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Post by Shutter Girl on Oct 6, 2006 8:32:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the Keswick review, CG! And welcome to you, I hope you feel comfortable to contribute anywhere here anytime. The last time you saw Ian he was in his heyday, were you at all surprised by the difference in his performance this time?
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Post by MaxQuad on Oct 6, 2006 21:16:38 GMT -5
The last time you saw Ian he was in his heyday, were you at all surprised by the difference in his performance this time? Hmmm...now there is a comment worth a conversation. 1980 Ian's heyday? I think not. MQ
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Post by Shutter Girl on Oct 7, 2006 6:28:01 GMT -5
I meant before his voice went south.
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Post by MaxQuad on Oct 7, 2006 15:18:20 GMT -5
I meant before his voice went south. I'll give you that! ;D MQ
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Post by darkmatter07 on Oct 11, 2006 20:10:22 GMT -5
Hello.. I'm new here. I met Joe and his lovely wife at the CGTrio show last night at the Beachland Ballroom. I look forward to being part of this group. I am the Ohio Street Team captain for Porcupine Tree. We will need people in the early spring 2007 to help pass handbills, stickers, word of mouth. Thanks, Barry Valentine www.flickr.com/photos/valentineincorporatedLook at my Tree shrine here.
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Post by MaxQuad on Nov 3, 2006 8:18:09 GMT -5
Posted on another forum, so perhaps seen by some. I post it here for those not privy to that forum. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have sat on the sidelines reading folks wax poetic about recent orchestral Tull shows, including a few folks I know well, folks whose opinions I respect greatly. Maybe it is just me, but I was not enamored with the one and only show I experienced (Greensburg, hence my reply to this post). Time to explore why. I would be the first to deny it was a horrible show - an abomination. It was a very good show, well worth the money spent and miles travelled, enjoyable to a certain level. Did it approach a Tull show - a great Tull show? Not even close in my mind. By the way, I am not talking Passion Play great - I am merely comparing to great Tull shows of recent years - with Martin, Andrew, Doane, and Jonathan bringing the Tull sound forward with Ian. More of an apples to apples comparison? Maybe. (I can already hearing the naysayers out there. "Griff, this is orchestral Tull. This is meant to be different, hence the choice of different players with Ian. You are choosing to compare apples and oranges.") First and foremost, I have read of the ever increasing chemistry and internal excitement of the main players - Ian with Ann Marie, Kit, David, John, and Young Master James. (Wait, Young Master James is a bit older now, isn't he? OK, OK. James.) Yes, they all seemed to enjoy playing with each other (music, that is). Yes, there were smiles and heartfelt acknowledgement from musician to musician at various times during the performance. However, I did not sense anything organic - anything that one glimpses when Tull has "one of those nights." I didn't sense the intense passion - the masterful burst we have grown used to within Tull performances. It was technically well done. It was positive and upbeat. It was not stirring, not internally moving like great Tull performances. Yes, the orchestra was having a ball. Yes, it was nice to see young musicians and experienced musicians sharing the stage in such a way - to have them "given a chance" to create music with Ian, a musical genius we all admire greatly. That was a nice touch - and it made one genuinely feel good. Still, it didn't come close to the magic I've experienced at Tull shows. Ann Marie was a delight. Her bluegrass tinged tunes and flourishes were wonderful. She seemed genuine and genuinely talented. Hard to fairly compare her with Lucia, but many have. Since they have, I'll have a go at it. Lucia wins hands down. Lucia brought passion - and her intensity (showmanship or not) seemed to eventually resonate with all members of Tull - and clearly resonated with Tull audiences. Her additions to Life's a Long Song, Wond'ring Aloud or Budapest provided more soul than Ann Marie's contributions. Lucia's playing stirred emotion. Ann Marie's was pretty in the pretty parts and energetic in the energetic parts. It was not stirring. Martin. Sorry, but no matter how good some of the tunes sounded at some of the shows, there is no denying that Martin's sound (and Martin's presence) was missing from songs like Budapest, My God, Aqualung, and Locomotive Breath. Kit is a good guitarist. Kit is a nice guy. Just as Dan Quayle was no Jack Kennedy, Kit is no Martin - and Martin is more than special. For those who believe I am merely living in the past - not allowing Ian to try on some new clothes - I would argue strongly that it is not as simple as that. Sorry, but having seen Ian and Tull reincarnate themsleves many times over the years - and finding the new incarnations challenging, worthy, exciting, fun, and creative - I don't believe that easy explanation of my less than enthusiastic reception of this tour. Yes, I'm tired of hearing Living in the Past and Bouree. Yes, I am tired of the requisite standing-on-one-leg-while-playing-flute-early-in-the-show-with-resultant-obligatory-applause. Yes, I am tired of the same stage patter (going on decades for some it). Yes, I am tired of the oh-so-predicatble grabbing of the crotch at the end of My God. Yes, I'm even tired of this 50-something musician kneeling "dramatically" in front of a young violinist - "playing to her." But that doesn't explain it either. All of those things have been a part of recent great Tull shows - and I mean great. Tull. There is a chemistry. There is an intangible energy that you sense in the band - and simultaneously sense in the crowd. Whatever it is, it can even cut through the dynamic tension between Ian and Martin. The feeling is hard to describe - and certainly hard to define when, how and why it happens. Whatever it is (and I think most of you know what it is I speak of) was not present at the orchestral show I witnessed. Granted, I was not at Reading, which is from where the greatest rave reviews have emanated. Granted, also, it may "just be me." I was admittedly quite ambivalent about seeing this tour at all - even one show. Most of you know I have been somewhat (well, more than somewhat) disenchanted with Ian of late. Still, I'm not sure that explains it either. When feeling that way in the past, I have been won over. This time I enjoyed the show, but did not feel it was worthy of being described as an incredible show. So, there - I've bucked the trend of reports given by others - stating what is in my heart about this orchestral Tull (read Ian) event. Again, in the end, I am happy I had a chance to experience it. The addition of orchestra to some Tull songs is sublime. Some of the arrangements are very nice variations on the Tull theme. Still, it did not make me forget what it is like to experience an incredible, awe inspiring, emotionally charged Jethro Tull performance - something I have been fortunate to experience in four different decades.
MQ
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Post by Shutter Girl on Nov 3, 2006 13:23:26 GMT -5
Thanks for the great review, Max!
After this orchestral thing Ian has done I really wonder if Tull will ever get back together. I know Ian and Martin are doing an acoustical thing in Europe but I fear that the days of Tull concerts are over. I'm sorry I missed the show here last November, may have been my last chance to see them in their current incarnation.
BTW, I saw Barry Manilow on the telly the other day and he said that he changes his set every night, so you can go to several cities to see shows and you'll always hear different songs. Of course he has the standard half a dozen or so that people expect him to play (I Write the Songs, Mandy, Copa, etc.) but he says that his band knows every song in his repertoire. Imagine that!
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