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Jethro Tull with Anna =
Phoebe &=20
Orchestra - 30/31st March 2007 Current mood: =
tired Category: Music=20
Right then, here we go again..... another =
Tull tour,=20
another Tull blog. These two Tull shows I had a =
real=20
sense of anticipation for, as they were to be my =
first=20
proper acoustic Tull gigs, and about bloody time =
too=20
:-)

The set lists were the same for both nights =
so=20
although I'm merging this all into one review, =
we are=20
talking about two gigs here, Friday March 30 =
&=20
Saturday 31st 2007 to be precise.
So fast forward to lights out and Ian & =
Martin=20
taking to the stage alone for the set opener, =
Some Day=20
the Sun Won't Shine For you. Ian =
plays a mean=20
harmonica and if you're interested enough to get =
this=20
far in the blog you'll certainly know about =
Martin's=20
guitar playing, so no surprises to hear this was =
a=20
little gem and a great way to open the show, =
really=20
setting the mood for the first half.

Next up was the 'hit', Living In The Past =
which I=20
kinda love again after not really caring for it =
much up=20
until the last few years. Pretty =
much the=20
same arrangement as recent tours but very cool=20
nonetheless, I love the big finish to this =
version,=20
absolutely classic Tull and always gets a good=20
reaction.
Now forgive me a bit here but despite two =
shows in as=20
many nights the old memory is not quite as =
encyclopeadic=20
as it should be and we may have got Pavanne next =
which=20
was a straight run through of the recorded =
version or=20
that may have been a bit later in the first half =
and=20
instead we had the arrival of...Anna Phoebe.

I've been fortunate enough to have seen all =
of the=20
lovely ladies Tull have had as special guest =
violin=20
players and so far had been pretty impressed =
with both=20
Lucia Micarelli & Ann Marie Calhoun. By =
impressed I=20
mean I thought they were both brilliant =
musicians and=20
the music they brought to the Tull shows without =
exception went down really well with me =
(particularly=20
Lucia's 'She Is Like The Swallow' & =
Ann-Marie's=20
'Bluegrass In The Backwoods') so I was kinda =
interested=20
to see what Anna Phoebe was going to bring =
to the=20
show. So=20
she takes to the stage and we are treated to the =
tile=20
track of her debut CD, Gypsy. And what a killer =
tune and=20
a rocking performance! I'd describe her style as =
more=20
rock oriented playing with a middle-eastern kind =
of feel=20
(I've added a clip from gypsy as the song =
on my=20
page so give it a go, and send Anna an add!) =
Really cool=20
stuff and if I forget to mention this later some =
of her=20
more background playing accompanying some of the =
Tull=20
material gave it a real edge and a different =
feel too.=20

The running order may be a bit out from now =
so I'll=20
try to carry on track by track.......
Katerina's Tune: Another Anna tune that =
showed her=20
more mellow & melodic side with good =
interplay=20
between her & John O'Hara. Good tune =
(think=20
I'll treat myself to copy of Anna's CD & if =
Mr=20
O'Hara is a new name to you, more of the new =
Tull guys=20
later!)
Life's A Long Song - Have I mentioned these =
shows=20
were to be with an orchestra yet? No? Well =
this is=20
where they took to the stage and what better =
Tull song=20
is there for an orchestral =
accompaniment? Played=20
just like the original version and absolutely =
fabulous=20
for it! They never at any point overwhelmed the =
band or=20
for that matter got drowned out by them but just =
coloured the arrangements and gave the =
whole sound=20
a real boost.
King Henry's Madrigal / Pass Time In Good =
Company -=20
The old Tull minor classic dusted down and =
played as=20
originally recorded, nicely done with a real =
groove. You=20
could do air conducting or air guitar to this =
baby,=20
whatever takes your fancy.
Jack In The Green - Always a real treat =
to hear=20
this one, just a classic acoustic Tull song =
and in=20
the format of this show, just HAD to be =
done!
Mo'z Art - Hmm, I think I'm kinda done with =
this one=20
now. Ian always introduces this by saying =
he's not=20
a big fan of Mozart and finds he's a bit of a =
flowery=20
bugger. And guess what? I enjoyed this the first =
couple=20
of times and I thought it worked great at St =
Brides but=20
now, surprise surprise, I find it just a bit too =
bloody=20
flowery!
Fat man - Moving swiftly on from the flowery =
bits we=20
come straight to what was maybe song of both =
nights for=20
me. This I think is acoustic Tull at their =
very=20
best. You know it, I know it so I won't =
waffle on=20
about it, just utterly utterly brilliant!

Bouree - Brought the first half of the set to =
a close=20
and I must confess I did kind of cruise =
through=20
this a little as it's familiar to the extreme =
now. Thus=20
ends the first half of the set and before you go =
off for=20
your interval pint and quick jimmy a word or two =
about=20
the players.....
1. Ian's=20
voice was the best I have heard it since way =
back by=20
some margin. Some of the big rock singing like =
Aqualung=20
& My God are still beyond him but a times I =
really=20
genuinely thought he sounded like the IA of old. =
He=20
did, I felt, get a little ruffled by the =
second set=20
on Saturday by the heckling that seems to be =
creeping in=20
lately by some of those miserable tossers who =
really=20
should stay at home but on the whole he was on =
top form=20
and as always his playing was absolutely =
impeccable.=20
2. The Orchestra worked really well, =
they never=20
took over any of the songs, just added some =
colour to=20
the arrangements if that makes sense. And, dare =
I say=20
it, Aqualung in its original form was never my =
favourite=20
Tull song, I MUCH prefer the new arrangement to =
the=20
classic.
3. Anna Phoebe - She has a very=20
different style to Lucia, she plays the violin =
much more=20
like a rock instrument than a classical one and =
Gypsy is=20
just a darned cool tune. Loved her playing and =
her=20
lively, sassy performance. Anna rocks!
4. =
Martin=20
played great (when does he ever not) and seemed =
to be=20
really enjoying himself. Considering he is=20
known as the electric player in Tull his guitar =
style=20
transferred really well to the acoustic guitar.=20
He comes across as such an unassuming =
guy and=20
never really 'shows off' that I do find it hard =
to=20
describe what Martn Barre does so brilliantly, =
just one=20
of the greatest guitar players, nothing =
more!
5.=20
David Goodier and John O Hara.....great =
musicians, they=20
did a fine job and fit in with the Tull style =
really=20
well, particularly DG who just seems like a =
jolly nice=20
man in the way dear old Dave Pegg used to be =
with Tull.=20
I haven't decided if John O'Hara plays a great =
deadpan=20
role or if he is just a musical nerd with no =
personality=20
but no doubt time will tell (my instinct tells =
me it's A=20
so I'm kinda digging him too!)
6. Young =
master=20
James Duncan is a much improved drummer to the =
rather=20
clumsy tub thumper I thought of him when he =
first played=20
with Ian/Tull. Daddy =
must have=20
nagging him to practice hard because although I =
still=20
want Doane back, credit where it's due the boy =
did good!=20
Round=20
two....and what a way to start!
Dun=20
Ringill - Just Ian & Martin (on Bazouki) =
again.=20
Another great Tull acoustic song and one of my =
all time=20
favourite Tull acoustic songs, lovely & =
great=20
singing from Ian. A classic Tull tune that's =
sits nicely=20
within his recent vocal range.

99 Lives -=20
Another Anna Phoebe tune and a great tune too, =
cool=20
stuff and again a snippet can be heard on her =
myspace=20
page. (what happened to the mean pink 6 string =
thing on=20
Saturday btw? That was one rock n roll=20
fiddle!)
Thick As a=20
Brick - Another tull classic (no shortage of =
these in=20
the second half) and brilliant with the =
orchestra, very=20
true to the classic live arrangement but Anna =
and the=20
orchestra really beefed it up and made it epic. =
And =
surprisingly=20
a while since I'd heard it live too!

Aqualung =E2=80=93=20
Now here's a song reinvented if ever I heard =
one! I've=20
already mentioned this above but I must =
reiterate that=20
IMO the new orchestral Aqualung knocks the spots =
of the=20
original. If =
you've already=20
heard it, you'll know where I'm coming from but =
if not=20
you're in for a treat folks. This is =
how rock=20
songs should be done by an orchestra, up there =
with Fat=20
Man and Dun Ringill as song of the=20
night!
America =
=E2=80=93 this=20
was the West=20
Side =
story=20
toon done in a very similar arrangement that The =
Nice=20
did all those years ago with other excerpts from =
the=20
musical thrown in during the middle section. It =
was=20
pretty good and certainly showcased Tulls & =
Anna's=20
talent but apart from the main theme which =
stomped along=20
nicely the more intricate sections and 'clever =
bits'=20
just weren't that involving for me. I did go =
home on the=20
Friday night humming it tho' so it can't have =
been that=20
bad!
My God =E2=80=93=20
Another tune that's dare I say it a tad over =
familiar in=20
the set now but again given a kick up the pants =
by Anna=20
and the orchestra. Never one of my favourite =
tull tunes=20
tho (I found it just a bit too riffy and =
plodding )=20
Although the arrangement was pretty much the =
same as=20
recent tours I liked the way it was given that =
sense of=20
drama and a bigger sound by the extra musicians, =
particularly as it's a big riff song in parts =
and I=20
think just the band on their own and Martin =
playing big=20
rock chords on an acoustic guitar wouldn't have =
had the=20
same impact.
And to=20
close the =
set=E2=80=A6=E2=80=A6..
Budapest =
=E2=80=93 Oh man,=20
Budapest! Just=20
brilliant, live this could well be my favourite =
classic=20
Tull song and I think of all the Tull 'hits' =
this one=20
stands out for me as just not sounding like the =
band=20
playing an old song. So that's 4 song of the =
nights=20
now?! Anyway, the fact that they play this so =
well gives=20
me real hope that all the ingredients to make a =
great=20
Tull album for this century are still there. Any =
time=20
you're ready Ian J =
Encore
Locomotive=20
Breath =E2=80=93 At this point in the gig the =
critical review=20
bit becomes irrelevant doesn't it? Suffice to =
say this=20
is the bit where you get your backside out of =
your seat=20
and have a bit of an old mans' boogie! No =
Protect And=20
Survive instrumental and surprisingly no =
balloons either=20
so a bit of an abrupt ending but I'm sure the =
more=20
casual fans wouldn't have noticed.

So there=20
you go, another couple of nights spent in the =
company of=20
Tull. For how many years have I left a Tull gig =
and=20
thought 'Is This going to be my last?' but bless =
'em and=20
Ian's relentless work ethic they just keep =
coming back!=20
Although I do have the luxury of not worrying =
about that=20
this time as we've booked tickets to see them at =
the=20
Acoustic festival Of Great Britain in July (or =
whatever=20
it's called!) Apart from a couple of minor blips =
on an=20
otherwise spotless record no one has ever come =
close to=20
the quality of musicianship and entertainment =
that Tull=20
have provided me at gigs for the last 25 years =
(bloody=20
hell, I just counted that on my =
fingers).

TULL ARE=20
MY=20
=
BAND!
2:23=20
PM - 5=20
Comments - 6=20
Kudos - Add=20
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