Joined: Dec 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 0 Location: Canada
Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #83 on May 1, 2012, 10:40am »
Tell Me About That Album: Thick as a Brick 2 by Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull By Dave Lake Tue., May 1 2012 Read more: http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/20....2_interview.php Do you have a favorite song on Thick as a Brick 2? I have lots of parts of it that I really like. There are quite a few lines and developments that get repeated on the album. Essentially it's a limited number of themes being utilized across nearly 54 minutes. But I am moved, for instance, by a section called "Wootton Bassett Town," which is about the repatriation of dead soldiers, most recently in the Afghan adventure. It's a piece about the futility of war. As we look at the dying days of American and British occupation of Afghanistan, seemingly about the mission of democratization, we can't help but look back to 1973 when American finally pulled out of Vietnam, just a few months after the original Thick as a Brick was released. We see the grinding humiliation of a misadventure in Vietnam, but of course the parallels are not completely valid. I think while I'm singing songs about issues such as those in the "Bassett Town" sequence, it's with a heavy heart, not something I think has any rosy outcome. Bleak stuff.
Do you have any lasting memories of Seattle? I can remember the first time I was in Seattle in 1969. We were the opening act for the MC5, who were at that point enjoying a certain wave of popularity following the live recording of "Kick Out the Jams." The MC5 were kind of the prototype of everything that became punk in the early to mid-70s in the USA and in the UK. The MC5, I suppose, scared the shit out of most of us, but they're largely dead now, sadly. I remember them being pretty fearsome people and pretty threatening, but we met them a couple of years later, when we were playing in Detroit, and they were all meek and mild, real pussycats. They were nice guys who seemed humbled by their short-term success and had fallen on hard times by then. So I remember Seattle very much for that, but I also remember a different kind of fondness because immediately I felt sort of geographically at home, with a strong resemblance to west coast Scotland. Driech is the word we have for it. It's a Scottish vernacular term. It just means what you see when you look out of the window in Seattle most of the time.
Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #85 on May 3, 2012, 2:41pm »
At Reading right now,halfway through. Just finished TAAB1,and loved it thouroughly. Ians vocals not hot,but to see the flautist in full flow,standing on one foot,that is a historical and profound expdrience.
Joined: Dec 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 0 Location: Canada
Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #86 on May 9, 2012, 7:59am »
Review: Ian Anderson, St David’s Hall, Cardiff Chris Sutcliffe, South Wales Echo May 9 2012 http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and....91466-30927495/ THE performance of an entire album is a welcome recent trend in live rock shows. Join Match.ca for Free!
With his latest project, former Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson has undertaken an ambitious feat, presenting live not just one but two complete albums – Thick As A Brick and Thick As A Brick Part 2.
Supported by a group of superb musicians, stage-craft gained from 40 years of gigging, and skilled technicians, he has accomplished the job with aplomb.
Fronting a tight four-piece band, Anderson played his trademark flute and a small acoustic guitar. Click here to find out more!
Lithe and agile, the lion’s mane hair absent and beard now trimmed, he prowled the stage.
A fifth band member, the Welsh College of Music and Drama-trained Ryan O’Donnell, inter-played with Anderson.
He also shared lead vocals and with mime and props lent the songs a theatrical interpretation.
Centre stage a large screen streamed visual references to the lyrics throughout the show.
The mock-local newspaper that adorned the LP cover of Thick as a Brick was seen on screen as a website.
Further reflecting modern technology, Anderson answered a call to his mobile phone mid-set from violinist Anna Phoebe.
And via Skype she appeared, playing the said instrument on screen, making it a part of the performance.
Behind her appeared a wet-suited, goggled frogman, a figure that enigmatically recurred on screen all evening.
The concert was an expertly crafted and performed realisation of two musically and lyrically complex albums. Recorded 40 years apart, taken together they melded into one complete work.
The 2012 sequel speculates on the possible life paths that the protagonist of the first album Gerald Bostock might have pursued: the what-ifs, maybes and might-have-beens; the triumphs, tragedies, smiles and tears of a life.
At the end of a two-hour show the players took their bows to a fully appreciative crowd and exited the stage to the voice of Louis Armstrong’s classic serenade Wonderful World.
Robin One of the Youngest of the Family member is offline
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Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #88 on May 22, 2012, 5:35pm »
Just came home from the show in Mainz!!! Whohoooooooooooooo!!!!!!
The negative point first: I must say that Ian's vocals were really weak most of the time. Some parts were decent, but most of it was not that good. Not only isn't he able to hit the high notes anymore, he can't even hit lots of the low ones (like the second verse of Confessional).
But Ryan did a fantastic job and the whole performance was utterly amazing! The band is tight and powerful as hell (that drum solo!), the sound was fantastic, the show elements were very funny and the show made me appreciate TAAB2 even more. It's a fantastic album, say what you want!
Joined: Mar 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 35 Location: Just a normal local so-and-so
Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #89 on May 23, 2012, 5:54am »
Hi Robin! I was in Mainz too...
The Phönix Halle is in a converted factory block and has quite a makeshift/arty feel to it which I found more exciting than the average mid-size theatre Its 2000 seats were completely sold out (I looked at the website before we left!) and when we arrived, the atmosphere was pretty damn good already!
A quick plastic beaker of Bitburger and a bottle of water were purchased - the plastic bottle top was confiscated as it “could be used as a weapon“ - and I said I hoped it wouldn't come to that - and in we went.
The lights went down to the strains of Captain Beefheart and after the stage had been cleaned(!) Ian appeared stage left with his little parlour guitar and we were off!
I was strangely nervous. TAAB1 (as I suppose we have to call it now) is one of my all-time favourite albums - and not just Tull albums - It's 40 years old; hasn't been played in full for all that time and was created by a very different band to Ian's crew. I needn't have worried! Generally first-rate musicianship combined with an obvious joy in what they were playing, created a rare mixture of faithful reproduction and freshness which I really hadn't expected.
It has to be said that the stamina and concentration levels of the band during the entire concert were brilliant:
Scott Hammond is not Barrie Barlow, but he had quite obviously dissected BB's extraordinary playing and uses the style with confidence and chutzpah. I was especially impressed with his hi-hat! David Goodier has said that Jeffery's playing is far better than he's given credit for, and that's true: he was Tull's Bass player during the time some of their most complicated music was being produced. David's playing was spot on last night, and his harmony singing was also just right. John O'Hara was solid and I enjoyed his accordian in the second half, but he made the only mistakes I heard!
There's been a lot of talk about this being a solo enterprise, and what's to become of Martin, but I can honestly say I didn't really miss him. Perhaps because TAAB is so obviously a BAND album, with the guitar more often playing discrete melodies, rather than up-front solos. Florian Opahle's playing and sound was TAAB-Martin to a tee – whether the same can be said for other more guitar-based songs, I don't know; this was the first time I'd seen him.
It must be incredibly frustrating for Ian to have lost his voice to such an extent, and it's brave of him to tour a whole album for the first time in 40 years, as comparisons will be drawn (see my friend below). He was helped (and sometimes carried) by Ryan O'Donnell. An amazingly effective addition, who not only “helped out with the high bits“ but interpreted so much of Bostock's poem through mime and gesture. This gave the show almost the feel of a musical, as my wife said.
The interval came: Ian sang ”to be thick as a... brick“ and half a second later there was an advert for the merchandising stand... hmm!
I met several friends and neighbours, who I hadn't expected to see – Tull fans are everywhere! And I was introduced by one of these to a miserable bastard, who told me he'd seen Tull in 1972 and this was terrible compared to then... "Blah, blah, blah Ian can't sing. Blah, blah, blah where's Martin? Blah, blah,blah the sound is dreadful. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah!". I suggested he might like to piss off home, and he dropped his beer on my foot! I made my excuses, but it leads me on to the sound...
Which was pretty decent for what was basically a warehouse. Only the vocals got a bit lost sometimes. I think the chap who dropped his beer was complaining about a lack of dynamics, but I'll sacrifice a bit of “Oomph“ for being able to hear everything, all the time. The only real problem was the A/C which was so loud, they kept it turned off throughout – on the hottest day of the year. Still, There was beer available and I didn't actually see anyone being carried out...
The second half got under way with a short film (there were visual gags and films throughout the evening, but I won't give anything away!) and more confident singing from Ian, who relied much less on Ryan during TAAB2.
I really like TAAB2, and to see it live was a treat. The songs seemed to run into each other more than on the album, and made it all seem much more of a coherent whole.
Power and Spirit was performed with both; Adrift and Dumbfounded is as heart-tugging as ”Crash Barrier Walzer” and reminds me of Jim McCarthy's ”Missing You” (Christie Moore did it!) Change of Horses was spell-binding and it only last night that I recognised the nod to Heavy Horses hiding right at the end of the album...
A nice moment was when Ian missed a cue in Kismet in Suburbia and grinned at Ryan, who was hiding behind the St. Cleve Chronicle and swapping lines with him. Ian seemed very relaxed and cheerful – perhaps this new/old direction has galvanised him. I hope so!
I'm afraid I did see this as a Tull concert. Even if it was good of Ian to release TAAB2 as a solo project because Martin wasn't involved, both TAABs are Tull, as far as I'm concerned, and I haven't enjoyed a Tull concert as much in ten years!
« Last Edit: May 23, 2012, 6:02am by Heavy Horse »
Just came home from the show in Mainz!!! Whohoooooooooooooo!!!!!!
The negative point first: I must say that Ian's vocals were really weak most of the time. Some parts were decent, but most of it was not that good. Not only isn't he able to hit the high notes anymore, he can't even hit lots of the low ones (like the second verse of Confessional).
But Ryan did a fantastic job and the whole performance was utterly amazing! The band is tight and powerful as hell (that drum solo!), the sound was fantastic, the show elements were very funny and the show made me appreciate TAAB2 even more. It's a fantastic album, say what you want! Good night folks.
The Phönix Halle is in a converted factory block and has quite a makeshift/arty feel to it which I found more exciting than the average mid-size theatre Its 2000 seats were completely sold out (I looked at the website before we left!) and when we arrived, the atmosphere was pretty damn good already!
I'm afraid I did see this as a Tull concert. Even if it was good of Ian to release TAAB2 as a solo project because Martin wasn't involved, both TAABs are Tull, as far as I'm concerned, and I haven't enjoyed a Tull concert as much in ten years!
Robin One of the Youngest of the Family member is offline
Joined: Apr 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 55
Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #91 on May 23, 2012, 7:18pm »
I think Florian is the most "perfect" guitar player I've ever witnissed live. That guy never plays a wrong note and the feel and power is always there!
I think Florian is the most "perfect" guitar player I've ever witnessed live. That guy never plays a wrong note and the feel and power is always there!
Joined: Jul 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 2,952 Location: North Carolina, U.S.A.
Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #94 on Jul 5, 2012, 9:34am »
http://karlovy-vary.nejlepsi-adresa.cz/akce-kalendar/poradatele/hrad-loket IAN ANDERSON´s "Thick As A Brick" Special Tour 2012 http://www.ticketstream.cz/czts/presentation.event.jsp?event=87130 HRAD LOKET Jedinečný živý koncert lídra Jethro Tull Iana Andersona v rámci světového "Thick As A Brick" Special Tour 2012 na podporu nového alba TAAB 2, které vyšlo 2. dubna 2012. Ian Anderson exkluzivně v Lokti koncertně představí obě alba - klasiku Jethro Tull "Thick As A Brick" z roku 1972 a novinkové album TAAB2 (2012) - v teatrální multimediální show. Na klasické hity Jethro Tull samozřejmě dojde také...
Joined: Jul 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 2,952 Location: North Carolina, U.S.A.
Re: 2012 - Thick As A Brick Tour « Reply #97 on Jul 6, 2012, 10:47am »
Jethro Tull on the Kufsteiner Fortress Austria July 5, 2012 http://regionaut.meinbezirk.at/brixlegg/....ng-d216529.html On the 5th July legendary Ian Anderson appeared on the Kufsteiner fortress. Young and old made a pilgrimage on the fortress arena to watch the " man with the flute ".
When Jethro Tull entered into the stage, the guests did marvel: the 64-year-old front man appeared energetic as ever. The whole concert long hopped Ian Anderson again straight across the stage like a mercurial child and still created it to play flute on a leg standing. Ian Anderson presented his songs with real dedication and passion. The artistically produced " Thick as a Brick " classical performance inspired the older generation as well as young fans. Great pics from the show. No Ryan O'Donnell
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