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Post by Dan on Oct 1, 2009 7:24:50 GMT -5
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Post by Dan on Oct 10, 2009 8:55:24 GMT -5
Here is the review from our local newspaper about Ian's Proctor's Theatre show on Oct.9th.
I'll write my own personal review when I have a little more time.
Still licking my wounds from being out on the 'Overhang" with Jeff and Rob until 4 A.M. Great fun though! The bastards!
Anderson goes back to acoustic roots via Tull material Saturday, October 10, 2009 By Brian McElhiney (Contact) Gazette Reporter
SCHENECTADY — Despite fronting a band generally considered to be within the classic or hard rock realm (and a band that won a Grammy for Best Metal Album in 1989), Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson considers himself to be an acoustic musician.
And at Proctors Friday night, a packed audience found the man in his element, making more than a strong case for the above argument. Through two hour-long sets, Anderson and a band made up of lead guitarist Florian Opahle, accordionist John O’Hara, bassist David Goodier, drummer Mark Mondesir and guest violist Meena Bhasin re-imagined material from nearly every era of Jethro Tull’s four-plus decade career, to enthusiastic applause from the mostly older audience.
Those walking into Proctors may have been put off at first by the full-sized drum kit onstage, but any fears of ear-splitting volume were quickly set to rest with a gentle “Dun Ringill,” featuring Anderson and Opahle’s dual guitars and Anderson’s high, reedy vocal. Two rare chestnuts followed: “March the Mad Scientist,” an outtake from 1971’s “Aqualung” album, featured the evening’s first flute solo, while “Just Trying to Be” showcased O’Hara on the celesta.
Classics such as “Jack in the Green” and “Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square,” a tribute to Jethro Tull’s second bassist, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, proved highlights of the first set, while “Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day” received some of the loudest applause of the evening. Stripped to basic instrumentation, the songs brought out Jethro Tull’s natural underlying folk streak.
“Serenade to a Cuckoo,” by Rahsaan Roland-Kirk and, as Anderson explained, one of the first songs he ever played on flute, saw the frontman move about the stage with boundless energy belying his 60-plus years. And “Tea with the Princess,” with Bhasin offering haunting, Middle Eastern lines, was an epic workout, although unfortunately the accordion tended to drown out almost everything else. Set One closer “Rocks on the Road” made up for it, with fantastic blues shredding from Opahle.
But the second set really showcased the band, and Anderson, firing on all cylinders. Things started off by remaining in the blues realm with “Someday the Sun Won’t Shine,” with Anderson playing harmonica. “A Change of Horses,” somewhat of a sister piece to “Tea with the Princess” (both songs were written during a sojourn to India), bettered “Princess” in scope, and more importantly in sound.
J.S. Bach’s “Bouree,” done in a jazz style, gave Goodier (also an official member of Jethro Tull) a chance to shine on six-string acoustic bass, with a tasty solo utilizing the entire span of the fretboard.
From here, things really took off. First up was “My God,” which stood up quite well to the acoustic treatment and featured some comical exaggerated vocalizing from Anderson as he blew the closing flute solo. And if that wasn’t enough, the audience got yet another epic in the majestic “Aqualung,” which built to a feverish climax before gently drifting away on the main motif.
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Post by Mothfairy on Oct 10, 2009 21:00:00 GMT -5
Here is the review from our local newspaper about Ian's Proctor's Theatre show on Oct.9th. I'll write my own personal review when I have a little more time. Still licking my wounds from being out on the 'Overhang" with Jeff and Rob until 4 A.M. Great fun though! The bastards! Anderson goes back to acoustic roots via Tull material Saturday, October 10, 2009 By Brian McElhiney (Contact) Gazette Reporter SCHENECTADY — Despite fronting a band generally considered to be within the classic or hard rock realm (and a band that won a Grammy for Best Metal Album in 1989), Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson considers himself to be an acoustic musician. And at Proctors Friday night, a packed audience found the man in his element, making more than a strong case for the above argument. Through two hour-long sets, Anderson and a band made up of lead guitarist Florian Opahle, accordionist John O’Hara, bassist David Goodier, drummer Mark Mondesir and guest violist Meena Bhasin re-imagined material from nearly every era of Jethro Tull’s four-plus decade career, to enthusiastic applause from the mostly older audience. Those walking into Proctors may have been put off at first by the full-sized drum kit onstage, but any fears of ear-splitting volume were quickly set to rest with a gentle “Dun Ringill,” featuring Anderson and Opahle’s dual guitars and Anderson’s high, reedy vocal. Two rare chestnuts followed: “March the Mad Scientist,” an outtake from 1971’s “Aqualung” album, featured the evening’s first flute solo, while “Just Trying to Be” showcased O’Hara on the celesta. Classics such as “Jack in the Green” and “Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square,” a tribute to Jethro Tull’s second bassist, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond, proved highlights of the first set, while “Skating Away on the Thin Ice of a New Day” received some of the loudest applause of the evening. Stripped to basic instrumentation, the songs brought out Jethro Tull’s natural underlying folk streak. “Serenade to a Cuckoo,” by Rahsaan Roland-Kirk and, as Anderson explained, one of the first songs he ever played on flute, saw the frontman move about the stage with boundless energy belying his 60-plus years. And “Tea with the Princess,” with Bhasin offering haunting, Middle Eastern lines, was an epic workout, although unfortunately the accordion tended to drown out almost everything else. Set One closer “Rocks on the Road” made up for it, with fantastic blues shredding from Opahle. But the second set really showcased the band, and Anderson, firing on all cylinders. Things started off by remaining in the blues realm with “Someday the Sun Won’t Shine,” with Anderson playing harmonica. “A Change of Horses,” somewhat of a sister piece to “Tea with the Princess” (both songs were written during a sojourn to India), bettered “Princess” in scope, and more importantly in sound. J.S. Bach’s “Bouree,” done in a jazz style, gave Goodier (also an official member of Jethro Tull) a chance to shine on six-string acoustic bass, with a tasty solo utilizing the entire span of the fretboard. From here, things really took off. First up was “My God,” which stood up quite well to the acoustic treatment and featured some comical exaggerated vocalizing from Anderson as he blew the closing flute solo. And if that wasn’t enough, the audience got yet another epic in the majestic “Aqualung,” which built to a feverish climax before gently drifting away on the main motif. Wow, this person can really BS, and whipped this gem up quickly huh? Doesn't it kind of seem like this person is really phoning it in though? Rather hear your review Dan! And Ok wow, I never knew that March the Mad Scientist was cut from Aqualung? I don't feel this way about the outtakes but I think it was a good idea that one was cut, as it just doesn't seem to fit...is it just me? What the heck did you guys do till 4 am?? So sad I couldn't go...there was a glimmer of hope I could go on Sunday, but nope...there's still a glimmer for the 18th but very doubtful! There's always next year! Plus I'll probably just get pregnant again next year. That month. Like always. Too soon to get pregnant this year. haha
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Post by Mothfairy on Oct 10, 2009 21:01:07 GMT -5
Was the best metal album Grammy really in 89? Why did I think it was 87, is that wrong? Am I just on crack?
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Post by Dan on Oct 11, 2009 22:49:58 GMT -5
Was the best metal album Grammy really in 89? Why did I think it was 87, is that wrong? Am I just on crack? Your crack pipe is only half empty. The Grammy Award winning Crest Of A Knave was released in 1987, but it may have been released later in the year and eligible to qualify for the 1989 Grammy Awards which they confrontationally (?) won.
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Post by Mothfairy on Oct 12, 2009 11:00:37 GMT -5
Was the best metal album Grammy really in 89? Why did I think it was 87, is that wrong? Am I just on crack? Your crack pipe is only half empty. The Grammy Award winning Crest Of A Knave was released in 1987, but it may have been released later in the year and eligible to qualify for the 1989 Grammy Awards which they confrontationally (?) won. ohhhhh! See I don't remember and wasn't really a Tull fan then...I was probably still just a Smurf fan or some crap.... You still didn't inform me of what you guys were doing at 4 am...just partying? haha...also I have to send you a message but I'm really strapped for time so maybe later....
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 12, 2009 13:58:39 GMT -5
Holly, Dan was hilarious, especially at the end of the night, right Dan? Let's just say I was watching in awe. Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 12, 2009 14:03:08 GMT -5
Danno, that was a lot of fun, hanging out and pounding beers with you, Dennis, Kathleen, Rob and then, appearing out of nowhere.....Rachelle, Rachelle. I was laughing my ass off there at the end. Jeff P.S. Thanks for everything too, the beers, the drive back, etc. Great to meet you....let's do it again next time around, maybe in my neck of the woods, and next time I'm buying.
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 12, 2009 14:55:47 GMT -5
Here's my review of the Schenectady show. The setlist was the same as Chicago, except that instead of Back to the Family and Child in My Garden, we got Serenade to a Cuckoo and My God. Obviously, I would rather have heard the additional new song, and was disappointed that it was dropped.
Musicianship : A The musicianship all around was superb, nearly flawless playing from everyone. It was my first time seeing Florian, and he is a virtuoso on guitar, same goes for the latest hot female violinist (actually, viola-ist), Meena Bhasin. I think of the three that I have seen -- I say three because I never saw Anna Phoebe -- I liked her the best. John O'Hara was excellent on piano (maybe a bit too much accordian though) and I liked drummer Mark Mondesir's style of playing, plus he had a smile on his face the whole night.
Vocals: B- The singing was shaky at times during the first half, especially Dun Ringill and Tea with the Princess, but kept getting better and Ian really hit his stride with Rocks on the Road, which was the evening's finest performance, and during the second half his voice was uniformly good. All in all, a fairly strong vocal performance by Ian.
Acoustics and sound: A The acoustics of the Proctor Theater were excellent. This was one of the best sounding shows I've seen.
Set List: B- Good to hear some rarely performed pieces like March the Mad Scientist, Just Trying to Be and Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square, however I don't really consider Bouree and Serenade to a Cuckoo to be "acoustic" songs....they are instrumentals and should have been left out of this set, in favor of other genuinely acoustic songs, especially since they were included in the orchestral shows. Rocks on the Road was a great choice, but the thing is, I would have rather heard more acoustic material like that. Aqualung and Locomotive Breath are really not acoustic songs, they are electric. If the show were truly the acoustic Jethro Tull, it would not have included the instrumental Jethro Tull or the electric Jethro Tull. There are so many great acoustic Tull songs to choose from, so why play instrumentals and the standard electric stuff re-arranged as if they were acoustic songs? I know they are crowd pleasers, but I do not think that audiences would riot just because Aqualung, Locomotive Breath and Bouree are left out in favor of several additional great acoustic songs, like for instance, JackaLynn, Strip Cartoon, Wondring Again or Velvet Green (to name only a few).
New Material: B+ Tea with the Princess sounds like it will be a good, but not great, Tull song. The main problem is that during this performance you could not hear Ian's singing very well, and therefore could not make out the words. But without knowing the lyrics, and without hearing it sung well, it's very hard to judge the song as a whole. A Change of Horses has the potential to be a great song on the new album. Some of it is a bit reminiscent of 'A Better Moon' from SLOB, but other parts are completely different, and it is a much "better" song. Again, I was not able to make out most of the words, but I have the feeling that the song could be political in nature. Also, I don't know why Child in My Garden was not played, as Moocow commented that it was the best of the new material, so why then was it dropped? Both instrumental works by the new musicians, Mheena and Florian, were superb. My friend Rob commented, and I agree, that Mheena's viola piece, Driving Skies, would actually be a great Tull song if set to lyrics.
Stage show: C This aspect of the show was disappointing, even though Ian seemed to be in good spirits. The jokes were not that funny and some were old, like the one about the the young female violinist drinking too much booze on the tour bus, or some such nonsense, which was the same joke he made about Lucia. Also, neither the band members nor the songs themselves were given much of an introduction, aside from the stock introductions Ian has used in the past for some of the songs like Jack in the Green and Serenade for a Cuckoo. The show just seemed....sedate.
Excitement Factor: C Rob and I had front row seats, and I was very excited to see this show. Oddly, though, once the show began my excitement level abated. I think it has something to do with seeing Tull songs performed without Martin. That and also the fact that although the music was superb and the singing was (for the most part) good, it was just not a very exciting stage show. Maybe it also has something to do with knowing the basic set list in advance.
OVERALL GRADE : B-
Jeff
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Post by bobo the monkey on Oct 12, 2009 19:51:54 GMT -5
Thanks Jeff for the comprehensive, intelligent, super-lucid review...I hope I get a 3 new song nite and 'family' vs. serenade and my god.....I too would wish for a more Ian based set vs Tull war horses but so much of this set sounds relatively innovative and different, i won't complain too much. My already whetted appetite has gone up another notch...thanks again.
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Post by bobo the monkey on Oct 12, 2009 19:54:40 GMT -5
A special philosophical note to moth fairy: the question is not if your crack pipe is half full or half empty...the question is: are you holding in your hits till you see the bleeding feet of jesus?
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 12, 2009 23:39:57 GMT -5
A special philosophical note to moth fairy: the question is not if your crack pipe is half full or half empty...the question is: are you holding in your hits till you see the bleeding feet of jesus? That's a little scary, Bernie, because it sounds like it was written by someone who did hold in their hits long enough to see the bleeding feet of Jesus. Jeff
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 12, 2009 23:44:29 GMT -5
Thanks Jeff for the comprehensive, intelligent, super-lucid review...I hope I get a 3 new song nite and 'family' vs. serenade and my god.....I too would wish for a more Ian based set vs Tull war horses but so much of this set sounds relatively innovative and different, i won't complain too much. My already whetted appetite has gone up another notch...thanks again. The show was very good, despite my misgivings about the set list and excitement level. I think there will probably be more energy at the NYC show. And my B- grade for Ian's vocals was actually a good grade because I've seen shows where I would have graded his singing C, D & even F. I will let you know after Tuesday's show if they put the third new song back into the set list. Hope they do.... Jeff
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Post by bobo the monkey on Oct 13, 2009 0:09:26 GMT -5
This may belong in 'life stories' not 'concert reviews' but, yes jeff, my 25 plus years as a bike messenger included a front row seat in the substance abuse olympics...i am a model citizen and lucky second career guy but most of my former peers are 'dead or in detox'...I DID hold my crack hits till i saw the bleeding feet of jesus...not an easy trick for a jew but mind-expanding, to say the least. I figured the other board was not the place to elaborate and assure Tommy my gentle jibes about smoking crack when he posted was not meant as an insult...rather, a collegial wink....don't all you New Yorkers score a few rocks before you brush your teeth in the morning or are rap lyrics to be taken with a grain of salt?
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 13, 2009 0:30:47 GMT -5
This may belong in 'life stories' not 'concert reviews' but, yes jeff, my 25 plus years as a bike messenger included a front row seat in the substance abuse olympics...i am a model citizen and lucky second career guy but most of my former peers are 'dead or in detox'...I DID hold my crack hits till i saw the bleeding feet of jesus...not an easy trick for a jew but mind-expanding, to say the least. I figured the other board was not the place to elaborate and assure Tommy my gentle jibes about smoking crack when he posted was not meant as an insult...rather, a collegial wink....don't all you New Yorkers score a few rocks before you brush your teeth in the morning or are rap lyrics to be taken with a grain of salt? Jeez, Bernie, I'm glad you made it through that and lived to tell the tale. Not only that one, but your many Tull Tales. Jeff
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Post by TM on Oct 13, 2009 10:35:15 GMT -5
Here's my review of the Schenectady show. The setlist was the same as Chicago, except that instead of Back to the Family and Child in My Garden, we got Serenade to a Cuckoo and My God. Obviously, I would rather have heard the additional new song, and was disappointed that it was dropped. Musicianship : A The musicianship all around was superb, nearly flawless playing from everyone. It was my first time seeing Florian, and he is a virtuoso on guitar, same goes for the latest hot female violinist (actually, viola-ist), Meena Bhasin. I think of the three that I have seen -- I say three because I never saw Anna Phoebe -- I liked her the best. John O'Hara was excellent on piano (maybe a bit too much accordian though) and I liked drummer Mark Mondesir's style of playing, plus he had a smile on his face the whole night. Vocals: B- The singing was shaky at times during the first half, especially Dun Ringill and Tea with the Princess, but kept getting better and Ian really hit his stride with Rocks on the Road, which was the evening's finest performance, and during the second half his voice was uniformly good. All in all, a fairly strong vocal performance by Ian. Acoustics and sound: A The acoustics of the Proctor Theater were excellent. This was one of the best sounding shows I've seen. Set List: B- Good to hear some rarely performed pieces like March the Mad Scientist, Just Trying to Be and Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square, however I don't really consider Bouree and Serenade to a Cuckoo to be "acoustic" songs....they are instrumentals and should have been left out of this set, in favor of other genuinely acoustic songs, especially since they were included in the orchestral shows. Rocks on the Road was a great choice, but the thing is, I would have rather heard more acoustic material like that. Aqualung and Locomotive Breath are really not acoustic songs, they are electric. If the show were truly the acoustic Jethro Tull, it would not have included the instrumental Jethro Tull or the electric Jethro Tull. There are so many great acoustic Tull songs to choose from, so why play instrumentals and the standard electric stuff re-arranged as if they were acoustic songs? I know they are crowd pleasers, but I do not think that audiences would riot just because Aqualung, Locomotive Breath and Bouree are left out in favor of several additional great acoustic songs, like for instance, JackaLynn, Strip Cartoon, Wondring Again or Velvet Green (to name only a few). New Material: B+ Tea with the Princess sounds like it will be a good, but not great, Tull song. The main problem is that during this performance you could not hear Ian's singing very well, and therefore could not make out the words. But without knowing the lyrics, and without hearing it sung well, it's very hard to judge the song as a whole. A Change of Horses has the potential to be a great song on the new album. Some of it is a bit reminiscent of 'A Better Moon' from SLOB, but other parts are completely different, and it is a much "better" song. Again, I was not able to make out most of the words, but I have the feeling that the song could be political in nature. Also, I don't know why Child in My Garden was not played, as Moocow commented that it was the best of the new material, so why then was it dropped? Both instrumental works by the new musicians, Mheena and Florian, were superb. My friend Rob commented, and I agree, that Mheena's viola piece, Driving Skies, would actually be a great Tull song if set to lyrics. Stage show: C This aspect of the show was disappointing, even though Ian seemed to be in good spirits. The jokes were not that funny and some were old, like the one about the the young female violinist drinking too much booze on the tour bus, or some such nonsense, which was the same joke he made about Lucia. Also, neither the band members nor the songs themselves were given much of an introduction, aside from the stock introductions Ian has used in the past for some of the songs like Jack in the Green and Serenade for a Cuckoo. The show just seemed....sedate. Excitement Factor: C Rob and I had front row seats, and I was very excited to see this show. Oddly, though, once the show began my excitement level abated. I think it has something to do with seeing Tull songs performed without Martin. That and also the fact that although the music was superb and the singing was (for the most part) good, it was just not a very exciting stage show. Maybe it also has something to do with knowing the basic set list in advance. OVERALL GRADE : B-Jeff Thanks for a most thorough review Jeff. I think the main reason there's less excitement is because he himself is not as exciting to watch any longer. Not to take anything away from him, because it's simply nature running it's course. More on that when I have time....
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Post by Dan on Oct 13, 2009 20:08:35 GMT -5
Danno, that was a lot of fun, hanging out and pounding beers with you, Dennis, Kathleen, Rob and then, appearing out of nowhere.....Rachelle, Rachelle. I was laughing my ass off there at the end. Jeff P.S. Thanks for everything too, the beers, the drive back, etc. Great to meet you....let's do it again next time around, maybe in my neck of the woods, and next time I'm buying. Absolutely great fun! I missed this post somehow and thought I somehow pissed you guys off that I wasn't mentioned with your review. I take Rob calling me a f@#*er at least four times as a term of endearment. Rachelle , hmm, sometimes I think I have a psycho magnet in my pocket that attracts these types as I find them everywhere. Then again it may just be the water in Scumectady.
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Post by Dan on Oct 13, 2009 21:23:31 GMT -5
My review for the Proctor's Oct 9th. Show. I went in with the attitude that this was the first time I had ever seen the band and wouldn't compare to any times I saw them before. Dun Ringill was the opener and is one of my, or maybe even my favorite Tull tune and the only disappointment was that it was played first and that is usually the song they use to mix the audio together and the vocal mix was very low.
March, The Mad Scientist and Just Trying To Be exceeded my expectations and while a complaint can be made for other acoustic tunes that could have been played, there will be no complaint from me for adding these two to the list which Ian has never played live. Jack-in-The -Green was next and a much better version of Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square than they played a few years back because some of the 'acoustics' then were done by Andy Gidding's keyboards. Skating Away, Serenade To A Cuckoo and then guest violist Meena Bhasin joined the group for A Tea With The Princess. Really hard to judge the song as a whole as the vocals were virtually non-existent. I mentioned it to one of the sound guys out at the bar after the show and he asked if I mentioned that to Ian because he would get in trouble. Meena song , Driving Skies, was next with Ian accompanying on the mandolin. Fat Man and Rocks On The Road as a great tease for the second half. Someday The Sun Won't Shine For You opened the second set followed by new song, A Change Of Horses. A Change of Horses had everything you would want in a Tull song. Acoustic bits, heavy bits, and one reason I would have loved to catch the band twice this time around. It was nice to refresh my memory from YouTube and hear the original instrumental version, Celtic Cradle, but the vocal version was great and will only be better with added Martin! Remember, this was an Ian Anderson plays Tull Tour and that means that the next recording should be Tull. There weren't any songs from Ian's solo works. Nice ear by Jeff that it reminds him of A Better Moon and you can hear a touch of that from Celtic Cradle, but I am not a big fan of A Better Moon and love the new horsey one. Mother Goose, Florian acoustic guitar solo, Andantino,followed with Bouree, My God,acoustic Aqualung and Locomotive Breath for an encore.
I have been a little critical in the past few years about performance, set lists, stage show, etc. but if you go realizing that this isn't really a Tull Show and can accept the fact that a lot of the show is done sitting on stools than you should have a great time. The tunes fit Ian's vocals comfortably and the acoustic setting didn't seem to make him do the neck craning,(' turtling, ' I think Paul calls it,) like at the heavy Tull Shows.
And being almost 75 years old myself, I found myself listening to the music, and not so much watching stage antics , much to the chagrin of the over enthusiastic 54 years olds.
Found myself missing Martin, but if Ian wants to continue in this format of Anderson plays Tull without calling it Tull then I will continue to go as long as the set lists remain fresh.
So, lucky you's , who have have tickets left, enjoy the show with fresh eyes and ears, and try to soak in the new songs which may never be seen again live.
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Post by TM on Oct 13, 2009 21:35:31 GMT -5
My review for the Proctor's Oct 9th. Show. I went in with the attitude that this was the first time I had ever seen the band and wouldn't compare to any times I saw them before. Dun Ringill was the opener and is one of my, or maybe even my favorite Tull tune and the only disappointment was that it was played first and that is usually the song they use to mix the audio together and the vocal mix was very low. March, The Mad Scientist and Just Trying To Be exceeded my expectations and while a complaint can be made for other acoustic tunes that could have been played, there will be no complaint from me for adding these two to the list which Ian has never played live. Jack-in-The -Green was next and a much better version of Jeffrey Goes To Leicester Square than they played a few years back because some of the 'acoustics' then were done by Andy Gidding's keyboards. Skating Away, Serenade To A Cuckoo and then guest violist Meena Bhasin joined the group for A Tea With The Princess. Really hard to judge the song as a whole as the vocals were virtually non-existent. I mentioned it to one of the sound guys out at the bar after the show and he asked if I mentioned that to Ian because he would get in trouble. Meena song , Driving Skies, was next with Ian accompanying on the mandolin. Fat Man and Rocks On The Road as a great tease for the second half. Someday The Sun Won't Shine For You opened the second set followed by new song, A Change Of Horses. A Change of Horses had everything you would want in a Tull song. Acoustic bits, heavy bits, and one reason I would have loved to catch the band twice this time around. It was nice to refresh my memory from YouTube and hear the original instrumental version, Celtic Cradle, but the vocal version was great and will only be better with added Martin! Remember, this was an Ian Anderson plays Tull Tour and that means that the next recording should be Tull. There weren't any songs from Ian's solo works. Nice ear by Jeff that it reminds him of A Better Moon and you can hear a touch of that from Celtic Cradle, but I am not a big fan of A Better Moon and love the new horsey one. Mother Goose, Florian acoustic guitar solo, Andantino,followed with Bouree, My God,acoustic Aqualung and Locomotive Breath for an encore. I have been a little critical in the past few years about performance, set lists, stage show, etc. but if you go realizing that this isn't really a Tull Show and can accept the fact that a lot of the show is done sitting on stools than you should have a great time. The tunes fit Ian's vocals comfortably and the acoustic setting didn't seem to make him do the neck craning,(' turtling, ' I think Paul calls it,) like at the heavy Tull Shows. And being almost 75 years old myself, I found myself listening to the music, and not so much watching stage antics , much to the chagrin of the over enthusiastic 54 years olds. Found myself missing Martin, but if Ian wants to continue in this format of Anderson plays Tull without calling it Tull then I will continue to go as long as the set lists remain fresh. So, lucky you's , who have have tickets left, enjoy the show with fresh eyes and ears, and try to soak in the new songs which may never be seen again live. Thanks Dan. You're comments have me looking forward to my 'turn' this Saturday.
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Post by Dan on Oct 13, 2009 22:26:43 GMT -5
Schenectady After Show: After the Schenectady Show was over I was able to walk to the stairs of the stage where the other band members were packaging their gear. Spoke briefly with drummer, Mark Mondesir, who was very cordial and signed my ticket and guitarist, Florian also. Dave Goodier and John O'Hara were there also but I didn't talk to them. They all seemed very approachable and if you want to hang out for a minute after a show I think they will accommodate you. I heard Ian mention later that Florian is from Germany and really wants to meet people . I don't know what kind of people he meant though. An off duty police office friend of mine, doing security was able to get me an After Show pass to meet Ian and went to the loading platform with 5 others.
Ian (beer in hand) and Shona walked past us to load something into their Toyota. (No limo, hint for the groupies). Ian was pretty much as I thought he would be, gruff, aloof stating, "So, who am I supposed to meeting here?" No one stepped up and I handed him a program and he said, 'Oh, you want me to sign something". I just said ,'Thanks for the years and really hope to hear 'Tea and A Change Of Horses on vinyl or whatever soon.' He said he actually had put some time aside in November for recording but the 'other guys 'can't make it. I didn't follow up with 'which guys?' and only hope this doesn't push back a new recording further. Ian moved on and I told his wife, Shona ,that I would rather have her autograph anyway. She said it wouldn't be worth much, but I told her I wouldn't sell it anyway. I asked if she was sick of all the touring and she replied, "No, not really. Just the hotel pillows. I have a real pain in my neck right now." I said, "Are you sure that's not because of Ian?" Went across the parking lot to a little bar where I bought a beer for a few of the road crew/sound guy/big tall merchandise guys that Ian mentions by name.
Spent the next 4 hours sitting and chatting with Jeff (fat man ) who isn't as fat as me by the way, his buddy Rob,(bastard was able to get Ian to sign a baseball, which I really wanted and proof these are the guys with connections.) Rob signed a baseball for me in my car and now that I have his signature, all I need is one of his blank checks. They introduced me to Dennis and Kathleen and we sat in this little dump and just talked about Tull and other crap all night. Either Rob or Jeff have a tapeworm as they were hungry when I met them before the show and hungry afterward. What a suck butt place where we can't find food at 3:30 A.M. All late night diners closed on my wedding day when they lost my support. Paul and Hols, wish you were here and deliberately left the kids home for this one. Jeff, great meeting you and Rob, glad you made it home safe, (me ,too) and take comfort in knowing that 4 days later I'm still, 'Sleeping With The Dog'
Dan
P.S. Jeff's nickname for a double whopper is Rachelle
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Post by Mothfairy on Oct 13, 2009 22:30:39 GMT -5
Here's my review of the Schenectady show. The setlist was the same as Chicago, except that instead of Back to the Family and Child in My Garden, we got Serenade to a Cuckoo and My God. Obviously, I would rather have heard the additional new song, and was disappointed that it was dropped. Musicianship : A The musicianship all around was superb, nearly flawless playing from everyone. It was my first time seeing Florian, and he is a virtuoso on guitar, same goes for the latest hot female violinist (actually, viola-ist), Meena Bhasin. I think of the three that I have seen -- I say three because I never saw Anna Phoebe -- I liked her the best. John O'Hara was excellent on piano (maybe a bit too much accordian though) and I liked drummer Mark Mondesir's style of playing, plus he had a smile on his face the whole night. Vocals: B- The singing was shaky at times during the first half, especially Dun Ringill and Tea with the Princess, but kept getting better and Ian really hit his stride with Rocks on the Road, which was the evening's finest performance, and during the second half his voice was uniformly good. All in all, a fairly strong vocal performance by Ian. Acoustics and sound: A The acoustics of the Proctor Theater were excellent. This was one of the best sounding shows I've seen. Set List: B- Good to hear some rarely performed pieces like March the Mad Scientist, Just Trying to Be and Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square, however I don't really consider Bouree and Serenade to a Cuckoo to be "acoustic" songs....they are instrumentals and should have been left out of this set, in favor of other genuinely acoustic songs, especially since they were included in the orchestral shows. Rocks on the Road was a great choice, but the thing is, I would have rather heard more acoustic material like that. Aqualung and Locomotive Breath are really not acoustic songs, they are electric. If the show were truly the acoustic Jethro Tull, it would not have included the instrumental Jethro Tull or the electric Jethro Tull. There are so many great acoustic Tull songs to choose from, so why play instrumentals and the standard electric stuff re-arranged as if they were acoustic songs? I know they are crowd pleasers, but I do not think that audiences would riot just because Aqualung, Locomotive Breath and Bouree are left out in favor of several additional great acoustic songs, like for instance, JackaLynn, Strip Cartoon, Wondring Again or Velvet Green (to name only a few). New Material: B+ Tea with the Princess sounds like it will be a good, but not great, Tull song. The main problem is that during this performance you could not hear Ian's singing very well, and therefore could not make out the words. But without knowing the lyrics, and without hearing it sung well, it's very hard to judge the song as a whole. A Change of Horses has the potential to be a great song on the new album. Some of it is a bit reminiscent of 'A Better Moon' from SLOB, but other parts are completely different, and it is a much "better" song. Again, I was not able to make out most of the words, but I have the feeling that the song could be political in nature. Also, I don't know why Child in My Garden was not played, as Moocow commented that it was the best of the new material, so why then was it dropped? Both instrumental works by the new musicians, Mheena and Florian, were superb. My friend Rob commented, and I agree, that Mheena's viola piece, Driving Skies, would actually be a great Tull song if set to lyrics. Stage show: C This aspect of the show was disappointing, even though Ian seemed to be in good spirits. The jokes were not that funny and some were old, like the one about the the young female violinist drinking too much booze on the tour bus, or some such nonsense, which was the same joke he made about Lucia. Also, neither the band members nor the songs themselves were given much of an introduction, aside from the stock introductions Ian has used in the past for some of the songs like Jack in the Green and Serenade for a Cuckoo. The show just seemed....sedate. Excitement Factor: C Rob and I had front row seats, and I was very excited to see this show. Oddly, though, once the show began my excitement level abated. I think it has something to do with seeing Tull songs performed without Martin. That and also the fact that although the music was superb and the singing was (for the most part) good, it was just not a very exciting stage show. Maybe it also has something to do with knowing the basic set list in advance. OVERALL GRADE : B-Jeff Thanks for a most thorough review Jeff. I think the main reason there's less excitement is because he himself is not as exciting to watch any longer. Not to take anything away from him, because it's simply nature running it's course. More on that when I have time.... There was less excitement because WE WERE NOT THERE! Thanks for the reviews gentlemen....Interesting.... Never heard Rocks on the Road live....
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Post by Mothfairy on Oct 13, 2009 22:43:34 GMT -5
Schenectady After Show: After the Schenectady Show was over I was able to walk to the stairs of the stage where the other band members were packaging their gear. Spoke briefly with drummer, Mark Mondesir, who was very cordial and signed my ticket and guitarist, Florian also. Dave Goodier and John O'Hara were there also but I didn't talk to them. They all seemed very approachable and if you want to hang out for a minute after a show I think they will accommodate you. I heard Ian mention later that Florian is from Germany and really wants to meet people . I don't know what kind of people he meant though. An off duty police office friend of mine, doing security was able to get me an After Show pass to meet Ian and went to the loading platform with 5 others. Ian (beer in hand) and Shona walked past us to load something into their Toyota. (No limo, hint for the groupies). Ian was pretty much as I thought he would be, gruff, aloof stating, "So, who am I supposed to meeting here?" No one stepped up and I handed him a program and he said, 'Oh, you want me to sign something". I just said ,'Thanks for the years and really hope to hear 'Tea and A Change Of Horses on vinyl or whatever soon.' He said he actually had put some time aside in November for recording but the 'other guys 'can't make it. I didn't follow up with 'which guys?' and only hope this doesn't push back a new recording further. Ian moved on and I told his wife, Shona ,that I would rather have her autograph anyway. She said it wouldn't be worth much, but I told her I wouldn't sell it anyway. I asked if she was sick of all the touring and she replied, "No, not really. Just the hotel pillows. I have a real pain in my neck right now." I said, "Are you sure that's not because of Ian?" Went across the parking lot to a little bar where I bought a beer for a few of the road crew/sound guy/big tall merchandise guys that Ian mentions by name. Spent the next 4 hours sitting and chatting with Jeff (fat man ) who isn't as fat as me by the way, his buddy Rob,(bastard was able to get Ian to sign a baseball, which I really wanted and proof these are the guys with connections.) Rob signed a baseball for me in my car and now that I have his signature, all I need is one of his blank checks. They introduced me to Dennis and Kathleen and we sat in this little dump and just talked about Tull and other crap all night. Either Rob or Jeff have a tapeworm as they were hungry when I met them before the show and hungry afterward. What a suck butt place where we can't find food at 3:30 A.M. All late night diners closed on my wedding day when they lost my support. Paul and Hols, wish you were here and deliberately left the kids home for this one. Jeff, great meeting you and Rob, glad you made it home safe, (me ,too) and take comfort in knowing that 4 days later I'm still, 'Sleeping With The Dog' Dan P.S. Jeff's nickname for a double whopper is Rachelle Well. If IA believed you were a fan you've got one up on me. ha. Sorry, couldn't leave my boy he's still attached to the boob. I'm always hungry too because I have my own little parasite (Griffy)
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Post by Mothfairy on Oct 13, 2009 22:49:04 GMT -5
A special philosophical note to moth fairy: the question is not if your crack pipe is half full or half empty...the question is: are you holding in your hits till you see the bleeding feet of jesus? That's a little scary, Bernie, because it sounds like it was written by someone who did hold in their hits long enough to see the bleeding feet of Jesus. Jeff Seriously! I really haven't done crack...when I hear the word 'crack' it just reminds me I should pull my pants up. I be a redneck..
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 14, 2009 1:14:10 GMT -5
Jeff, great meeting you and Rob, glad you made it home safe, (me ,too) and take comfort in knowing that 4 days later I'm still, 'Sleeping With The Dog' Dan P.S. Jeff's nickname for a double whopper is Rachelle Hey, Dan, it wasn't the back of MY neck that she kept wanting to kiss.
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Post by Nonfatman on Oct 14, 2009 1:23:07 GMT -5
Just got back from the Beacon show and after-party. Some differences for the better in the stage presentation and much more energy. Acoustics were not quite as good as Schenectady, but vocals were as good, if not better (except for Skating Away and Tea with Princess.) Unfortunately, no Child in My Garden and even worse, Just Trying to Be was dropped for.....I can't even bear to say it.....G, Gri, Grim, Griminelli's Lament. Introduced in the same way as he has done, with the same "bigger flute" joke, for the last nine years. Full review by tomorrow night.
Jeff
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