Jethro Tull at Portland Rose Garden - 4-Sep-1998
On Friday 4-Sep-1998 Cathy and I headed off to the Portland Rose Garden
to see Jethro Tull. This is one of my favorite bands, and Cathy at least doesn't
dislike them (which is rare for my likes in music - she positively detests
Hawkwind!). This was an open air gig, which was opened at 1800 by Hank Dogs,
a folk trio from London, 2 girls, 1 guy. They played twiddly folk music, with
2 guitars, and 1 playing percussion. It was ok, but not my cup of tea really.
Not bad as support acts go. They even played an encore.
Come 1945, however, and the main course arrived. The lads played a few older
tracks that I didn't recognize, but the running order, as best I can tell
from the tracks announced, a quick chat with one of the sound guys and reference
to a Tull web-site, was :
- My Sunday Feeling
- Aqualung
- You there to help me
- Roots to Branches
- Some day the sun won't shine for you
- Boris Dancing
- New day yesterday
- Instrumental (Ian made a reference to Morris Minor after?)
- Songs from the wood
- Too old to rock 'n' roll
- Bouree
- Hot night in Budapest
- My God
- Pussy Willow (instrumental)
- Cross-eyed Mary
- Locomotive breath
- Instrumental (an African type beat with whistle/flute)
- Living in the past
- Thick as a brick
The last 3 were played as an encore, the whole thing ending about 2130.
Overall, I really enjoyed it, a really good show. Perhaps not as good as
the last time I saw them at Tarlair festival, but that was, in my opinion,
Jethro Tull at their very best. The sound was not bad for an outdoor gig,
although the vocals sometimes got a bit lost.
Having said that, though, age is beginning to catch up with them. Ian Anderson's
high notes aren't quite so high, his held notes aren't quite so held, and
the big kicks aren't as big. However, that's just me being picky, it was still
a great concert to go to. And for all you Tull fans I even have some photos
from the concert. They're not spectacular, taken with the digital camera,
mostly without flash, but at least they're a record so I can show I was there.
