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Birmingham’s splendid Symphony Hall is chocker tonight. We are up in the lap of the
Gods looking directly down onto the small stage with its tiny animated performers. It’s my first live encounter with Mr Anderson and his trailblazing troubadours.
Performing with the band tonight, as she
did on the USA tour at the end of last year, is a former Julliard School of Music and Pinchas Zukerman-trained violinist, Lucia Micarelli.
The 22-year old provides a youthful and lyrical counterpoint to
Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, keyboard player Andrew Giddings, bass guitarist Jonathan Noyce and drummer Doane Perry.
Billed as the ‘Aqualung’ tour, the set list features most of the material from the
band’s seminal 1971 album of the same name. They tell me that it was one of Tull’s greatest moments, and certainly one of the band’s most successful commercially.
I knew that the drummer on that album,
Clive Bunker left the band after a US tour to promote it back then. He left to get married and form a band called ‘Jude’ with fellow Chrysalis Records act, Robin Trower.
The Led Zep and Queen tunes creep
into the set list, courtesy of Lucia. Both feature on her debut album ‘Music from a farther room’.
But ‘Aqualung’ steals the show tonight. Up the gallery I’m left wonderin’ will we get to hear
‘Minstrel in the gallery’. The answer, on this occasion, is no.
First Half:
Life’s a long song ******
Skating away on the thin ice of the New Day ***
Living in the Past ******
Slipstream *
Up to Me *
Griminelli’s Lament +
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Wond’ring Aloud *
Mozart selection
Cheap Day Return *
Mother Goose *
She’s like The Swallow ++
Bourree **
Second half:
Nocturne / Bohemian Rhapsody ++
Kashmir
Cross-Eyed Mary *
Hymn 43 *
Morris Minus
My God *
Budapest ****
Aqualung *
Encore:
Wind Up *
Locomotive breath *
Cheerio *****
Albums:
Aqualung *
Stand Up **
War Child ***
Crest of a Knave ****
Broadsword and The Beast *****
Living in the Past ******
Rupi’s Dance + [Ian Anderson]
Music From A Farther Room ++ [Lucia Micarelli]
Jethro Tull website
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