Post by Heavy Horse on May 24, 2012 17:44:27 GMT -5
I've put this in its own thread... If anyone else was there, give us your views!
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!
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!
I'm really looking forward to a down-under tour!
