Recent gigs

[davidmjs]

BEAT at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith last night. Sound was pretty good, first half was mainly the more obscure material from the Discipline, Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair albums, 20 minute break, then the more accessible pieces. I can appreciate how technically proficient Steve Vai is, but some of his (extremely) fast playing didn't, to me, seem to fit. I guess I was hoping for much more of the twin guitar "hocketing" that gave those albums the gamelan feel. Glad I went, but not blown away.

Clips/Recordings I've seen/heard confirm my opinion about the two non-Crimsons in the lineup.  Vai in particular is so wrong for this music (I know Fripp disagrees)...imho.  Danny is a great drummer, but BB is such a subtle drummer (from extreme power to pure delicacy in the blink of an eye).  

[PaulT]

When playing with more restraint (eg Sheltering Sky), Vai was very good.  I agree re Danny, to a point... but I thought he did a fine job on Monday, deffo not "just" a heavy rock drummer.

[davidmjs]

When playing with more restraint (eg Sheltering Sky), Vai was very good.  I agree re Danny, to a point... but I thought he did a fine job on Monday, deffo not "just" a heavy rock drummer.

Nice to see the pics of Bill backstage.

[Alan2]

Maddy Prior.     Accompanied by a fine electric guitarist.

Her voice has aged, but not badly ' -it has more character.

Part one was songs then after the break she gave us a musical.memoir ,can extended piece which i think is new.

[Harbottle (Martin)]

I saw the current lineup of Jethro Tull in Birmingham in May. I used to go every tour until Martin Barre was dropped and I didn't like the album after Taab 2. I did go to a Xmas gig in Coventry Cathedral, where Ian was a bit grumpy when his radio mic failed (But I think they got it working so he was fluting up and down the aisle.)

I am glad I went. Ian's voice is, of course, wobbly, but probably better than when I saw him with Tull/Barre. The new guitarist helps with vocals. The band has been together for a while and is tight.

A lot of classics and early stuff - Beggar's Farm, Song from Jeffrey, TaaB, Songs from the Woods and a couple of recent songs.

The last few times I saw them, they turned Aqualung into a weird 'classical' track.

This time it was back to the classic rock song. When the audience gave the guitarist (Jack Clarke) a huge round of applause after his solo, Ian looked quite pleased.

Yes, I did miss Martin Barre. My overriding memory of the last time I saw them when Barre was present was Barre and Ian both moving around the stage quite a lot and playing off each other. His new guitarists all seem a bit static, and at times it almost felt like Ian was trying to get to them move.  

So while I enjoyed it a lot, I would rather Martin still be part of the lineup. Maybe it's because I've spent 25+ years watching Tull with Barre and it doesn't feel the same. (I felt similar when Peggy left.)