Ian Anderson Rocks PPAC
Saturday, November 01, 2014
A classic rock show came to PPAC Wednesday night, and for those who missed it, who thought about going, who made all kinds of excuses … too bad for you! Ian Anderson and his band rocked the house with an all-out production featuring the exceptional talent of the man who made the flute an instrument of Rock and Roll. Long time fans and a few first timers were more than impressed by the latest living legend to come to town.
Songs Old and New
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTDon’t let the headline on the billboard confuse you – sure, it was billed as Ian Anderson, founder of the seminal “prog rock” band Jethro Tull. But the performance was pure Tull, complete with complex arrangements, driving guitar solos and hard rock flute blowing.
The show opened with a multi-media stage show along with selections from his latest album Homo Erraticus. There screen displayed images of thousands of years of British history; the good, the bad and the ugly. The seven song introductory performance had a rock opera feel, and was politely received by the audience.
The biggest applause of the night certainly came with Tull classics, the familiar tunes that had the crowd clapping and singing along. Two of the bands most famous songs, “Bouree” (originally by J.S. Bach) and an extended version of “Thick as a Brick” rounded out the opening set.
Throughout the evening, Anderson used a date stamped time machine to bring up videos of historic Tull performances. The live music was perfectly choreographed with the video, a neat element that clearly took some practice.
At times, Anderson’s vocals wavered and the support from vocalist Ryan O’Donnell took a little getting used to. No question, O’Donnell can sing, and has a certain degree of stage presence, but the performance was occasionally unsettling as he and Anderson traded lines of well known songs. No one expects Anderson to have the range he once did, but the back and forth arrangement felt a bit distracting.
Second Set
Vocals aside, this was a great show. The second set opened with the bands first major hit, “Living in the Past.” More Tull classics followed including “Sweet Dream,” “Teacher” and “Songs from the Wood.” The 1976 hit “Too Old to Rock and Roll, Too Young to Die,” was another highlight, the song title as relevant as ever.
The show closed with a pounding “Aqualung,” which brought the crowd to its feet. Another crowd pleaser, “Locomotive Breath,” was a powerful encore, completing the 2 ½ hour concert.
Flute as Lead
Anderson’s flute playing throughout the show was extraordinary. After all these years, it’s still pretty impressive to see and hear the flute as the “lead” instrument in a rock band. Not to mention his iconic pose!
Guitarist Florian Ophale, playing rhythm most of the show, demonstrated his talents on lead, driving the band along on hits like “Brick” and “Aqualung.” The reminder of the five piece band was tight, executing their roles perfectly in support of Anderson.
In sum, Ian Anderson provided a great night of music, a memorable evening from a leader in rock and roll history. Not a bad deal!
Ken Abrams review Roots, Rock and Blues for GoLocalProv. E-Mail comments to [email protected].
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