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My Jethro Tull weekend
Jethro Tull played two concerts in my general area so off I went to both. The first was at the Indian casino Pechanga at Temecula, CA, the second was at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA.
Pechanga is a happening place on a Saturday night with standing room only at the slots and gaming tables. The theater there held 1,200 and, while chatting to folks in the will call line, it was rumored the show had sold out quickly. There were a few dozen people hanging about looking for extra tickets. The show started about 10 minutes late and they played for a bit less than two hours. I didn’t write down the set list, but it was most of the Aqualung album, plus Skating Away, Beggar’s Farm, Weather Cock, Bouree and Budapest. Their special guest was a 14 year old violinist who had won some sort of competition for Best Young Musician or something like that. He played a duet with Ian, one of Ian’s compositions called Grimminelli’s Lament, then went on to play a part of Purple Haze with the band sans Ian, before he left. It was pretty fun and quite enjoyable. I missed being able to purchase a program, though.
The sound in the theater could have been better, but maybe that was because I was off to the side. The first few songs were pretty muddy at times. There were also a couple of guys in the audience who insisted on shouting out, “We love you Ian!” during the quiet passages…why the hell they do that is a mystery to me. It certainly annoys Ian and certainly annoys me, and probably the rest of the audience, too. Ian was chatty during the concert with a lot of humorous patter. A free CD was passed out to all ticket holders which is called Aqualung Live, Special Collector’s Edition in aid of various charities for the homeless. The songs and interviews were recorded at the studios of XM Radio and I notice quite a few of these are for sale on Ebay right now. The first half of Hymm 43 has been rearranged as Irish jig with a “12/8 time.” There was a small drum set placed near the front of the stage for some of the more instrumental pieces but that was removed maybe after the first third of the performance, I’m not exactly sure. Songs that have extended instrumentals are Beggar’s Farm, Mother Goose, Hymm 43 and Budapest. At the end when Ian pushed the balloons into the audience, I happened to look over at the exit and saw a couple of the ushers with the biggest, most delighted grins on their faces; I’m thinking they hadn’t seen anything like this before. And honestly, Tull is in a class by themselves so that’s not so surprising, is it?
The following night they were in Hollywood and they were exceptional; the band was hot and the set list was delightful. The Kodak Theater is only four years old and is the home for the Academy Awards show. It seats 3,400 and the band played for around two hours and 15 minutes. The acoustics were quite a bit better and the audience more respectful and quiet during the more acoustical pieces. Their guest artist was Lucia Micarelli, a Juilliard College trained violinist. She came out for Grimminelli’s Lament and played for quite a few songs, leaving for Cross-eyed Mary and returning off and on for pieces like Budapest. It was a blast to hear Tull play Kasmir, perhaps with a bit more muscle than Zeppelin’s album version? The Godfather’s Theme was very beautiful, as was the folk song, She is like a Swan, which was quite sweetly poignant. I wasn’t sure if Hymm 43 worked as a jig, but now that I’ve heard it a few times, it’s grown on me. Plus, half way through, it reverts back to it’s usual sassy, brassy, loud self so you can have your cake and eat it, too. I wasn’t too close to the stage, so I missed the finer details of the performances, but nevertheless, I enjoyed myself enormously. I did buy a couple of the t-shirts as I quite liked the designs. It was a wonderful evening and everywhere I looked, there were ecstatic faces beaming with pleasure. Please go see Tull play if you get the chance.
Set list for the Kodak Theater on November 13, 2005:
Life is a Long Song
Skating Away
Jack in the Green
Beggar’s Farm
Up to Me
Weather Cock
Grimminelli’s Lament
Lucia’s solo, Aurora, classical piece by Sibelius
Wond’ring Aloud
The Godfather’s Theme
Cheap Day Return
Mother Goose
Bouree
Twenty minute intermission for a cabernet, buying t-shirts or “having a widdly wee for our aging bladders.”
Bohemian Rhapsody
Kashmir
She is like the swan (a folk song)
Cross-eyed Mary
In the Grip of the Stronger Stuff
Hymm 43
My God
Budapest
Aqualung
Wind Up
Locomotive Breath
Cheerio
Now that the details have been documented, I wanted to add personal stuff, that for me, Tull is the best. I adore the interplay between the delicate soulful flute passages and the bold, saucey, big BIG sound of the thumping drums and wailing guitar. Tull has always been impossible to categorizes (are they blues, folk or hard rock?) Somehow feathering the light acoustical songs with the hard rock intensifies the strengths and individuality of each song. Then there are the many changes in time and rhythms, the solid wall of sound interspersed with a lonely flute solos. A song’s musical themes are explored in turn by the different instruments, making a song like Budapest a swirling, layered delight that with each listening reveals more complexities. Their music is an aural feast for the ears. I actually get a visceral reaction and goosebumps to some of the songs like My God and Heavy Horses. There is something so manly to the songs, it’s like auditory pheromones and is irresistible to me. I mean I like other bands and enjoy their music, but I love Jethro Tull.
Pechanga is a happening place on a Saturday night with standing room only at the slots and gaming tables. The theater there held 1,200 and, while chatting to folks in the will call line, it was rumored the show had sold out quickly. There were a few dozen people hanging about looking for extra tickets. The show started about 10 minutes late and they played for a bit less than two hours. I didn’t write down the set list, but it was most of the Aqualung album, plus Skating Away, Beggar’s Farm, Weather Cock, Bouree and Budapest. Their special guest was a 14 year old violinist who had won some sort of competition for Best Young Musician or something like that. He played a duet with Ian, one of Ian’s compositions called Grimminelli’s Lament, then went on to play a part of Purple Haze with the band sans Ian, before he left. It was pretty fun and quite enjoyable. I missed being able to purchase a program, though.
The sound in the theater could have been better, but maybe that was because I was off to the side. The first few songs were pretty muddy at times. There were also a couple of guys in the audience who insisted on shouting out, “We love you Ian!” during the quiet passages…why the hell they do that is a mystery to me. It certainly annoys Ian and certainly annoys me, and probably the rest of the audience, too. Ian was chatty during the concert with a lot of humorous patter. A free CD was passed out to all ticket holders which is called Aqualung Live, Special Collector’s Edition in aid of various charities for the homeless. The songs and interviews were recorded at the studios of XM Radio and I notice quite a few of these are for sale on Ebay right now. The first half of Hymm 43 has been rearranged as Irish jig with a “12/8 time.” There was a small drum set placed near the front of the stage for some of the more instrumental pieces but that was removed maybe after the first third of the performance, I’m not exactly sure. Songs that have extended instrumentals are Beggar’s Farm, Mother Goose, Hymm 43 and Budapest. At the end when Ian pushed the balloons into the audience, I happened to look over at the exit and saw a couple of the ushers with the biggest, most delighted grins on their faces; I’m thinking they hadn’t seen anything like this before. And honestly, Tull is in a class by themselves so that’s not so surprising, is it?
The following night they were in Hollywood and they were exceptional; the band was hot and the set list was delightful. The Kodak Theater is only four years old and is the home for the Academy Awards show. It seats 3,400 and the band played for around two hours and 15 minutes. The acoustics were quite a bit better and the audience more respectful and quiet during the more acoustical pieces. Their guest artist was Lucia Micarelli, a Juilliard College trained violinist. She came out for Grimminelli’s Lament and played for quite a few songs, leaving for Cross-eyed Mary and returning off and on for pieces like Budapest. It was a blast to hear Tull play Kasmir, perhaps with a bit more muscle than Zeppelin’s album version? The Godfather’s Theme was very beautiful, as was the folk song, She is like a Swan, which was quite sweetly poignant. I wasn’t sure if Hymm 43 worked as a jig, but now that I’ve heard it a few times, it’s grown on me. Plus, half way through, it reverts back to it’s usual sassy, brassy, loud self so you can have your cake and eat it, too. I wasn’t too close to the stage, so I missed the finer details of the performances, but nevertheless, I enjoyed myself enormously. I did buy a couple of the t-shirts as I quite liked the designs. It was a wonderful evening and everywhere I looked, there were ecstatic faces beaming with pleasure. Please go see Tull play if you get the chance.
Set list for the Kodak Theater on November 13, 2005:
Life is a Long Song
Skating Away
Jack in the Green
Beggar’s Farm
Up to Me
Weather Cock
Grimminelli’s Lament
Lucia’s solo, Aurora, classical piece by Sibelius
Wond’ring Aloud
The Godfather’s Theme
Cheap Day Return
Mother Goose
Bouree
Twenty minute intermission for a cabernet, buying t-shirts or “having a widdly wee for our aging bladders.”
Bohemian Rhapsody
Kashmir
She is like the swan (a folk song)
Cross-eyed Mary
In the Grip of the Stronger Stuff
Hymm 43
My God
Budapest
Aqualung
Wind Up
Locomotive Breath
Cheerio
Now that the details have been documented, I wanted to add personal stuff, that for me, Tull is the best. I adore the interplay between the delicate soulful flute passages and the bold, saucey, big BIG sound of the thumping drums and wailing guitar. Tull has always been impossible to categorizes (are they blues, folk or hard rock?) Somehow feathering the light acoustical songs with the hard rock intensifies the strengths and individuality of each song. Then there are the many changes in time and rhythms, the solid wall of sound interspersed with a lonely flute solos. A song’s musical themes are explored in turn by the different instruments, making a song like Budapest a swirling, layered delight that with each listening reveals more complexities. Their music is an aural feast for the ears. I actually get a visceral reaction and goosebumps to some of the songs like My God and Heavy Horses. There is something so manly to the songs, it’s like auditory pheromones and is irresistible to me. I mean I like other bands and enjoy their music, but I love Jethro Tull.