Post by Sparty on Nov 5, 2015 10:25:16 GMT -5
Perhaps of interest. Oakland Press review of Detroit show.
Review: Ian Anderson presents a Tull tale at the Fox Theatre
By Gary Graff, The Oakland Press
Posted: 11/04/15, 12:03 AM EST | Updated: 43 secs ago
5 Comments
DETROIT -- There were two distinct but satisfying ways to take in “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera,” which Tull founder and frontman Ian Anderson brought to town Tuesday night, Nov. 3, at the Fox Theatre.
One was to accept it at its highly conceptual face value, as a multi-media biography of the real Jethro Tull, a British agriculturist and inventor, but uploaded into a new context of contemporary issues such as global warming, food production and population control.
The other was to simply enjoy it as a characteristically exceptional Tull concert and whose concept meant some choice rarities and lesser-known material -- as well as some solid new songs -- made their way into the two-hour (plus intermission) show.
The former was filled with technological dazzle, living up to the theatrical leanings of Tull’s 70s heyday and arguably the most ambition show Anderson has ever staged. The affair was tightly synchronized with an elaborate video production that featured an array of vignettes and virtual duets, primarily with actor Ryan O’Donnell as the young Tull and Icelandic singer-fiddler Unnur Birna Bjornsdottir -- although during “Living In The Past” Anderson played his flute and sang along with the significantly hairier early 70s version of himself on the screen.
The set list was also tailored to the story, drawing from the “rural” side of the Tull canon, including “Heavy Horses,” “Farm on the Freeway,” “Songs From the Wood” and “Jack-in-the-Green” -- some with lyrics altered to fit the plot -- as well as short connecting pieces between songs. There were five new tracks, too, of which “And the World Feeds Me,” “The Turnstile Gate” and the rocking “Stick, Twist, Bust” stood well alongside the more familiar material.
It’s hard to say whether those at the Fox on Tuesday gleaned a great deal if insight into the real Tull’s history and philosophies -- and a bottom-heavy sound mix that obscured many lyrics certainly did not help. Stilted and occasionally preachy? Yes. But entertaining and original? Absolutely.
And if you didn’t want to buy into the Tull tale, there was still the music itself, a deep-digging set deftly delivered by Anderson and his four cohorts. There were enough established favorites such as “Aqualung” and a lengthy romp through “Locomotive Breath,” but the real treat for Tull fans was hearing fare such as “Wind-Up,” “With You There To Help Me,” “Back to the Family,” “The Witch’s Promise,” “Weathercock,” “Cheap Day Return” and “A New Day Yesterday” -- material that doesn’t make the cut in more conventional shows. The group played a bit of the instrumental “Bourree” during the encore of “Requiem and Fugue,” and Anderson offered a bit of his one-legged flute playing during “Living in the Past” and “Locomotive Breath.”
In that regard the concert may have worked somewhat better than the concept, but either purpose was well-served on Tuesday night. Any way you took it, “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” was a story well worth hearing.
5 Comments
Glen Sheil • a day ago
Thank you for this review, Gary. We also thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Never quite sure whether to refer to an Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull concert as a 'concert' or a 'show,' as they always present a goodly bit of both, so 'performance' will have to do. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of the Icelandic female singer, which I thought added great depth and versatility to both the storyline and the songs. And oh what a voice! My wife and neighbors thought she sounded like a cross of Maddy Prior and Pat Benatar, either way very powerful! We also very much enjoyed the new compositions (especially one you didn't mention above, which I think is titled something like "Delivering the Fruits of Frankenfield." We're hoping Ian decides to record them in the studio and make them available via download, if not on a separate 'Rock Opera' album, which would be brilliant indeed. Of course, the musicianship was impeccable, as always, but what had us all talking the most, well after the performance and continuing even this morning, is the story line Anderson has introduced, which uses 'the real' Jethro Tull's life, past and projected, as the muse for exploring some of the more pressing ethical dilemmas of our age. Absolutely brilliant and so incredibly creative! Thank you, Ian! You know, as we reflected upon the show and Anderson's long and storied career, we all (there were seven of us) concluded how refreshing it is to have such an artist presenting us with compelling story lines and virtuoso musicianship that extend so far beyond the typical and narrow 't-shirts & jeans blues-based rock concerts' that seem so ubiquitous these days. Not that there's anything wrong with such concerts -- we've all attended many ourselves -- but rather just that they're so common place, such standard fare, that when an artist -- and I mean that in every sense of the word -- such as Anderson presents such an original performance as 'Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera,' one cannot help but feel refreshed, inspired, and yes, even challenged. Again, kudos to Ian Anderson & Co.; a living legacy, to be sure, and we would all gladly see this performance several times over. Highly recommended!
RebelRebel > Glen Sheil • a day ago
Thank you! You've eloquently stated what I've been trying to verbalize since seeing the show last night. What a creative and stimulating performance it was!
Jim Harris • 20 hours ago
It was my first time to get to see the band live and they did not disappoint. Ian's flute playing is still incredible, and his voice still sounds good when he does sing, but like Roger Daltrey and Paul McCartney their voices are what one would expect from 70 year old men at this point. The use of the additional singers on the screen helped, but I would have preferred they have been on stage as well. The band was great, it was a magical night, and the Fox Theatre looks stunning. And the price ($35) for fourth row balcony seats was very fair in this day and age.
Independent Patriot • a day ago
We saw Jethro Tull at the Fox about 15 years ago. We went with eight others and most of us left before the concert was even close to being over. We don't walk out of many concerts because we pay good money to buy the tickets, drive to Detroit, pay to park, buy drinks, etc. so leaving a concert early is never in our plans. However, the concert dragged on with non stop "fluting" from beginning to end. Though we certainly expected to hear Anderson play the flute throughout the songs, what we didn't expect to hear was all of their hard driving rock and roll songs played with the flute as the main driver behind all of the tunes. Sure the whole band was there, but they played as though they were non-existent. The band had none of the characteristics of what you hear in their recorded music! It was totally dumbfounding how little sound was coming from the rest of the band. After a couple of hours of being fluted to death, we couldn't stand it anymore, so we got up and left. That is our "Tull tail" about the only Jethro Tull concert that we will ever go to.
RebelRebel > Independent Patriot • a day ago
I normally don't reply to simpletons on social media, but I will make an exception in this case. Today's story is about last night's Ian Anderson concert (11/03/2015) at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. I will take a chance here and say that no one cares about your unsatisfactory experience at a Jethro Tull concert 15 years ago, and your bitterness and regret is in no way relevant to this review. Get over it!
Review: Ian Anderson presents a Tull tale at the Fox Theatre
By Gary Graff, The Oakland Press
Posted: 11/04/15, 12:03 AM EST | Updated: 43 secs ago
5 Comments
DETROIT -- There were two distinct but satisfying ways to take in “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera,” which Tull founder and frontman Ian Anderson brought to town Tuesday night, Nov. 3, at the Fox Theatre.
One was to accept it at its highly conceptual face value, as a multi-media biography of the real Jethro Tull, a British agriculturist and inventor, but uploaded into a new context of contemporary issues such as global warming, food production and population control.
The other was to simply enjoy it as a characteristically exceptional Tull concert and whose concept meant some choice rarities and lesser-known material -- as well as some solid new songs -- made their way into the two-hour (plus intermission) show.
The former was filled with technological dazzle, living up to the theatrical leanings of Tull’s 70s heyday and arguably the most ambition show Anderson has ever staged. The affair was tightly synchronized with an elaborate video production that featured an array of vignettes and virtual duets, primarily with actor Ryan O’Donnell as the young Tull and Icelandic singer-fiddler Unnur Birna Bjornsdottir -- although during “Living In The Past” Anderson played his flute and sang along with the significantly hairier early 70s version of himself on the screen.
The set list was also tailored to the story, drawing from the “rural” side of the Tull canon, including “Heavy Horses,” “Farm on the Freeway,” “Songs From the Wood” and “Jack-in-the-Green” -- some with lyrics altered to fit the plot -- as well as short connecting pieces between songs. There were five new tracks, too, of which “And the World Feeds Me,” “The Turnstile Gate” and the rocking “Stick, Twist, Bust” stood well alongside the more familiar material.
It’s hard to say whether those at the Fox on Tuesday gleaned a great deal if insight into the real Tull’s history and philosophies -- and a bottom-heavy sound mix that obscured many lyrics certainly did not help. Stilted and occasionally preachy? Yes. But entertaining and original? Absolutely.
And if you didn’t want to buy into the Tull tale, there was still the music itself, a deep-digging set deftly delivered by Anderson and his four cohorts. There were enough established favorites such as “Aqualung” and a lengthy romp through “Locomotive Breath,” but the real treat for Tull fans was hearing fare such as “Wind-Up,” “With You There To Help Me,” “Back to the Family,” “The Witch’s Promise,” “Weathercock,” “Cheap Day Return” and “A New Day Yesterday” -- material that doesn’t make the cut in more conventional shows. The group played a bit of the instrumental “Bourree” during the encore of “Requiem and Fugue,” and Anderson offered a bit of his one-legged flute playing during “Living in the Past” and “Locomotive Breath.”
In that regard the concert may have worked somewhat better than the concept, but either purpose was well-served on Tuesday night. Any way you took it, “Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera” was a story well worth hearing.
5 Comments
Glen Sheil • a day ago
Thank you for this review, Gary. We also thoroughly enjoyed the performance. Never quite sure whether to refer to an Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull concert as a 'concert' or a 'show,' as they always present a goodly bit of both, so 'performance' will have to do. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of the Icelandic female singer, which I thought added great depth and versatility to both the storyline and the songs. And oh what a voice! My wife and neighbors thought she sounded like a cross of Maddy Prior and Pat Benatar, either way very powerful! We also very much enjoyed the new compositions (especially one you didn't mention above, which I think is titled something like "Delivering the Fruits of Frankenfield." We're hoping Ian decides to record them in the studio and make them available via download, if not on a separate 'Rock Opera' album, which would be brilliant indeed. Of course, the musicianship was impeccable, as always, but what had us all talking the most, well after the performance and continuing even this morning, is the story line Anderson has introduced, which uses 'the real' Jethro Tull's life, past and projected, as the muse for exploring some of the more pressing ethical dilemmas of our age. Absolutely brilliant and so incredibly creative! Thank you, Ian! You know, as we reflected upon the show and Anderson's long and storied career, we all (there were seven of us) concluded how refreshing it is to have such an artist presenting us with compelling story lines and virtuoso musicianship that extend so far beyond the typical and narrow 't-shirts & jeans blues-based rock concerts' that seem so ubiquitous these days. Not that there's anything wrong with such concerts -- we've all attended many ourselves -- but rather just that they're so common place, such standard fare, that when an artist -- and I mean that in every sense of the word -- such as Anderson presents such an original performance as 'Jethro Tull: The Rock Opera,' one cannot help but feel refreshed, inspired, and yes, even challenged. Again, kudos to Ian Anderson & Co.; a living legacy, to be sure, and we would all gladly see this performance several times over. Highly recommended!
RebelRebel > Glen Sheil • a day ago
Thank you! You've eloquently stated what I've been trying to verbalize since seeing the show last night. What a creative and stimulating performance it was!
Jim Harris • 20 hours ago
It was my first time to get to see the band live and they did not disappoint. Ian's flute playing is still incredible, and his voice still sounds good when he does sing, but like Roger Daltrey and Paul McCartney their voices are what one would expect from 70 year old men at this point. The use of the additional singers on the screen helped, but I would have preferred they have been on stage as well. The band was great, it was a magical night, and the Fox Theatre looks stunning. And the price ($35) for fourth row balcony seats was very fair in this day and age.
Independent Patriot • a day ago
We saw Jethro Tull at the Fox about 15 years ago. We went with eight others and most of us left before the concert was even close to being over. We don't walk out of many concerts because we pay good money to buy the tickets, drive to Detroit, pay to park, buy drinks, etc. so leaving a concert early is never in our plans. However, the concert dragged on with non stop "fluting" from beginning to end. Though we certainly expected to hear Anderson play the flute throughout the songs, what we didn't expect to hear was all of their hard driving rock and roll songs played with the flute as the main driver behind all of the tunes. Sure the whole band was there, but they played as though they were non-existent. The band had none of the characteristics of what you hear in their recorded music! It was totally dumbfounding how little sound was coming from the rest of the band. After a couple of hours of being fluted to death, we couldn't stand it anymore, so we got up and left. That is our "Tull tail" about the only Jethro Tull concert that we will ever go to.
RebelRebel > Independent Patriot • a day ago
I normally don't reply to simpletons on social media, but I will make an exception in this case. Today's story is about last night's Ian Anderson concert (11/03/2015) at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. I will take a chance here and say that no one cares about your unsatisfactory experience at a Jethro Tull concert 15 years ago, and your bitterness and regret is in no way relevant to this review. Get over it!