Martin Barre Band

[richardkendell]

I have never been keen on Tull and nothing has changed after this. Not for me I'm afraid.

[YaBB Master (Colin)]

Tull went through a lot of 'eras', some of which I loved, others left me cold and this was a very shortened set for them.
Yes, I found it patchy. I'm sure others felt the same, but not for the same tracks.  

[Sue & Chris]

I'm a Tull fan and I enjoyed it, although it was a bit of an odd setlist (starting with several obscure(ish) album tracks from Stand Up?  Really, Martin, that's your plan?)  Once it got going with the seventies material, there was some good stuff to be had. I particularly enjoyed the knockabout fun of 'Bungle in the Jungle' and the 'Heavy Horses/Songs from the Wood' medley (unlike Martin, it seems!)  I thought the singer did a serviceable impersonation of mid-'70s Ian Anderson, too!

But the absolute highlight was Dee Palmer on keyboards.  I spent a while wondering who that game old bird at the back was - then the penny dropped and I realised that Dee Palmer used to be David Palmer, who was in the band in the '70s.  She was having an absolute ball and it was so infectious - I could have watched her all day. Thanks, Dee, for putting a smile on my face.  Best bit was when the sheet music she was using ('secured' using brightly coloured clothes pegs) fell off the stand mid-song and landed in a messy pile at her feet.  She stopped playing, picked them up, looked helplessly at the keyboard, shrugged and proceeded to merrily wave the sheets about in the air!  A pity she didn't get to do the piano intro to Locomotive Breath, but perhaps they were running out of time?

[Nick Reg]

I'm a Tull fan and I enjoyed it, although it was a bit of an odd setlist (starting with several obscure(ish) album tracks from Stand Up?  Really, Martin, that's your plan?)  Once it got going with the seventies material, there was some good stuff to be had. I particularly enjoyed the knockabout fun of 'Bungle in the Jungle' and the 'Heavy Horses/Songs from the Wood' medley (unlike Martin, it seems!)  I thought the singer did a serviceable impersonation of mid-'70s Ian Anderson, too!

But the absolute highlight was Dee Palmer on keyboards.  I spent a while wondering who that game old bird at the back was - then the penny dropped and I realised that Dee Palmer used to be David Palmer, who was in the band in the '70s.  She was having an absolute ball and it was so infectious - I could have watched her all day. Thanks, Dee, for putting a smile on my face.  Best bit was when the sheet music she was using ('secured' using brightly coloured clothes pegs) fell off the stand mid-song and landed in a messy pile at her feet.  She stopped playing, picked them up, looked helplessly at the keyboard, shrugged and proceeded to merrily wave the sheets about in the air!  A pity she didn't get to do the piano intro to Locomotive Breath, but perhaps they were running out of time?

I dealt with David a few times on business, usually on the phone, and met him once . It took me a while to click but I thought she was fab and at 82 years old amazing.

[Jules Gray]

I saw a documentary on Tull recently and I thought Dee stole that show too.  Good for her.

Jules

[Will S]

I know a few bits of Tull, and lots I don't, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I did enjoy it on the whole, even when the songs were unfamiliar, and more so when I dis know them!  Shame (from my point of view) we didn't get a bit more of the later - Broadsword, etc - period songs.  But perfectly acceptable, and I'll give them 7/10.

[Adam]

Really enjoyed it. I’m a huge Tull fan, and it was great to hear ex-members breathing new life into the songs. Hats off to Dee Palmer - brilliant. Dare I say more enjoyable than a contemporary Tull show? 9/10 from me.

[David W]

Odd narrative from Barre, not much joy IMHO.

6/10

DW

[davidmjs]

Can't believe Dee is 82!  Good on 'er...

What was the "odd narrative" from Martin, then?  

[Albie]

Martin Barre is playing at Salop in a couple of weeks. I think I'll give it a miss, Merry Hell are on another stage at the same time.

[davidmjs]

Can't believe Dee is 82!  Good on 'er...

What was the "odd narrative" from Martin, then?  

Lines like "this was when we stopped having fun", no mention of Ian as far as I remember - he just seemed a bit curmudgeonly.

DW

Ha.  Considering how utterly appallingly he's been treated by Anderson, I think he did well not to tell us what he really thought.....

[abby (tank girl)]

honestly we are all so bloody negative!
what did we expect?
i thought the vocals were blinding, i didn't expect anyone to do ian justice.
jethro tull doesnt exist any more.
the last time i saw tull being brilliant was in 1997.

[Andy]

Really enjoyed the Tull tunes, "Heavy Horses" was great.

[davidmjs]

jethro tull doesnt exist any more.

I wish someone would bother to tell Ian (and his promoters) that.

[Bingers (Chris)]

I’m a big Tull fan and thoroughly enjoyed the Martin Barre Band. Shame they didn’t do Thick as a Brick but they could have done with a longer time slot. Only slight downer was that Martin Barre himself seemed miserable and was not enjoying himself

[David W]

I’m a big Tull fan and thoroughly enjoyed the Martin Barre Band. Shame they didn’t do Thick as a Brick but they could have done with a longer time slot. Only slight downer was that Martin Barre himself seemed miserable and was not enjoying himself

Exactly

[Bridgwit (Bridget)]

Have just found out that his middle name is Lancelot!  

[johanna/ulla]

Only slight downer was that Martin Barre himself seemed miserable and was not enjoying himself

WHAT? He enjoyed every Minute of it!!!

[Bingers (Chris)]

Only slight downer was that Martin Barre himself seemed miserable and was not enjoying himself

WHAT? He enjoyed every Minute of it!!!

He should’ve told his face then  

[Lubiloo (Lorna)]

I am not too familiar with the music of Tull, overall, but I enjoyed the set.

I thought the vocalist was fabulous, in that he really performed the songs, facial expressions and everything, really putting a lot into conveying the lyrics.