Jethro Tull - Live at Montreaux Review
by Zane Ewton
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Roger Daltry sang, "Hope I die before I get old." While that line became a calling card for rock and roll, there is something to say for growing old gracefully.
Best metal album Grammy winners, Jethro Tull, enjoy a history of music that hearkens back to the late 1960s. In 2003, they took the stage for the first time at the Montreaux Jazz Festival.
Montreaux festivals have a reputation for not sticking strictly to jazz or blues and for producing a series of consistently excellent live records and DVDs. The Jethro Tull edition is no exception.
That wild-eyed, crazy, flute-playing Ian Anderson has not appeared to age a day since 1987. His voice is crisp and clear. The number of instruments he plays himself, and plays well, is impressive.
The other middle-aged men of Jethro Tull form a tight band that easily sways from down home blues to the medieval-tinged progressive rock the band is best known for.
There must be something in the water in Montreaux. Bands seem to show up ready for something special. The sound is pristine and the video is clean and neatly edited. Any ounce of fat is trimmed from sight.
Fans of the Tull will find a nifty souvenir in both the DVD or two-disc album. Anderson is obviously in a great mood and engaged with the crowd. He even shrugs off a potential Spinal Tap moment when a stagehand, dressed like a mad scientist with a flashlight on his helmet is supposed to shine his light on the guitarist during the big guitar solo.
One problem. The light burned out before the solo even started. The band laughs it off and quickly moves on without missing a beat.
The concert is split in half. The first half and CD disc one is a semi-acoustic, blues-based set and the second is a fully electric pilgrimage through the hits. Either way, it is all good for Jethro Tull fans.
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Jethro Tull - Live at Montreaux
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