Saw Ian Anderson Saturday Night

[taliesin]

I call it the "Paying My Debt back to Jethro" Tour.

I call it the wanting to have it both ways tour - it's not Jethro Tull (the band) but look! it's Jethro Tull!

[BravadoNJ]

Rupi's Dance had a few really good songs on it. i saw him when he toured for this. it was a very unconventional show. it was set up like a sleezy talk show and Ian was the guest. he would be interviewed and occasionally walk over to the band and perform a song. i hated the whole concept. he did about 4 or 5 Tull songs, but not the essentials.

[Nightingalesandbombers]

Saw the show in Cincinnati last night. Really enjoyed it. Set list was great. Only complaint was using new music for an encore after the crowd went wild during Locomotive Breath. Still would highly recommend!

[SteveSly]

Rupi's Dance had a few really good songs on it. i saw him when he toured for this. it was a very unconventional show. it was set up like a sleezy talk show and Ian was the guest. he would be interviewed and occasionally walk over to the band and perform a song. i hated the whole concept. he did about 4 or 5 Tull songs, but not the essentials.

That was the "Rubbing Elbows" tour. I actually really enjoyed that one. It was certainly a different concept.

[SteveSly]

Saw the show in Cincinnati last night. Really enjoyed it. Set list was great. Only complaint was using new music for an encore after the crowd went wild during Locomotive Breath. Still would highly recommend!

I found the encore to be an odd choice as well. Same thing happened in Grand Rapids. They really killed it on Locomotive Breath. The whole crowd was up and on it's feet and there was a lot of energy in the room. Then.....then encore kind of took the air out of the balloon a bit. Not a bad song, but just seemed like an odd choice.

[Facelift]

That was the "Rubbing Elbows" tour. I actually really enjoyed that one. It was certainly a different concept.

I didn't see it, but that's the kind of thing I that I admire and encourage from "legacy" artists. Doing something different and unexpected takes guts and artistic determination, because you'll always get a bigger paying audience by trucking out the same old songs the same old way, over and over again.

[syncopatico]

That was the "Rubbing Elbows" tour. I actually really enjoyed that one. It was certainly a different concept.

Speaking of the 'Rubbing Elbows Tour' there was an FM broadcast from the concert at the State Theater (in Kalamazoo, MI) in 2002--which I see is where you are located--so I hope you have a copy of that broadcast! I thought that was the last time Ian's voice sounded really *good* but it was an acoustic show after all so he didn't have to 'shout' over an electric band. Funny stuff: they handed out kazoos to people in the audience to play along to on the encore of Locomotive Breath: "No way to KAZOOOOOO!" The only thing I find annoying was how clueless the local Kalamazoo djs who hosted the show were--you're probably familiar with those guys--one of them referred to "Fat Man" as "Fat Man In The Bathtub" (i.e. the Little Feat song) as well as other painful misstatements. oh well!!

[SteveSly]

Speaking of the 'Rubbing Elbows Tour' there was an FM broadcast from the concert at the State Theater (in Kalamazoo, MI) in 2002--which I see is where you are located--so I hope you have a copy of that broadcast! I thought that was the last time Ian's voice sounded really *good* but it was an acoustic show after all so he didn't have to 'shout' over an electric band. Funny stuff: they handed out kazoos to people in the audience to play along to on the encore of Locomotive Breath: "No way to KAZOOOOOO!" The only thing I find annoying was how clueless the local Kalamazoo djs who hosted the show were--you're probably familiar with those guys--one of them referred to "Fat Man" as "Fat Man In The Bathtub" (i.e. the Little Feat song) as well as other painful misstatements. oh well!!

Yes I was at that show. Somewhere along the line Peter Renfro gave me a CD bootleg of the show, that is recorded really well. I have not listened to it in a while, but need to dig it out. Yes, I remember the Kazoo thing. It was actually a really good night. The State Theater is a perfect venue for a show like that and Ian did sound pretty good. If I remember correctly the DJ’s were from two different radio stations, one here in Kalamazoo and the other in Grand Rapids. They are both morning drive time guys who think they are a lot funnier than they actually are.

Great memories!

[bRETT]

Saw the show in Cincinnati last night. Really enjoyed it. Set list was great. Only complaint was using new music for an encore after the crowd went wild during Locomotive Breath. Still would highly recommend!

That's actually a never-performed track from Minstrel in the Gallery (with some new instrumental stuff attached).

[wilcox660]

Rupi's Dance had a few really good songs on it. i saw him when he toured for this. it was a very unconventional show. it was set up like a sleezy talk show and Ian was the guest. he would be interviewed and occasionally walk over to the band and perform a song. i hated the whole concept. he did about 4 or 5 Tull songs, but not the essentials.

Certainly did more than 4 or 5. Most of the show was music & some was interview unless you got the only night on the entire world tour that differed.

[wilcox660]

Rubbing Elbows tour - Easton, PA gig:
In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff, Life Is A Long Song, Skating Away..., Thick As A Brick/Up The 'Pool/Cheap Day Return/Mother Goose, Fat Man, Griminelli's Lament, Montserrat, Bourée - [Interval] - A Christmas Song, Boris Dancing, Shallow (Ricky Bell & Ian), Laugh with Me (Mary Youngblood & Ian), Circular Breathing, The Stormont Shuffle, Dun Ringill, Dot Com, Living In The Past, Locomotive Breath - 13 Tull songs there

Ridgefield, CT gig:
In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff, Life Is A Long Song, Skating Away..., Thick As A Brick/Up The 'Pool, Cheap Day Return/Mother Goose, Fat Man, Montserrat, Bourée - [Interval] - A Christmas Song, Boris Dancing, Turn Around Again (Jeremy Scott w. Ian & band), Circular Breathing, The Stormont Shuffle, Bourée (Shannyn May w. Ian), Hitchin' A Ride (Shannyn May; 15 sec. only)Dun Ringill, Dot Com, Living In The Past, Locomotive Breath - 13 Tull songs + repeat of Bouree

[Werbinox]

Saw the show at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Oddly enough (and I certainly didn't expect this) I thought it was one of the best times I have seen Ian perform out of the 6 or so times I have experienced throughout the years. It helps that the Fox has quite the atmosphere going for it, another world like the one Vampyre Ian chases Aqualung thru during the "Sweet Dream" nightmare sequence on the Slipstream Videocassette. The band is all the same people from TaaB 2, and they are in top form. The movie, tho a little hard to follow in terms of story line (I solved this problem by not trying to follow it, just letting it be at times weird, visually unifying imagery / background for the music) gave the whole thing a kind of psychedelic quality, with super-English imagery of chaps in fields and the vocalist-chick singing in a cottage mixed with swirling DNA strands, Ryan O'Donnell all demonic singing "Wind Up" before a Charterhouse-type school; at one point during a guitar solo a huge silhouette of the guitarist appeared on the screen, jamming out, and it looked so weird and cool it triggered a quasi-flashback! and "Locomotive Breath" was rendered more frenetic than ever by the runaway train POV. Ian sang a lot more than I was expecting, and I thought he did fairly good, better even than when I saw him for the Taab shows. His musicianship is still impeccable, as is the rest of the bands. The real winning point, to me, was the song list: how can you lose opening with "Heavy Horses"? "Wind Up" sounded pretty damn heavy and even scary, just the way I like it! "With You There to Help Me" and "Witches Promise" were positively enchanting with the woods imagery going on behind it, and "Songs from the Wood" just plain smoked. Along with "Jack in the Green", "Back to the Family" off of Stand Up, a brilliantly played "Weathercock" and "A New Day Yesterday", I got my old school Tull fix on way more than I expected. The entire show was about as good as I could have hoped for, and a good deal better than I expected. There was even a moment of rowdiness when a probably-drunk douchebag sitting a few seats away from us yelled out "Play something we know!" during a quiet moment after one of the new songs (which were on the whole enjoyable and interesting and not too long, playing their part in the over-all context of the story) Ian went into "Cheap Day Return", one of my favorite of his acoustic songs, and when it was over, during all the applause, some other guy from some other dark recess of the theatre yelled out "did you know that one?" to the douchebag, who promptly got up with his (probably long suffering) girlfriend and left to the laughter of the audience. The last encore was a hybrid of "Requiem" off of Minstrel in the Gallery, a theme from one of the new songs, and "Bouree". With the exception of just one of the new songs that seemed a little weak, the entire show was fun and entertaining with some blow-away moments from start to finish. A great way for me to see and hear Ian, with arguably one of his best post-70's era bands, for what is more than likely the last time. I don't know tho. He may outlive us all.

[Werbinox]

Hell, even "Aqualung" seemed more effective and enjoyable than usual, coming early on like it did. After the song was over many people got up from their seats and left. It was weird. I thought "are you people so programmed to leave after Aqualung that you don't realize its just 3 songs into the show, or is it really the only thing you came to hear?" I'm guessing the latter. Those seats were expensive, too. To pay a couple hundred $$ and then leave 3 songs in cuz Aqualung has already been played? Some people just have money to burn! On another note, it is cool to hear people singing along with "Wind Up", something I noticed the only other time I heard Ian perform this song back during the Crest of a Knave tour. "Lick the boots of death / born out of fear!"

[BravadoNJ]

Rubbing Elbows tour - Easton, PA gig:
In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff, Life Is A Long Song, Skating Away..., Thick As A Brick/Up The 'Pool/Cheap Day Return/Mother Goose, Fat Man, Griminelli's Lament, Montserrat, Bourée - [Interval] - A Christmas Song, Boris Dancing, Shallow (Ricky Bell & Ian), Laugh with Me (Mary Youngblood & Ian), Circular Breathing, The Stormont Shuffle, Dun Ringill, Dot Com, Living In The Past, Locomotive Breath - 13 Tull songs there

Ridgefield, CT gig:
In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff, Life Is A Long Song, Skating Away..., Thick As A Brick/Up The 'Pool, Cheap Day Return/Mother Goose, Fat Man, Montserrat, Bourée - [Interval] - A Christmas Song, Boris Dancing, Turn Around Again (Jeremy Scott w. Ian & band), Circular Breathing, The Stormont Shuffle, Bourée (Shannyn May w. Ian), Hitchin' A Ride (Shannyn May; 15 sec. only)Dun Ringill, Dot Com, Living In The Past, Locomotive Breath - 13 Tull songs + repeat of Bouree

ok, well maybe 6 or 7 worthwhile Tull songs. i saw him in NY and he didn't do all of those you mentioned. more solo stuff. or maybe i just don't remember... the format annoyed me.

[SteveSly]

Saw the show at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Oddly enough (and I certainly didn't expect this) I thought it was one of the best times I have seen Ian perform out of the 6 or so times I have experienced throughout the years. It helps that the Fox has quite the atmosphere going for it, another world like the one Vampyre Ian chases Aqualung thru during the "Sweet Dream" nightmare sequence on the Slipstream Videocassette. The band is all the same people from TaaB 2, and they are in top form. The movie, tho a little hard to follow in terms of story line (I solved this problem by not trying to follow it, just letting it be at times weird, visually unifying imagery / background for the music) gave the whole thing a kind of psychedelic quality, with super-English imagery of chaps in fields and the vocalist-chick singing in a cottage mixed with swirling DNA strands, Ryan O'Donnell all demonic singing "Wind Up" before a Charterhouse-type school; at one point during a guitar solo a huge silhouette of the guitarist appeared on the screen, jamming out, and it looked so weird and cool it triggered a quasi-flashback! and "Locomotive Breath" was rendered more frenetic than ever by the runaway train POV. Ian sang a lot more than I was expecting, and I thought he did fairly good, better even than when I saw him for the Taab shows. His musicianship is still impeccable, as is the rest of the bands. The real winning point, to me, was the song list: how can you lose opening with "Heavy Horses"? "Wind Up" sounded pretty damn heavy and even scary, just the way I like it! "With You There to Help Me" and "Witches Promise" were positively enchanting with the woods imagery going on behind it, and "Songs from the Wood" just plain smoked. Along with "Jack in the Green", "Back to the Family" off of Stand Up, a brilliantly played "Weathercock" and "A New Day Yesterday", I got my old school Tull fix on way more than I expected. The entire show was about as good as I could have hoped for, and a good deal better than I expected. There was even a moment of rowdiness when a probably-drunk douchebag sitting a few seats away from us yelled out "Play something we know!" during a quiet moment after one of the new songs (which were on the whole enjoyable and interesting and not too long, playing their part in the over-all context of the story) Ian went into "Cheap Day Return", one of my favorite of his acoustic songs, and when it was over, during all the applause, some other guy from some other dark recess of the theatre yelled out "did you know that one?" to the douchebag, who promptly got up with his (probably long suffering) girlfriend and left to the laughter of the audience. The last encore was a hybrid of "Requiem" off of Minstrel in the Gallery, a theme from one of the new songs, and "Bouree". With the exception of just one of the new songs that seemed a little weak, the entire show was fun and entertaining with some blow-away moments from start to finish. A great way for me to see and hear Ian, with arguably one of his best post-70's era bands, for what is more than likely the last time. I don't know tho. He may outlive us all.

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading your take on the show.

[SteveSly]

Hell, even "Aqualung" seemed more effective and enjoyable than usual, coming early on like it did. After the song was over many people got up from their seats and left. It was weird. I thought "are you people so programmed to leave after Aqualung that you don't realize its just 3 songs into the show, or is it really the only thing you came to hear?" I'm guessing the latter. Those seats were expensive, too. To pay a couple hundred $$ and then leave 3 songs in cuz Aqualung has already been played? Some people just have money to burn! On another note, it is cool to hear people singing along with "Wind Up", something I noticed the only other time I heard Ian perform this song back during the Crest of a Knave tour. "Lick the boots of death / born out of fear!"

As I mentioned in my "clueless audience" thread there were several people who left half way through the first set at the show I was at too. Very strange......