing! No playing of each others borrowed instruments! But a wonderful energy about all of them, and it seemed obvious that they were all immensely enjoying playing together and performing. Ian’s voice seemed stronger on the first night then I remember it from 2005, and even better on the second night. Martin played up an absolute storm on both nights, although I think he too seemed slightly more improvisational in his (slightly longer) solos on the second night. The encore, Locomotive Breath, which (like most of us) I have seen performed countless times before, was, on the second night, the best version I think since I saw them on their first tour of Oz in 1972. Marvelous energy, blistering solos, engaging interplay between various members (both with and without IA), all followed by an extensive standing ovation from the sell-out crowd. Rather then just run off the stage individually, IA gathered them together and the five performed 2 bows before they left the stage
They play the Melbourne Palais Theatre tonight, so best wishes to everyone attending there. Enjoy!!
Saw Tull in Sydney last night and it was 2 hours of excellence.
Hey I was there too (middle of row Q in stalls in front of mixing desk. Absolutely outstanding set, though bit disappointed in some cut-down versions in favour of the full (boring to me) Budapest. Noticed that the set replicated the one in Dublin a couple of weeks ago: Living In The Past Nothing Is Easy Life Is A Long Song Up To Me Cross-Eyed Mary Beggar's Farm A New Day Yesterday Thick as a Brick Bouree Mother Goose Past Time In Good Company A Change Of Horses My God Budapest Aqualung Encore: Locomotive Breath
Funny how on the last IA tour I saw, they did probably the best rendition of Budapest I ever saw. Although lighting played a big part in that. They had terrific lighting effects with smoke and all. The best I've seen in so many years.
had the pleasure of attending both Sydney concerts over the past 2 nights. As the above guys have reported (hey Geoff!) the current lignup of Tull is energetic, refreshed, and genuinely enjoying each other and their performances. Wonderful to see!!
One of the chaps I was with the first night managed to record the concert (and gave me a copy on the second night) so I was able to refer to it to get a setlist (same for both nights April 26 & 27):
Setlist (identical both nights): Part One: Flute introduction / Living In the Past Nothing Is Easy Life Is A Long Song Up To Me Nursie Beggars Farm A New Day Yesterday Thick As A Brick (excerpt) Farm On the Freeway Bouree
Interval
Part Two: A Change Of Horses Dharma For One My God Budapest Aqualung Locomotive Breath (encore)
No balloons! No squeezey-thing! No playing of each others borrowed instruments! But a wonderful energy about all of them, and it seemed obvious that they were all immensely enjoying playing together and performing. Ian’s voice seemed stronger on the first night then I remember it from 2005, and even better on the second night. Martin played up an absolute storm on both nights, although I think he too seemed slightly more improvisational in his (slightly longer) solos on the second night. The encore, Locomotive Breath, which (like most of us) I have seen performed countless times before, was, on the second night, the best version I think since I saw them on their first tour of Oz in 1972. Marvelous energy, blistering solos, engaging interplay between various members (both with and without IA), all followed by an extensive standing ovation from the sell-out crowd. Rather then just run off the stage individually, IA gathered them together and the five performed 2 bows before they left the stage
They play the Melbourne Palais Theatre tonight, so best wishes to everyone attending there. Enjoy!!
loz
Thanks for the review and setlist, loz, I'm glad that you enjoyed the show. You're definitely right about Ian's voice, it was very dicey for a few years from about 2003 to 2007, but the last two or three years he has been singing much better, and judging from the most recent videos I've seen, he is in particularly good voice this time around (despite the review that tootull posted, which I thought was far too harsh.)
Thanks also to Tulleroo, Mannapete, Geoffcb and Jethro Tull Board newbie awfulfellow for your reviews and comments on the Australian shows.....it's great that you all got to enjoy some Tull shows in your country, as I know it's not that often that they make it down there!
"There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best."Doris Lessing
"If you agree with me on nine out of twelve issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on twelve out of twelve issues, see a psychiatrist."Ed Koch
jrpipik Ethnic Piano Accordian-ist member is offline
There was a little boy stood on a burning log, rubbing his hands with glee
Joined: Apr 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 193
Re: Jethro Tull Bluesfest 2011 Australia « Reply #16 on Apr 28, 2011, 12:04am »
You've got to think that Tull puts a little extra into their last performance in far-from-home places like Australia or Latin America these days. thinking it might well be their last chance to play there. (Though I hope they continue to trot the globe for years to come!)
Hi geoffcb, In the first image from the bluesfest, there appears to be a gentleman holding a video camera. Was that for projections onto a screen or is there a possibility of the footage making it to a general release? Nice shots btw. Saw Tull in Sydney last night and it was 2 hours of excellence.
Hi "Awful" It was actually a young lady. She was from the School of Audio Engineering (SAE) Byron Bay. They had two cameras giving a live feed to the large monitors located either side of the stage and outside the marqee. I don't know if it was recorded.
Interesting to point out that Bob Dylan did not use the live feed which disappointed HIS fans.
Hi geoffcb, In the first image from the bluesfest, there appears to be a gentleman holding a video camera. Was that for projections onto a screen or is there a possibility of the footage making it to a general release? Nice shots btw. Saw Tull in Sydney last night and it was 2 hours of excellence.
Hi "Awful" It was actually a young lady. She was from the School of Audio Engineering (SAE) Byron Bay. They had two cameras giving a live feed to the large monitors located either side of the stage and outside the marqee. I don't know if it was recorded.
Interesting to point out that Bob Dylan did not use the live feed which disappointed HIS fans.
Nice pictures and thanks for the review and set list.
Any views on the quality of Ian's voice and singing? Of late more and more people have ben of the opinion that its a lot stronger than in previous years which some key changes may have helped.
Did you see all the Costello gig? I'd be interetsed to hear what he did.
I saw E C straight after Tull. We had to change tents and avoid all the Dylan fans who were gong back to their retirement homes.
After Tull, it's a bit difficult to remember all the songs - Started with Pump It Up - all the usual suspects - Watching the Detectives, Oliver's Army, Good Year..., Less than Zero, a couple I don't know, 2 songs with the Secret Sisters, Alison/Suspicious Minds, and finishing with Shipbuilding.
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