Jethro Tull - Shepherds Bush Empire - 31/03/2007

Jethro Tull - Shepherds Bush Empire - 31/03/2007
Oh dear. This is the year Jethro Tull went to poo…
I loved Jethro Tull. From the moment I was leant ‘Aqualung’ and ‘Broadsword and the Beast’ (one of my all-time favourite album covers), I was a fan. My tape of the live ‘Bursting Out’ album was regular bath-time listening when I was a kid. When I met Janet in Hong Kong, a Tull concert was one of our first dates. If it hadn’t of been for Tull, we’d probably never have gone to Cropredy in 2004. They were the gateway drug from heavy metal to folk music. And, so on…
Jethro Tull started not long after I was born, going from jazz-blues to folk-rock, to the ever-amusing Grammy for best heavy metal album (‘Crest of a Knave’ beat Metallica’s black album). Always changing, always growing and occasionally changing line-ups for interesting reasons.
Being a bit funny about bass players, I wasn’t a big fan of Dave Pegg’s work with Jethro Tull – I love what he does in Fairport Convention, but I always felt he wasn’t ‘metal’ enough for Tull. His replacement Jonathan Noyce, however, fit in perfectly. Plus, like Andy Giddings on keyboards and drummer Doane Perry, he was the right mix of talent and humour. And then there’s Martin Barre – one of the great guitar players in rock – always the right textures and the right solo, whatever the song.
But that was the 2006 line-up. By March 2007, Perry, Noyce and Giddings were no longer present, replaced by some other blokes whose names I never bothered to learn. The band had a guest female violinist for no obvious reason, and on this gig allegedly had a chamber orchestra (according to the interweb)? I don’t remember.
Looking at the set list for the gig, I don’t remember it. I know I was there – I have the shirt (and the ticket). I think I remember wondering what had happened to the band and why Anderson & Barre had these bloody awful session musicians with them and what the hell do they need a violinist for? And I’m SURE I’ve never seen Tull with a string section.
Tull struggled on for 5 more years – but the last good album was in 1995, the last worthwhile line-up was over and from now on it was just a money-grab. Great t-shirt though!
(Previously posted on Facebook, so may read here as a little 'dumbed down')