Ian Anderson is no spring chicken, but he’s still fit as a fiddle.
He prances around the stage like a flighty youngling, skipping around in joy. Unfortunately though, his 67-year-old vocal cords are not keeping up with his employment.
His once sonorous, exemplary British timbre weakens as the years inevitably go on, leaving him more and more reliant on his young, co-vocalist Ryan O’Donnelly, to pick-up the pieces with his show-bizzy character.
Ian’s prodigious personality was also bracketed by a theatrical band dramatising in a rock-opera themed asylum setting aided by screen-projections with comedic videos. It was almost cabaretesque.
The night was split into two sets. Opening the show was the Irish-folk influenced Ian Anderson songs: ‘Doggerland’, 'Enter The Uninvited’, 'The Engineer’ and the somewhat serious, 'Banker Bets Baker Wins’. But these tunes tempted little response from the middle-aged crowd and their accompanying sons.It wasn’t until the second act, the Jethro Tull set, that the audience ramped-up the cheers – and rightfully so. From the very start of the second act the sound mix was better, the tempo and mood of the room changed – the real show had begun.
Jethro Tull songs swooned the assuming audience with 'With You There To Help Me', 'Sweet Dream’, 'Farm On The Freeway’, ‘Aqualung’ and to finish, with a standing ovation, the ultimate progressive rock encore, 'Locomotive Breath’.
All in all, it was a very good rock show. Sure, it had its peculiarities and drawbacks, but you can’t look past Ian’s incredible ability to communicate with his enticing flute and energetic ways. Next time he comes to town I’ll take my son along. After all Jethro Tull was there at the origins of the progressive-rock movement, which has inspired so many of yesterdays bands and the modern groups of today.
Jethro Tull Set List
DoggerlandEnter The Uninvited
The Engineer
Thick As A Brick, Part 1 (Jethro Tull song)
Banker Bets, Banker Wins
Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die (Jethro Tull song)
Bourée (Jethro Tull song)
Act 2
Living In The Past (Jethro Tull song)With You There To Help Me (Jethro Tull song)
Sweet Dream (Jethro Tull song)
Teacher (Jethro Tull song)
Critique Oblique (Jethro Tull song)
Songs From The Wood (Jethro Tull song)
Farm On The Freeway (Jethro Tull song)
Aqualung (Jethro Tull song)
