TobiasFunke82's Blog

Jethro Tull October 15, 2007 Sangamon Auditorium

The long awaited Jethro Tull concert finally came to Springfield last night and a sold out crowd was treated to Ian Anderson’s energetic showmanship.

Anderson’s exhibited how vibrant and perfectly balanced a senior citizen can be as he frolicked around the stage and stood perched on one leg like a pink flamingo during his flute solos.

Anderson alone was a show all in himself due to his hilarious banter with the crowd (dedicating the classic Fat Man to an overweight man in the front row) and ridiculous facial expressions. If he never became a maestro of the flute, Anderson would have made an exceptional mime.

Fellow Tullian Martin Barre was red hot on the electric guitar and he and Anderson frequently played the same notes in a call and response manner between the flute and guitar, which was quite enjoyable to the ears. 

Though the band sounded sensational, their repetitious set list began to take its Tull.

I am one of the biggest supporters of bands playing a heavy dose of album rock during a live show, but Tull’s instrumentals and medieval soft rock all began to sound way too similar and it was hard to tell where one song ended and another began. However, when Jethro Tull would come through and play their amazing classics like Living In The Past, Fat Man, Thick as A Brick, Nothing Is Easy, Aqualung and Locomotive Breath the crowd was treated to a snippet of just how remarkable Jethro Tull is.

The show was a huge tease – just when the band would come alive, they would segue right back into a song that would fit perfectly in a movie like Willow or the Labyrinth. Songs like The Donkey and the Drum and The Water Carrier had me telepathically pleading with Ian to rip into Cross-Eyed Mary, Teacher, Bungle in the Jungle and Skating Away. To not play such staples of classic rock was a slap in the face to the crowd and a bit of a rip-off given the obscure set list (oh, and the ticket price). Only the most diehard Jethro Tull fan could have honestly appreciated the show, and I felt quite upset that Tull could have tore the roof off the auditorium, but chose instead to give us only a taste of their greatness. Also, Jethro Tull does not have a perfect catalogue of music like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd or The Eagles – they cannot play just any song and command a crowd like their peers I have listed.

I have never seen Tull live since I am a mere 25 years of age and was looking forward to hearing the songs that made this band legendary. I think Tull owes it to their new generation of fans to deliver a truly stellar set list instead of playing their own personal favorites. After all, your fans make you famous so give them what they want. What could have been a phenomenal performance turned out to be just average.

Jethro Tull should have followed in the footsteps of the last rocker to grace us with his presence at Sangamon Auditorium. In 2006, Alice Cooper fully delivered a perfect mix of album rock like Is It My Body and radio favorites like Poison to ensure he reached all the fans in the packed house. I commend Sangamon Auditorium for bringing us two rock legends two years in a row and look forward to a third great in 08.

Note: Once and for all, No One in Jethro Tull is Named Jethro Tull.