I arrived early at the concert and was minding my own business when out of no where a couple were 2 rows in front of me looking and

I arrived early at the concert and was minding my own business when out of no where a couple were 2 rows in front of me looking and mumbling something about seat 37 ..I thought to myself, hey I bought This ticket they will have to find their own bloody seat! Well it turned out to Be Griff and Glenda, turns out Barry wasn't able to make it and I was invited to move from my center row x seat to row H seat 13...Guess what I said!! Thanks Guys they are really nice people...Even If security had to restrain Griff :) (unsuccessfully at that!!) and am so very Lucky to meet them..

The House was Full and Willie Porter Opened up and was much much better than anticipated!! He received a standing ovation on one song and really had the crowd going.

no Spring Chicken but he has his voice back ! INDEED IT IS BACK!!!! I will give a review after Griff sees Friday's show to see his reaction since he said tonight's show was the best of Tour so far!! Elegy brought bloody tears to this ole man's eyes..Wow The show was So intense It's really hard to believe that Ian has this left in him! Did git Andy's Autograph early before the show while he was walking around with his girlfriend, and I waited for Ian to sign DOT.COM and said I was looking forward to Boston after which he looked at my TalkTull shirt and smiled....

The show tonight was great as well!! Not quite as good as last night , but
perhaps it was
that I knew the set list and what to expect.. They did a great Version Of
Bouree that they
didn't do Thursday and Martin's instrumental Thursday was Cup in Hand.,
tonight it was
Outer or Inner Circle .. Thanks again to Willow and Griff with the Ticket
and sorry Barry
old man that you missed Heavy Horses again!! But a friend has in on Cd I for
you ;-).

It was nice to of met some of you tonight Like Ray Lomas (we had meet Before
but couldn't
remember) and Tullitis and a few other guy's and gals! Hopefully Griff will
get back home
Saturday night and give a detailed review on the shows as I'm really wiped
out!!

Michael

Great show! Last time I saw the boys was their outstanding performance
at Lansing Mi's Common Ground Festival this past July, this show was
just as good if not better. Ian's voice is certainly back, and he's
come up with ways to go round those now out of range high notes that
sound as good or better than the original vocal arrangements. I took
some friends who had never been to a Tull show,nor were they familiar
with most of the music, radio staples Aqualung and Locomotive Breath
aside. They thoroughly enjoyed it and are out this a.m. as I type
looking for the new CD/DVD and back catalouge discs! High points for me
musically: Willy Porter's set (funny, entertaining, pretty darn good
geeetar work too), Martin's solo - Outer Circle (man, he makes it look
so easy), Heavy Horses, Elegy (brought tears to my eyes as this is one
of my all time favorite pieces), Budapest, Sweet Dream, and Song for
Jeffery. What the hell, there wasn't a bad number in the show! Was
fortunate enough to wait out back afterwards and get signatures/photo's
with Ian, Martin, and Johnathan Noyce! First time I've ever gone
autograph hunting. Gentleman, thanks for taking the time to chat it up
with a few of us long time fans! I had to chuckle though, all of them
(most especially Martin) got a good case of exposure to our Florida sun!
Ouch, sunscreen can be a wonderful thing down here ya know! Wish I
could take a run up to Pensacola for the appearance there, but alas it
is not to be.

Paul

Coast-to-Coast

A warm and surprising greeting from Famous Amos set the tone for a week in the Sunshine State. Fort Lauderdale, on the east coast, was the first stop in this 5 shows-in-6 nights TRW experience. Re-united with Barry, better known to some as Batman, Willow and I headed to the state-of-the-art Broward Center for the Arts - Row Q, Martin's side of the center section.

Hard to believe it possible, but my respect for Willy Porter grew further, as he provided another strong set for the appreciative Tull crowd. A mild surprise as Jonathan and Doane strolled on stage to join Willy for the beautiful and touching Unconditional Love. The mutual admiration among these musicians was evident before, during, and after the song. During the course of the set, we also learned that Ian's flute will be heard on the haunting Big Yellow Pine when Willy's new CD is released July 30th. A much anticipated release date for me - as I am about to put a reminder in my Palm Pilot.

The lights went down around 9 PM and Tull made their way to the stage. The sound was superb, as could be expected in this venue, and the band was energetic and musically tight. The set was brilliant. Thick as a Brick, though the very familiar version of the preceding few years, took on a new life this night - one of the highlights. Budapest gripped me like never before - played powerfully and with passion. This set the stage for a finale to be remembered. As the first notes of the New Jig were played, we found our way to the stage directly in front of Martin. Aqualung has been played with incredible energy during this tour, and tonight was no exception. Locomotive Breath, Sweet Dream, Protect and Survive, and Cheerio rounded out a brilliant show. Perhaps it was being in the company of two of my dearest friends, perhaps it was the great playing of my favorite musicians, perhaps it was a combination of the two - but this performance clearly rivaled the first DC performance in April.

Same venue, next night. Similar reaction - and rightfully so. Another excellent performance delivered by all. Surprisingly a couple of mistakes made by Ian while playing the flute, but still a set worth feeling lucky to have experienced. Ian's voice has been consistently strong during this tour - a real plus, as we know. The New Jig arrived, and so did we - directly in front of Martin once again. Tonight one of Doane's drumsticks happened to land in my hands as the show closed, adding to the positive memories of two nights in Fort Lauderdale.

A "day off" followed, with the beaches of Sanibel Island calling. The opposite coast has glorious beaches, with Sanibel's among them. Not a bad way to spend time, savouring the shows we had witnessed in Fort Lauderdale. An unbelievably unhealthy steak dinner was had, with Tull conversation dominating the evening. Central to the conversation - how great a job the sound crew has done on this tour - and hoping they realize how greatly appreciative the fans are of their work.

The next evening arrived, after a lazy day collecting sea shells on the Sanibel beaches and discovering a bit of Captiva. The crowd was quite chatty, and in my opinion a bit rude during Willy's opening set. Unphased, he delivered another heartfelt set. He continued to meet and greet many folks during the break - signing copies of his most recent CD (a CD that is hard to "keep in stock" by the Tull merchandisers).

This night we were on Andy's side, 11 rows from the stage. Before Tull hit the stage we developed a strategy to rush the stage when the time came - planning, as all good TRW's should, about how to get to Martin's side! Tull was greeted with tremendous enthusiasm by the previously chatty Fort Myers crowd. Standing ovations greeted many of the early songs. As Budapest ended and the New Jig was about to begin we executed our plan and swiftly walked along the left-most aisle to the front of the stage and crossed over to Martin's side. Much to our chagrin, we succeeded much too easily, for we found that just about everyone in the crowd was still seated - seated throughout the New Jig and Aqualung, including those in the first row. Undaunted, we clapped and sang and smiled - all with Martin directly in front of us. Hard to believe life could get much better than that. As the balloons bounded among the crowd behind us, the band waved farewell. Batman caught Martin's attention - and Martin made his way over and personally placed his pick in Barry's hand. Hard to believe, but life did get better!

Elated by another strong performance, though curious about the lack of audience enthusiasm during Aqualung, we said farewell to Batman, who faced a few hour drive back to Fort Lauderdale that night. (Couldn't be late for his tee time in the AM!)

Before heading to Clearwater the next morning, there were more sea shells to be collected, more of Sanibel to be experienced. It was very hard to leave such a beautiful spot, but very easy to be heading to another beautiful beach - Clearwater Beach.

Unfortunately Batman couldn't make it over to Clearwater, so we were left with 3 tickets and 2 people. As we arrived at Ruth Eckerd Hall we saw many other TRWs (some of whom were also down from Buffalo, New York and many of whom are folks known to all who are reading this through Talk Tull). Good seats again that night - Row J, Martin's side. Before the show we searched for Manic Mike, who kindly let me know where he would be sitting. As we wandered along Row V, looking back to Row X, we saw someone panic as we said "Seat 37!" Mike looked up, ready to pull out his ticket stub to prove we were wrong and that he wouldn't have to move - when suddenly the connection was made as to who we were. As he has previously recounted, he quickly took us up on the offer for him to utilize Batman's empty seat - Row X to Row J just like that!

Willy's set was again well-received, with a standing ovation at the end. Stairway to Freebird found its way back into the set - fortunately for us. For those lucky enough to catch a boot of this performance someday, maybe you will hear some crazy Talk Tull member yelling for Stairway to Heaven in response to a distant cry of Freebird.

Nine o'clock and the lights went down. LITP started the set once again, followed by Cross-eyed Mary - usual start time, usual set order. Just as I expected Ian to pick up his Indian flute for RtB, he picked up his acoustic guitar and announced Heavy Horses! Major setlist change - and a welcomed change at that! Jack-in-the-Green and SLOB were dropped - but no one complained. TAAB, Elegy, Wond'ring Aloud, Pibroch, Budapest - all were performed in a top notch fashion. The vocals were outstanding - and Martin was, well…Martin. Simply brilliant. One other major surprise awaited us before evening's end. Budapest came to a thundering close, the New Jig began and…the security guards remained in place. Well, as exuberant as we were, we made our way down to the front of the stage - at least I did. I turned back to see Willow having a serious discussion with the security guard. I returned to the aisle and we watched Aqualung from farther back than we had grown accustomed. During Aqualung, Midge came to the guard, telling him to move aside. The guard was intransigent. Midge did not look happy as he returned back stage. Soon after, the security guard followed, and assuming it was "our cue" I started to make my way to the stage once again. Not to be outdone by a burly security guard, a 70-ish volunteer usher stood between me and the stage. Ever the gentleman I deferred until the security guard returned and said, "OK, you can go now." Our previously pleasant usher - who was now looking like a strict school teacher, still denied me access until I pointed to the security guard and he nodded. We finally found our way in front of Martin before the encore, but it was quite the ordeal to do what comes naturally to even an unseasoned TRW like me. Locomotive Breath, Sweet Dream, P&S, Cheerio continued the greatness of the night. As the evening ended I looked at Martin, mouthed "pick." He smiled, stepped forward, and tossed it toward me. My hand quickly covered it as it lay on the stage - and another extremely strong Tull performance was over. Many of the veteran TRWs commented that this was the best Tull show in years. I had to concur - clearly the best of the tour so far, and clearly better than most I had seen over the last number of years. A real triumph.

The evening didn't end till 2 AM - after much Tull conversation and much wine. Some present voiced the opinion that "the boys" weren't happy with the performance they gave during Heavy Horses, but others strongly disagreed. It was an interesting give and take - differing opinions among people I respect greatly.

A lazy day followed - Tull folk gathered on the beach, swam in the Gulf, ran along the sandy shore, and discussed the previous night's conversation. Some were concerned the second Clearwater show would be a letdown. Some of us weren't concerned - as we had witnessed an incredible string of performances to date.

That night happened to be Willy's last of the tour. The crew was playful with him - creating technical issues for him to deal with - such as a rather phallic replacement for his mike at the outset, a mike that crawled along the stage during the performance - and an interlude during Unconditional Love with crew dressed in grass skirts and cocoanut shell halters. Willy did not sing Big Yellow Pine that night. Instead he demonstrated his appreciation to the crew by singing a song he wrote for them. Though filled with humour, it was clearly written with great affection. His finale this night? A Day in the Life. At the end of his set the crew came onstage, wished him well - as did Martin and Andy - who presented him with a Beck's - all as Jonathan and Doane looked on from the audience (having paid their tribute as they left the stage after Unconditional Love).

Other than the fact that Martin threw in Outer Circle just to keep us honest with our reports of the setlist, little needs to be said about the Tull performance that night - it rivaled the performance of the evening before. Even the security guards performed well. Though not quite as smoothly as those in other venues, they did have a better idea of what to do and when. So, once again we found ourselves in front of Martin for Aqualung and the encore. Five nights and five times in the desired spot.

It was a bittersweet night. Willy's last night was emblematic of the fact that this was to be my last Tull show for a while. As usual, the warmth and love of the extended Tull family was evident during the week - which made it very hard to say goodbye and insert myself back into the reality of everyday life. At the end of the night I was also thinking of a few folks I had hoped to see at these shows, but for one reason or another they could not find the time to get away to Clearwater (and you know who you are). To them I raise a glass and say, "Here's thinking of you."

Given the burning debate of that evening - "Which show was better - Thursday's or Friday's?" - I wasn't quite sure it mattered. If Thursday's was the best Tull show in years, and Friday's was arguably as good, why choose? Why not just relish the thought of having seen two highlight performances by the band we have chosen as our musical passion?

As I awoke at 4 AM to make my way to the Tampa Airport for my all-too-early flight I thought back to my Mid-Atlantic Reflections. Faith shaken. Faith restored. Faith sustained. What did my coast-to-coast journey represent? This excursion took me beyond faith. I had seen it and heard it myself. Tull remains full of vitality, though likely "different" now than the images we each have captured uniquely in our memories of Tull through the years. That served as a reminder that I, too, remain vital despite all of my memories of a different personal vitality of years ago. That was a nice feeling to take with me as I stood in line to board the plane back to my life beyond Tull.

Griff

Was in Pensacola for the show at Springfest last night. Had the
opportunity to meet Ian, Martin and the lads before the show. Got some
albums signed and pictures. They were staying at the same hotel as I, the
Crowne Plaza.
For a guest, I brought along my 72 year old mom who isn't new to going
to rock events. In 1972, she took me to see the Rolling Stones in
Mobile, Alabama, which is where I live. When I introduced her to Ian, I
told him that this lady spent a fortune buying me Tull records back in
the early and mid 70's. He was very gracious.
As a guitarist, I told Martin I've spent a lot of time learning his
solos note for note to which he humorously replied, "So have I!"
At the hotel I met another Tull fan who, as he told me, had gotten a
card signed by all of the band for a dear friend and longtime Tull fan
who unfortunately has very little time to live. His friend is in the
last stages of one of the worst types of leukemia, three weeks to three
months.
As for the show, it was one of these parking lot/street stage affairs as
seems to be the rule with these "fest" events. The boys came on at 10pm
and gave a wonderful performance. The set list was identical to others
during this Florida jaunt. I was trying to make notes with pen and paper
but it was difficult because during the entire show a dreadful and
unrelenting North wind was blowing at nearly gail force.
The wind, reported at 20mph plus, felt like 50. I thought all of us,
the fans, Tull, and the stage itself were going to be lifted and dumped
into the Gulf of Mexico.
I will give a more detailed account of the June 21 Biloxi show where I
hope to relax in a nice air conditioned and wind proof theatre.

Cheers, Donald

Got back from Atlanta today. Great music festival. The band was
excellent, as usual. Started around 20 minutes late due to technical
difficulties with Ian's flute microphone which lasted through the first
three songs, as well. As mentioned by others, Ian is much less chatty
with the audience this tour. While the rest of the band really seems to
be enjoying themselves, I didn't get the same feeling from Ian.

BTW, is the "Water Carrier" Andy's fiancee'/wife? After the song he
followed her off the stage and they had a brief conversation that seemed
a little more intimate than: "nice job carrying the water."

Other festival highlights: Joan Jett has still got it. Since I had
never seen her live before, I actually enjoyed her more than Tull (who
basically played the same show as the last two).
Butch Walker- I had never heard of him before the festival. He is a
terrific stage presence. Not a bad singer, either, unlike many of the
new bands.
Rubyhorse - another newer band with a good singer. Lots of potential
here. Listen for their first single "Sparkle" on your radios.
The Rantings of Eva - a local Atlanta band. Still a bit raw but some
good potential there, too. Decent songwriting and singing.

Lowlights: Adema - there's a garage band a couple blocks from me with
more talent. The drummer has some skills. The rest is all noise.
Injected - see Adema but without the drummer.
Counting Crows - they might have been good but the volume was so low
that no one could tell. On a positive note, they were the only band to
stop playing and chastise the rude teenagers for pushing and trampling
one another. Too bad we couldn't hear their music.

Oh, and I sold my extra ticket to a guy outside the gates so that was
cool.

And I managed to lose my $12 Jethro Tull tour program somewhere between
MARTA and the hotel. I hope someone found it and is reading it. If
someone buys a Tull CD or saves a cat it will be worth the loss, I
guess.

Of course now I need to find another one somewhere.

Gotta go.

Jim

Hey All,
I will try to keep it short but...you may enjoy it.

Friday,May,10th- Melboune,Fl.
Kings Performing Arts Center
-SETLIST-
1) Living In The Past
2) Cross-Eyed Mary
3) Roots to Branches
4) Jack In the Green
5) Thick As A Brick
6) Hunt By Numbers
7) Elegy
8) Song For Jeffrey
9) Water Carrier
10) Secret Language Of Birds
11) Wond'rin Aloud
12) Pinbroch
13) A New Day Yesterday
14) Boris Dancing
15) Budapest
16) Aqualung
17) Locomotive Breath
18) Sweet Dream
19) Cheerio

I get to the show and score a ticket for 50 bucks. I decided to
blow off Willie Porter in order to drink heavily, (long ride it was) mingle
and search for the bands exit route! I come to the bus and equipment
trailer in this gated area where this bald guy w/glasses comes off the
loading dock. I yell "Kenny", the man looks at me and I ask him "You're
Kenny, right"? The man puts his head down and mumbles "Kenny, I don't
know Kenny" It was Kenny though! I proceeded back outta this area,
turned around to look and there were a couple of SECURITY guys
watchin me, so I knew it was him. Don't think I was suppose to be back
there. That was my first encounter with Kenny for the weekend. Got
back to go in and see the show. Here comes Kenny down the hallway,
I yell"Kenny",he looks at me (this is when I was assured it was him)
and puts his head down and walks way around me, my second
encounter with Kenny. Found my seat, Balcony dead center of center,
if ya know whattamean. Great seat, Great sound, Great show.
After the show I go outside to about 12 black guys yellin, "Jeffro,
Get yo Jeffro shirts here,5 dollars". Of course, I bought one. Went to
the gate where Jeffro and the boys would be exitin' and within 20 mins.
after the show Andy comes walkin down to the gate and opens up with
"The old guys will be down in a minute, there driving down". Had to
laugh. While waitin for Andy to sign my Minstrels In The Gallery book,
the gate opens and Martin driving, with John on the passenger side yells
out "Sorry folks but McDonalds closes in 15 mins.,gotta go." as he waves
and blows by us by 15 feet and stops. I rush over and get Martin's auto,
rush back and get Ian's since he and Shona had just exited the gate,
run back and asked Martin if John could borrow his marker to sign my
book.At this point Andy hops in the back seat, I immediately think about
hoppin in with them since I was the only one standin there but I didn't,
I say thanks and they drive away. My van was 100 ft away at this point
so I hop in and follow them about 10 miles north. When the blinker went
on, low and behold there was McDonald's and right behind it the Imperial
Hotel w/resteraunt-lounge.I pull into McDonalds as they drove by it, and
went straight to the hotel. Sorry folks didn't go in after them, just couldn't
do it.Don't know why, just couldn't. Woke up the next morning and
realized that with the commotion of the autograph's I had forgotten to get
Andy's autograph. Well I thought there is always tonite in Orlando. Had
a great time though. Stay tuned for the Orlando Review!!

Peace,
Paulie P.

Hey all,

Saturday,May11th,Orlando,Fl.
Hard Rock Cafe
SETLIST
1) S
2) A
3) M
4) E
5) S
6) H
7) I
8) T
9) D
10)I
11)F
12)F
13)E
14)R
15)E
16)N
17)T
18)D
19)A
Y? Y?
That is what I would like to know. Why the same songs? Did they
not know I was coming? That I had paid for that setlist Yesterday.
Well despite the same setlist, a whole different attitude. Myself as
well as the crowd. After a long drive and a mile long walk from my
van to the front door of the venue I went in and proceeded to drink
(very thirsty). When I received my first drink, I tore a 20 dollar bill in
half and handed the bartender half, I asked him if he understood what
I was sayin, he told me he did. Now that I had taken care of that I
proceeded to drink heavily and mingle. Again,I blew off Willie Porter
cuz tonite folks I had the hair down and the TATTOO revealed.
Unexpectedly I had a lot of conversation this evening, with many
people, and being in Orlando they were from all over. Maine, N.Carolina,
California, U.K.,and one individual that I stuck with or around most of
the evening. Her name was Valeta and she had come up to me and
asked if the guy on my back was the singer in the band. She said it
looked like him because of the leg on knee stance. I asked if she was
a fan and she replied, "Not really, I am here with one of the stage crew".
I asked who? she replies, "MIDGE". I just about dropped. She says, "I
wanna show him your Tatoo, I think he would like it". She was an angel,
my backstage pass, so I didn't wander far from her, trust me. Durin Roots
To Branches, I am standin extreme left stage when I had my 3rd Kenny
sighting of the weekend. He must of been checkin out if the sound was
flowin properly or something. Over the loud music I yell out "KENNY", he
looks at me like ,my god it's that guy, and kept walkin.
Anyway after another Great performance, Valeta tried to get me back
stage, the guy at the door said "3,Midge said 3".Well her bro and sis were
with her so I was left out but I hung out waitin to see the boys again so I
could possibly get Andy's auto, perhaps see the invisible, vanishing Doanne
as well. About 45 mins. later out comes Valeta and she tells me there all
goin to a bar across the way to Margaritaville, Jimmy buffet's bar and to
stick close. Right after she tells me out comes Midge and the T-shirt guy
with a few others and she proceeds on with them so myself and a few
others tagged behind them all in hopes of some auto's and pics. After
followin them to a few bars Valeta introduces me to Midge and asked me
to show him my Tattoo. When I showed him he said in an Ozzy kinda way
"MY GOD, its the old man!!" and laughed. "That's nice work, nice to meet ya"
and went about doin his thing. With no luck of seein' the boys from the
band I said goodbye to the folks and was on my way. Just before exiting I
have my 4th sighting, Kenny sittin with his back to the door. So I yell,
"KENNY" and disappear before he could turn around but I know he knew.
Had to laugh. A very good night for me. I was pleased. By the way the
bartender earned the other half of the 20.I never waited for a beer once
before or durin this packed house even when they were 10 deep. HaHa
Don't go away there is Ft.Lauderdale to go, and whattaya know a different set!!
PEACE,
Paulie P.

Sunday, May 12th Ft.Lauderdale, Fl.
Broward Center for the
Performing Arts
SETLIST

1) Living In The Past
2) Cross-Eyed Mary
3) Roots To Branches
4) Jack In The Green
5) Thick As A Brick
6) Hunt By Numbers
7) Elegy
8) A Song For Jeffrey
9) Water Carrier
10) Secret Language Of Birds
11) Wond'rin Aloud
12) Pinbroch
13) A New Day Yesterday
14) Bouree
15) Budapest
16) A New Jig
17) Aqualung
18) Locomotive Breath
19) Sweet Dream
20) Cheerio

Hey all,

I have to tell you all, when I left for Ft. Lauderdale, I had no clue
how to get to the show. Well I get off an exit, and immediately come to a stop
light and the name of the road was Rock Island Blvd. So with no doubt I took
it south and did find the venue. Just thought I would share it with ya, for me
it was a trip.
Well by now you all should no that I did blow off Willie porter for a
third nite, to do the ole browse and mingle routine. Sportin' my Tattoo. This
venue was incredible. Stairs down, up, sideways. Really cool place. While walkin
around lookin for Valeta, since she told me she would be attending this show,
I come to some stairs that lead down to an outdoor lounge filled with about
25 people. Sittin' on a park bench, behind the small crowd of lushes, I notice a
familiar face. So i proceed slowly down the stairs towards this person,
tryin' not to be noticed, I approach the park bench. I say, "Excuse me, but do
you mind if I sit here"? as I sit down. The gentleman replies "Not at all I was
just leaving." I looked at the gentleman and say "You forgot to sign my LITP
book Friday nite". That's right it was Andy. He the says to me ,I bet you wish
you had that book with you now, ay??as he gets up and heads for the door. I
quickly ask him if they were goin' to have a different setlist for that
evening. He replies "Well if so, I hope they let me know about it" and went thru
the door .I was kickin myself in the ass for not havin my book with me. Not one
person within 50 ft of him noticed he was there, but from 125 ft I spotted
that shiny crown of his. HAHA
Well I bump into Valeta and she tells me that after the show they were going
to the Holiday Inn .We chatted and found out her seat was 2 rows in front of
me, which by the way was back 12 rows center floor. Well I head inside and on
the way to my seat there was..."KENNNYYYY". My last chance to Thank him for
meetin with Vern and Annette and he went thru a door which I could not
access. Oh well, soon as I see him in Boston or perhaps Tampa Friday nite this
week I'll yell out for him. : )
Once again it was another fantastic performance .After the show was
over the balloons were still flyin, of course until it came to
me,HE,HE,HEeeee. When I popped it with my blade. It blasted into three
pieces. I never had a shot at retrievin a piece. When that baby popped they
flew rows away, I was disappointed. I then saw Valeta but I didn't want to
bother her so I yelled out her name and said "PEACE" I was so tired from
drivin' all those miles each nite I decided that the show was over time to
head home.Until the next one. Bye,Bye,BYe,BYe,BYE, BYE
Peace,
Paulie P.
P.S.: SORRY, They played A New Jig all 3 nites in the same spot. But I didn't
know what it was til I watched the Living With The Past dvd today. I thought
it was some intro to Aqualung.
Whattaya want from a Youngin? Sue Me : P

The Ms. and I arrived properly adorned around 6:30 to LA's Greek theater which is an outdoor venue tucked away in the rolling hills of Griffith Park. Already the faithful one legged, balding, mad dog, pot bellied and pot smoking, doorag sporting, leching gray Tullophiles were arriving in droves (an oddity in LA where folks always turn up late) A derelict with a penny whistle (no not our derelict) was playing LITP and Bungle in the Jungle as we walked from the distant parking lawn downhill to the venue. I was happy that I'd brought a jacket as it was unseasonably cold, a fact that would throw a monkey wrench into the Tullworks later on...
As we arrived at the venue, up pulled a super long white stretch limousine. Who could be inside? Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Paul Rubens? In LA ya never know! A camera crew hovered around the limo. Then as if on cue (because it surely was on cue) out stepped a stubby girl with ratty purple hair. The crowd mumbled "It must be the Osborne's!" Then out stepped the Grand Dame, Bimbo of Bimbos, the Queen of the March/December love 'em till they croak formula, none other than Miss 48DDDD, Anna Nicole Smith!!! She was in full make up and was being filmed for new "reality" TV show. Anna's a Tull fan?!
Where else would you hear this but on Talktull??? Are ya proud of me Vern?

The Ms. Former Water Carrier Herself and I had no tickets but were planning on meeting two different Tullies that had spares. For one reason or another we couldn't seem to find either of them and in desperation, wallet in hand and the fear of satan in my heart, I Kram Namloc boldly approached the ticket window. The ticket guy says "All I have is way in the back...exept... I have these two really good ones". I snapped them up so fast ($59) it made his head spin (or maybe he was just turning around to watch the Lakers on TV?). They were in the 11th row almost center!!! All those sacrifices to the god Aqtulla finally paid off!

It was still daylight when the Young Duds came on. Anna Nicole and her entourage were sitting right beside the entourage of our very own Talktullie, the one the only, the Whistler!

I couldn't believe that I, lowly left handed, tofu eatin', lemon squeezin Kram, had better seats that multi gazillionaire Anna Nicole Smith!
During the YD's, people were watching the Lakers game on there portable TV's. Midway through their set the Dubs announced that the Lakers won. The crowd went nutz. Ho-hum. Some of us were there to rock!

As the sun went down up came our boy in blue! Yesterday, Tull played in 102 degree heat. Tonight it was 60! Ian sounded a little hoarse and I wondered if he'd make it (vocally) through the night. Martin was on! He was smiling and as usual he totally KFA! After Jack in the Green, Ian was attempting to tune his acoustic peewee guitar. He said "Now ladies and gentleman Martin Barre will show you his holiday snaps." Martin seemed a tad confused and Ian said "Go with it Martin". At which point Martin and the other members played a nice bit of lounge rock. It was quite nice and after Ian was tuned he said "If you'd like to hear the rest of that number go to Martin's hotel room after the show." LOL! The crowd cheered and Martin smiled and bowed as if he'd won the lottery.

The crowd was very enthusiastic and Ian spoke more to the crowd that he did in Costa Mesa. An LA Tull show is always important for the band and Tull really seemed to nail it tonight. The crowd started giving partial standing ovations early on, starting with TaaB. Budapest was especially nice and I am not a big fan of it live. Elegy was great but maybe a tad too sad for a live show? The "dee-dee-dee-dee" part of Aqualung was put through a vocal treatment that almost made me think Ian was lipsyching. At any rate, that treatment sounded weak and odd and should be changed!

The show finished strong. Ian's vocals seemed to stabilize and even improve, and the 99% sold out venue went crazy. Everyone was on their feet, the freaks, the celebrities and the geeks.

I happen to know that Ms. Smith and her camera crew were backstage and that at least one member of the Tull entourage were filmed! Cable TV viewers, keep yer eyes open!

Thankfully, I was able to photograph part of the show. The venue made me sign a release and in the blank for "publication" I wrote "Talktull". Sadly I was the only pro photographer there. I guess everyone else was at the Laker game.

A really great show and now it has happened again, I have a severe, full blown, feverish case of Jethritus!
Just one more show! Just one more show! Just one more show! I am going! Santa Rosa here I come!

Yayyy!!!!
Krona Barrett, Hollywood flute rock reporter.

Like Kram, I was at the OC Performing Arts Center last night. It was a
great show.

Unlike Kram, I watched the show from the audience, but I sat on the
front row of the first tier (which were terrific seats).

This was my fourth Tull show, and by far the best. Much of it (perhaps
all of it) may be attributed to the EXCELLENT venue, both in terms of
acoustics and comfort. (All the previous times I saw Tull, the band
played at either an open-air fair or a stadium.)

The Young Dubliners suffered from abysmal mixing... but then again,
outside of the violinist, I thought the Young Dubs were a below-average
band. (Speaking of violinists, it's too bad Ian won't a violinist to
Tull's lineup. The difference between a real violin and Andy's keyboard
is VERY noticeable, and MANY of the great Tull tunes feature violin.)

I noticed that Kram posted the "official" set list. However, I am
absolutely certain that Martin's solo was NOT Pibroch. I had never
heard the tune before, so I assume it was the new Martin solo I
understand is on the website soundcheck.

Also, the encore was Locomotive Breath, Sweet Dream, Protect and
Survive, and Cheerio.

The highlight for me was Elegy. In fact, everyone around me commented
afterward how much they enjoyed hearing Elegy. Thick as a Brick was
also excellent, and I enjoyed hearing SLOB live for the first time. I
thought the weakest song may have been Budapest, although the vocals on
Living in the Past were pretty poor. However, the "new" longer version
of Living in the Past has some EXCELLENT instrumental jams.

Overall, Ian's voice was good, if not great, or at least far better than
I remember it last time. Martin was AWESOME. Andy was his usual
terrific self. Doanne was Doanne, and JNoyce was actually fairly
animated and even tried to mimic Ian's Trademark One-legged stance
during Bouree, but Noyce nearly fell on his face trying to balance on
one leg.

It was absolutely a great night

The Orange County Center for the performing Arts is a plush, new-ish,
well
thought out, acoustically fine venue to get yer groove on in. It is amply
staffed by kindly retirees armed with flashlights that zealously help we
the aging flute rockers not to trip on our walkers.

Our seats turned out to be in row "ZZ". My psychic powers told me that
this
was not the front row. Low and behold it was the very last row on the
floor, which wasn't really bad but certainly nothing to wet yer thong
over.

Folx, I am not a Young Duds fan. This will prove to be the crucial
turning
point in the story of how lowly "Mr. Row Double Z Knosebleed Knamloc"
became Mr. All Access Backstage During 80% of the Show!!!

As the enthusiastic Young Dubz took the stage the hungry Mr. and Ms.
Knosebleed stepped out for a cookie or four. Presently a fellow inquired
if the Ms. fancied a job. A job carrying H2O! She was reluctant at foist
but pressure from both sides, a couple of backstage passes and a glass of
wine and she was good to go.

Long story short: She was the Water Carrier! We watched the entire show
(from Hunt by Numbers on) from back stage!
It was great. And it was odd. It was very strange and difficult not to
clap! The sound was not groovy but we did meet the rabbit in person! It
was
wild to see the crowd from stage side.

Ians voice was good despite an earlier in the day interview in which he
stated he was feeling a bit under the weather and was using throat spray.
I
can't really judge the show properly since I didn't really see and hear
it
from the audience. Overall it seemed quite good and they certainly
haven't
lost anything in the past 18 months.

After Ms. Kram did her bit (she's 5-11") Ian said : "She's a big girl
Martin. So big she made you look like a little toad. She made me look
like
a slightly larger toad. Only Doane could meet her eye to eye." LOL!

As you may imagine I would love a recording or better yet video of this
gig. Anyone wanna trade?

I couldn't really dream of it getting any better than that!!!
:-O
Kram
*********************************************

Mid-Atlantic Reflections

A whirlwind few days - Philadelphia and DC.

This had been the first time in a long time that I experienced the inaugural show of a Tull tour - and the first time I sought it out purposely. Philadelphia began early in the day - with a wonderful gathering at a Tull friend's home. Many new acquaintances while getting to better know "old" friends. Tull memories and stories abounded. An interesting mix of Tull emanated from the speakers - including a well produced new CD of live material. The conversation flowed without effort, but the time had come - time to head for the venue. The directions were exact - and accurate - though not all followed them correctly. Must have been opening night jitters.

Fado's Irish Pub proved to be a warm pre-show meeting place. No Winged Isle, but certainly a winged creature was present - comfortably sitting on the shoulder of a PurrT woman. Again, many new acquaintances - though we all knew each other already, don't we?

The witching hour approached as Willow and I made our way into the Academy of Music - an ornate and spectacular opera house. Making our way down the aisle - seats on Martin's side are always a joy - we were accosted by someone wearing a Maple Leaf jersey and beaver pelt codpiece. If only others were witness to it - to once and for all demonstrate that Haasy and I are not one! Yes, we share a love for signature Canadian food, beer and doughnuts, but that is as far as it goes…

Willy Porter provided a tremendous opening set. The array of sounds coming from that guitar required a collection of microphones - a veritable Hedge of Mikes - to fully capture his sonic production. His musicianship was incredible, his intelligent lyrics welcome to us all. Responding positively to requests from the crowd, he played the best version of Stairway to Freebird I have ever heard. Unfortunately ushers prevented us from igniting our lighters to make the mood complete. Seriously - an amazing set, greeted with tremendous enthusiasm from an appreciative audience. (A serious request of anyone taping the Tull shows - please tape Willy's sets and let me know.)

After a suitably fashionable break, we were greeted with an announcement of a ten minute delay secondary to technical difficulties. In retrospect, that announcement was a foreshadow of things to come. The lights finally went down, the Aqua-flute intro was piped over the system - and a non-spectacular start of the tour was underway. No, not LITP! Well, you have all read the set list. Not a stunner. Worse than the set list was the performance. Little energy. No passion. No joy. Elegy was easily the highlight, with Wond'ring Aloud a close second. The balloons eventually appeared, Cheerio was sung, and the lights came up. Clearly a disappointing set for most of the folks I know. Willy Porter proved to be the highlight. At least the doo-rag was subdued. Consider this "faith shaken."

On to DC two days later - and the Warner Theater. At the appointed hour we met at John Harvard's Brewery - which is situated a few steps from the venue. It was there that I first met our fearless leader - Vern - and his co-convention organizer, the Tull fanatic from Cleveland, Netty. Based on that pre-show gathering I felt more positive about the soon-to-be witnessed performance of our favorite band.

Another wonderful venue - one of the many grand movie houses from the 20's we see across the country. Hard to make it to our seats - as Willow met and greeted multiple Tull Road Warriors she has met through the years. The usher asked me how she knows so many folks - and I explained the friendships and community I have been privileged enough to become a small part of over the last couple years. Rather than thinking it odd, the usher smiled warmly - and finally had a chance to show us our seats - Martin's side, second row.

Willy Porter's set equaled the brilliance of the previous night. One song especially stood out - something like Under the Yellow Pine - a powerful and moving tune. His improv number was also a hit - with multiple suggested topics from the audience included in the witty and intelligent lyrics created before our eyes - and ears.

The band hit the stage at 9 PM as expected. It was immediately clear that the performance would be different - as it was obvious that the band was in good humour. Ian looked and sounded more relaxed. Andy and Martin started early with playful exchanges. The band appeared to be playing as a unit, when it seemed a struggle to do so a mere 48 hours before. Highlights again were Elegy and Wond'ring Aloud. The set was restored to its normal length with the addition of Boris Dancing - and Sweet Dream during the encore. Prior to Aqualung, the ushers dutifully moved aside and we moved a pace or two forward in order to be ensconced in front of Martin for the finale. It is always a joy to watch him - and especially so to be a few feet away as he performed his solo during Aqualung and his intro to Locomotive Breath. Tonight the balloons seemed to come too soon. The energy had been palpable, the passion renewed. Consider this "faith restored."

After the show we wished Vern and Netty good luck with "The Meeting" and headed into "the thick blue haze of Harry's." After much indecision we settled upon a quiet corner of tables. A much pierced waitress took our order as we waited for "The Report" from "The Meeting." Ray Lomas had a martini or two to calm his nerves while others of us resorted to the carrot cake. Once we learned that the report was positive - Ian was in an agreeable mood, we took up a few more tables and enjoyed the fact that "you don't have to pay for memories, they will all come free." What a joy to see 20-30 Tull Road Warriors taking up a large corner of this establishment surrounded by crew and band - sans a couple. The fellowship continued till the wee hours of the morning - wee hours not experienced too often in a waking state by many of us recently. As the bar was closing, we dispersed to our various hotels with loose plans of gathering again during the next day.

The sun rose too soon for many of us I assume, but cell phones began to ring - with conversations about when and where to meet for the day. Some get an earlier start and saw some of the sights, while others of us were in need of changing hotel accommodations and the like. Eventually many of us gathered together - with the Hope Diamond in sight - and decided to make our way down the Mall. It was 1 PM - time for sustenance - as we wandered into the National Sculpture Garden. We were greeted by a delightful café - and luckily grabbed a few tables outside on a spectacular spring day in our nation's capital. Our intentions were a quick lunch and some sightseeing. Well, we seemed to thoroughly enjoy each other's company and spent the next few hours talking, reminiscing, speculating, debating, laughing, and joking. It proved to be a great afternoon - lazy and pleasant.

Some of us had plans to take in the second show - others were steadfast in not "taking a chance" that the second performance would be a letdown after such a breathtaking first performance at The Warner Theater. We parted company - parting as closer friends, not just internet acquaintances.

A few separate dinner locations - but likely similar occurrences. Warm conversations with discussions of why we do this, why we seek out performances by the band, why we go to such lengths to experience the music of Tull. We discovered bonds that are deep despite the inherent differences we each bring to this experience.

The second performance didn't quite match the previous evening's, but it was a close second. Willy Porter was again incredible. Tull was again having fun - delivering a full evening of career "standards," mild surprises, and wonderful new memories. The last few moments of the show symbolized the essence of the previous few days. As usual, the ushers were moved aside at the appropriate moment. Somehow there was a difference on this night. It seemed as if all the folks I had spent the last few days with - at least those attending the Friday performance - had made the move forward quicker than everyone else. Somehow we all ended up lining the front of the stage for Aqualung and throughout the encore. It was such a special moment for me, though one that is hard to explain. It was as if we were the only ones in the theater with the band. We looked from one to another - smiling at each other, hugging each other, waving to each other, saluting each other. A few feet in front of us the band played the familiar music we have heard for decades - but somehow we were experiencing something very unique. Locomotive Breath, Sweet Dream, Protect and Survive - balloons - Cheerio, waves and bows, lights up, What a Wonderful World. Yes, what a wonderful world. Consider this "faith sustained."

We slowly made our way back over to the bar with the thick blue haze. A final meal together, a final drink, a final conversation before we dispersed to various hotels once again - in preparation for dispersing to our various homes the next day.

I am a neophyte Tull Road Warrior, having only experienced the joys of it for a couple years or so. This trip proved very special to me. I met some wonderful new folks and deepened my love and respect for others.

For those of you catching shows on this tour - have fun continuing to debate the set list, the outfits, and the performances. For me the power of the band continues to be the music - music that has moved me for years, and moved me enough to meet the wonderful people who are happy to declare themselves Tull Road Warriors. The experience now transcends the music - it involves people, a community of people, many of which I am now very happy to include among my closest friends. Thanks to all who were with me and around me on this Mid-Atlantic journey. I will treasure it for years to come - even if the band did start the set with such a lousy tune…

Griff
*************************************

Hi fellow Tull fans,

I'm still rubbing the sleep from my eyes after a late night last night, but
thought I would take time to give everyone a brief review of the Tull show
at Bass Hall in Fort Worth Sunday night. Les and Kaz are going to the Monday
night show as well, so I won't steal their thunder with a lot of detail.
They will, I'm sure, remember details that I won't, so I'll leave room for
them to give you a detailed review.

First things first; the setlist:

Aqua-Intro
Living In The Past
Cross-eyed Mary
Heavy Horses
Roots To Branches
Thick As A Brick
Hunt By Numbers
Elegy
The Water Carrier
In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff
Martin's Solo (Outer Circle, I believe)
New Day Yesterday
Bouree
Budapest
Mayhem Jig
Aqualung
-------------
Locomotive Breath
Sweet Dreams
Cheerio

The band was the tightest I think I've heard them, and Ian's voice was the
strongest I've heard it in many, many years. Martin was in top form, and KFA
as usual. Andy and Doane were spot-on, and even Jonathan was a bit more
antimated than usual. All in all, a really terrific show. Us Talk-Tullers
rushed the stage as soon as the security guards withdrew (part-way through
Mayhem Jig) and kicked off the finale festivities.

I managed to sneak my digital camera in, and was able to come away with
about 50 pics, mostly pretty good ones, I believe. I'll be sending them to
Kevin to put on the Tullzine site. I'm glad I took the digital camera, as I
was able to take pretty decent pictures without using a flash. In the bar
later on, Tull's lighting manager told me that if I had used a flash, I
would have been quickly removed.

After the show, Kaz, Les and I retired to the bar across the street from the
Hall, "The Flying Saucer". There we had a chance to meet Andy and Jonathan,
and get a few pictures. They were both very approachable, and friendly. We
also met Keith (Lead Singer) and Chas (Violin) from the Young Dubliners,
there. About 1:45 they started clearing everyone out of the bar, so we
called it a night.

As I said, I'll leave some of the story for Les and Kaz to tell. Suffice it
to say we all had a great time, and are looking forward to the next tour!

Wayne
*************************************

Saw Tull in Costa Mesa on my 46th B-day with an old friend, all I can say is THEY WERE REALLY ON for this show!
Living in the Past is not one of the Tull songs I'd have picked to open the show, but man did they kick ass on it!
Cross-Eyed Mary was tight and explosive!
Roots To Branches still one of their best live numbers
It was great to hear Jack In The Green again, as it's been a long time since they did it live
Then My Tull Fave, Thick As A Brick. Happy Birthday indeed!
Hunt by Numbers is also a VERY well performed live song! There are many songs from Dot Com that I like better, but hard to fault them on the performance on this one
I'm in agreement that Elegy was the real nugget of a surprise tune on the setlist! It was performed stunningly!
A Song For Jeffrey kicked ass, I love that arrangement (They opened their 1997 Show here in Spokane with it, but hadn't used it since when I saw them) anyway Martins guitar work on this one is incredible!
I enjoyed the Water Carrier with it's different instrumentation and what a treat to finally hear The Secret Language of Birds live!
Wond'ring Aloud one of my favorite Tull songs!
Martin's solo was absolutely flawless and just overwhelming!
A New Day Yesterday was played with great intensity, followed by Bouree', always a crowd pleaser. Budapest was good but I think if they're going to do it live they should leave in the middle section! It did have a tight powerful ending though!
The Mayhem Jig with the rabbit coming out was great! I also enjoyed Ian taking pictures of the audience, then the obligatory self-snapshot waving WITH the crowd!
Aqualung kicked ass! Ian's voice is back! Best job he's done singing this one for many years!
Locomotive Breath still their most rocking song live, well performed by everyone, Andy really has fun with this one
Sweet Dream was a huge treat, as I cant remember them playing it at any of the concerts I'd been to (I've only been to 10 shows over the years).
Protect and Survive rocked out for the balloon show and then it was Ian bidding us all "Cheerio"!
I'm glad I went to this one and I'd have to rate it as one of the best I've ever seen
Steve

I saw Tull in Denver last night. They played at a venue that had no seating
so my feet and legs are awfully sore this morning.

I thought I'd see some familiar faces in the line to get in, such as Ray
(Somewhere in the Universe) and Ken Stitzel (old SCCer and mentioned in the
acknowledgments of the lyric book), but I didn't see either one (and since
Ken is 6' 9" and well over 300lbs. he's hard to miss). One thing I did
notice seeing all those people in line was that there was a large diversity
of ages, but no ethnic diversity. No black people, no Chicanos (in a heavily
Chicano populated area), and no Asians. I mentioned this to my wife and she
agreed, thinking there must not be any appeal (or exposure) for Tull to
anybody but white people.

The Young Dubs opened promptly at 7:30. They impressed me as the best Tull
opener I've seen since Fairport. Unfortunately they seem to have the same
problem that all Tull openers seem to have (except Fairport) and that is
that they can't get the mix right. They seem to have all the mikes and
pickups turned up to 11. This causes them to sound like a wall of noise.
They need to turn down all the instruments except the violin and leave the
vocal mikes as is. My enjoyment was marred by the close proximity of a gay
pro wrestler wannabe who thought he had to dance. I kept moving out of the
way of that horrible gyrating butt, but when I realized that he was next to
my wife instead of me, I knew I had to take action. I thought of violence,
but came up with a better solution. I kept standing on the heel of his
flip-flops accidentally on purpose. This effectively moved him away. During
the set, a woman sidled up next to me and asked "Who are these guys?". I
said "They told us at the start".
"I wasn't here at the start."
"Then how did you get so far up here?"
"We just wiggled our way up here."
"Then why don't you just wiggle your way back?"
A few moments pause and she started to the back and said "Thanks for being
so nice." She was gone before I could reply that that was the way I usually
treat rude people.

When the Young Dubs were done, it seemed to be some sort of secret signal
for all the rude people to try to cut in front of the people in front of
them. The gay wrestler was one of them and he wound up a few feet closer to
the stage and farther from me. The interval was thankfully brief.

Ian and the boys started in with the set list that has been posted here
before. Elegy was certainly the highlight of the show for the true Tull fan.
Ian has done some re-arranging on the flute part (and it's a great
improvement) and he did some things with it that I don't think he would have
been capable of doing prior to '94 (such as doing some of the melody in the
third octave of the flute's range). Ian's voice was the best I'd heard since
'84. Back when his voice was so bad he had the annoying habit of singing
behind the beat, but that's not the case anymore.

During the performance I thought of something else that isn't the case
anymore either. It used to be that somewhere in the concert you'd get flute
parts embedded in the songs and then you'd get "THE FLUTE SOLO" which was
usually triggered from either A New Day... or from My God and would include
a bit of Bouree and Kelpie. Now days, Ian plays so much flute that there's
no need for "THE FLUTE SOLO". Last night we heard In the Grip of Stronger
Stuff (dedicated to Dave Pegg), Bouree (full version with a bit of Kelpie
thrown in), Elegy, etc. I really think that in the old days, Ian preferred
singing to fluting, but now I think he prefers fluting. With his voice back,
I think now he could do more singing, but that may be a part of why his
voice was so good: he doesn't use it as much as he used to.

When the Water Carrier came out, I thought that this couldn't be a local.
Her skin is so dark (not of African descent) and her hair so black, she
looks like she just got off the plane from some middle eastern/Indian
locale. The crowd loved her.

Before Ian introduced Bouree, he pointed out that it was a lovely old
facility and pointed out the lovely chandeliers this building had. He told
us that because of those lovely chandeliers, there would be no giant
balloons tonight. It seemed to me that most of the crowd didn't know what he
was talking about so there was no sense of disappointment in the crowd. Ian
said they'd try to come up with something else.

I was really looking forward to Sweet Dream, even if it was just an
instrumental, but instead we got Protect and Survive as an instrumental
while a roadie brought Ian an ordinary, normal size party balloon, holding
it as if it were a giant balloon. Ian tried balancing it on his head, but it
just didn't work. So we got a few ordinary balloons. Ian sang Cheerio and
that was it.

After the music, we were standing around at the T-shirt vendors, waiting for
my wife's sister (Karen) and boyfriend to get a shirt. A voice calls out to
Karen and it is her best friend, whom I had met briefly before. My brain
started processing the image of her friend: Dark skin, dark hair, back stage
pass badge (2+2=4), hey! this is the Water Carrier! It just shows how wrong
a guy can be. We had a bit of a conversation about the Water Carrier duties
and selection process. It struck me as remarkable that I'd happened to have
a tie to the Water Carrier. Not as close as Kram, but at least here's
another one with a connection to the local Water Carrier.

All in all, it was a great show, but standing for the whole show is getting
too hard for my old arthritic legs and their old basketball injuries. My
dunking days are long past and my ability to stand for a concert may well be
a thing of the past too.

Kevin Thurston
**********************************

I saw Tull in Salt Lake City last night. The show was at Kingsbury Hall
on the University of Utah campus which is a very old, small, and
supposedly 'acoustically perfect' hall according to the DJ that made
some initial announcements. I don't know about acoustically perfect,
but I have never seen the band in such an intimate setting. The sound
was nearly overwhelming at times... not that it was overly loud, but
those guys can flat out rock! I could not believe how 'tight' the sound
was and even the most intense and piercing flute notes had absolutely no
distortion. Am I making myself clear... it was incredible!

I snagged, (asked for and was given), the set list from the soundboard
operator. Here it is as close as I can present it with Plain Text
e-mail:

LIVING IN THE PAST
CROSSEYED MARY
ROOTS TO BRANCHES
JACK IN THE GREEN
TAAB
HUNT BY NUMBERS
ELEGY
THE WATER CARRIER
BORIS DANCING
WOND'RING ALOUD
MB INST
A NEW DAY YESTERDAY
BOUREE
BUDAPEST
NEW JIG
AQUALUNG
=============================
LOCOMOTIVE BREATH.SWEET DREAM
BALLONS.CHEERIO

As has been stated by others, Elegy was fabulous, especially in the
intimate setting. David Palmer did a great job, but this new Ian
Anderson arrangement is special.

Another highlight was when Ian's ear monitor failed and it had to be
replaced in the middle of a song. The other band member kept right on
playing and Martin actually improvised for a few bars (30 seconds) until
Ian came back online and then they continued seamlessly with the song,
literally without missing a beat and without even so much as a glance to
insure everyone was in-sync. My point is that these guys were always
in-sync and the level of virtuosity and professionalism was
awe-inspiring, (especially when compared to the Young Dubliners).

Yes, Ian's voice is 50 plus years old, but at the end of the concert he
surprised me with its strength and inflection. I most certainly got my
moneys worth. I'd love to follow them around and hear several more
concerts on this tour, but I'll have to leave that to some of you other
Tull fans (fanatics?) with more flexible schedules. I feel very, very
fortunate that Ian and Martin still enjoy touring, and be assured I will
never miss another concert in SLC as long as Tull tours.
Paul

Hi Friends,

6/14 Friday night at 90 year old accoustically
perfecto Brady Theater in Tulsa, OK can be summed up
in one single word.. WoW!
Without a doubt - the best performance I have seen
since the '93 tour (also @the Brady.. Tull's last
Tulsa appearance)
I had over the past three or four tours all but given
up on Ian and Company but no longer shall I ever
doubt.
Show Notes:
I had spent all week brooding over the fact that in a
week or so Todd Rundgren will be opening while we here
get the "Dung Yubliners"
Surprise....The Dubs have gone from spooked deer -in
-the headlights novices to very confident and seasoned
pros since the two shows I saw them open at the very
beginning of the 2000 tour. The local newspaper Friday
moring ran a nice little Dubs article. Keith Roberts
interveiwed via cell- phone.. he was at Home Depot
buying materials to build a Tiki Bar in his back-yard
for a tour send off party. God Bless those industrious
Irish.
Tull's set was simlpy amazing. Audience was up
cheering and signing along for most of the show and it
really drove the band on it seemed. Ian's voice was
better and stronger than it has been in many many
years . I noticed that he has positioned the capo much
lower on his guitar now (4th? fret)and the vocals
blend much better. Martin wore a big grin for much of
the show, and during the accoustic middle part of
Aqualung while toweling off his Strat he had his head
back, eyes closed and was mouthing the words along
with Ian. How about this? Twin " Water Carrier"
girls!
Ever since I bought tickets to this show back in
April, my wife had been joking about how our seats
were in row 13 and one of the seats was # 13. She went
on and on about how a speaker or spotlight would fall
on the unlucky one to sit in that seat. As luck would
have it, of the 4 of us she sat there, and during the
encore one of the (4!)ballons burst and fell in 3
pieces right on her head! Everyone in the seats around
us was grabbing for a souvineer but I was quick enough
to get it first. What a show. Here's the setlist:

Aqua-Intro
Living In The Past
Cross-eyed Mary
Roots to Branches
Jack-in-the-Green
Thick as a Brick
Hunt By Numbers
Elegy
The Water Carrier
In The Grip of Stronger Stuff
Wond'ring Aloud
Martin's Solo ( sorry, I didn't recognize this one -
not "pibroch" as in earlier shows)
New Day Yesterday
Bouree
Budapest
Mayhem Jig
Aqualung
encore:
Locomotive Breath
Protect & Survive theme
Cheerio

hmmmm...I might just have to catch a few more dates
later
in the tour.
Peace,
Patrick

*************************************

Due to the two days of whirlwind and activity and only about 6 hrs of sleep in two days I am going to divide this into two sections

SUNDAY JUNE 16

I left the small town of Stephenville Sunday June 16 in the afternoon to head towards the big city of Ft Worth. Already a bit tired from the lack of sleep due to a storm that hit which clocked in winds 70-80 mph the night before, I was tired but too excited to care...

I arrived at the hotel where I stayed late that afternoon.Got on the elevator to my room and was greeted at the elevator by a very charming and warm Kaz... Friendship hugs were exchanged and from that second on we acted like we had known each other forever ... Kaz and I spent some time "getting acquainted " with each other , talking and getting extremely pumped for the night's show..

Around 5:30 pm Kaz and I headed to the restraint Mi Cocina and met up with fellow TalkTullers Wayne and Tom who also had a friend with him. Kaz and I were the first to arrive. There was a Antique Car show being held at Sundance so a lot of the streets were blocked off for the event. Which made it difficult to get to a lot of buildings . Including the restraint. So the others were running late. But we did hook up and had a wonderful meal and very nice margaritas which this restraint is known for. :)

Then it was off to see Tull... Wayne pretty well covered what the set list was for Monday and the general all performance.I agree Tull were the tightest I remember as well.Very together.Ian's playing was flawless and his voice was in terrific form...He looked as though he was having a great time !!!Elegy was beautiful and Martin did indeed rock it out baby ! :) And Doane and Jon were feeding off of each other nicely The acoustics in Bass are very fine indeed and the Hall is a beautiful opera/classical design with a round hand painted dome of clouds and angel wings a neat place to have a concert.

I have a comment to add to the rushing of the stage though.... We were on row x which in Bass turned out to be great seats... Hardly need my binoculars this close...But making the rush to the stage was a huge doubt in my mind. We all knew the routine ...So at the end of Budapest we knew to run like crazy...Fine if you are tall no problem... I am 5'1 and Kaz is a very tall (now I am guessing) 5'10?... She can make it fine...So she grabs me by the arm and off we go me flying fearing I am going to crash !!!! saying whoa Kaz whoa !! all the way down... But I made it just fine.. I think Wayne and Tom were on Martin's side ? and Kaz and I on Andy Giddings's side, Andy came forward and shook hands with us...Love it when the crowd leans and you are up against the stage... I was pounding the stage with my hands and Kaz was whipping her head madly ! ( lol !) ... Great until we woke up the next day. Kaz neck was killing her and my bum elbow was aching !ahh the price a Tull fan pays no:)

Then it was off to the Flying Saucer ...Thanks to Kaz asking the crew we did indeed find out were a few members were... Andy, Jon and Keith and Chas of the young Dubs were there. Yes we did pose to take pics... A few of Tull's road crew were there as well and we spent time talking to them as well....

Now when Andy posed with me he had to lean waaaaaayyy down because I am so short and he is very tall lol!We hung out there until closing time at 1:45 am...

While we were there Kaz and I saw Wayne's pictures he took...Excellent ! You guys will really like them ...Good going Wayne !!!

Then we all departed...But day two was to come

And this until in the morning will have to wait.... Les did manage to sleep ...for an hour and then someone decided to drop by,,, Need sleeeeppp :

To be continued :)))

Les
////////////////////////////////////////

Now it is on to part two of the Tull saga at Bass Hall.Bear with me this is a very long one !!!! So much happened...

By the time Kaz and I got to the hotel and settled it was around 2:30 am. I had forgotten all about my carpal tunnel in my elbow and as I mentioned in pt 1 I was banging the stage with my hands . In the process I really irritated the elbow badly ! I woke up with a shot running in my arm about a hour into slumber (I hate that when it happens) . So I spent awhile trying to elevate the elbow on the spare pillow on the bed and turning to get comfortable. Then I got settled and went to sleep. And out of all things I woke up early (habit since I do wake up early at home) like 6:30 am early !! I know Kaz loved me dearly :))) We were on the 20th floor of the Marriott and the water pressure that early was not good. I had difficulties and cursed the cantankerous commode and the sink faucet with no water and threatened to pull a "Keith Moon" and trash the sink and commode (kidding folks :))) And grumbled off to bed.

Only to wake up again at 9 am...I gave up sleeping and took a long hot bath instead...Much better....I apologized to Kaz because I am sure she would of liked to sleep a bit longer...:))

We hung out at the hotel room a bit and planned what to do for the day to kill time before the night's concert. We looked up art museums to attend but I told Kaz it was Monday and museums are closed on Mondays. So we went on to find a place to eat. Kaz being a veggan had put us with us carnivorous kind of species the night before. ;)) So I told her about a Indian restraint...Which was clear on the other side of Ft Worth... I was familiar how to get there coming from Stephenville but not from downtown Ft Worth. So we went to the Ft Worth tourist center for directions. We were doing fine except the person who gave us directions left out part of the directions. We got turned around for awhile but Kaz has radar in her blood:)... And we were on track. We got a call on the way there from a fellow we had met at the Flying Saucer and he wanted to have lunch with us. He drove all the way from Dallas to Ft Worth to eat with us... Then we all caught a movie while we were there.

By the time the movie was over we zoomed back across town to the hotel to get ready for Tull !!!. Kaz had parked her car at the Clarion (spell?) hotel to doge the parking fees at the Marriott. Everything is centrally located at Sundance so it was no problem to walk to the hotel...

We were walking from the Clarion hotel to the Marriott contemplating what to eat for our dinner.We both did not want much and decided on the lovely bakery at the hotel The Corner Bakery... to eat .. As usual I was busy chattering away. Kaz leaned over and suddenly says:"Les...Ian Anderson is behind us..." It takes awhile for Les to understand things..I kept on chattering... It was a sort of a half believe it half I don't reaction. Then Kaz said "No Ian is behind us Les !" I turned around and sure enough there he was !! You can imagine what was racing through my mind after all these years of never meeting Ian before... Kaz waved at him and said in her lovely British accent "Ian...Hellooo !" He stopped and looked around to see where that was coming from and Kaz waved and said "Hello from over here" Ian turned and looked in our direction as Kaz and I made our way towards him. We said a quick hello but since it was 5pm Ian was in a hurry to cross the street for the sound check. Kaz said "you are in a hurry so elbow greeting then?" Ian obliged and rubbed elbows with Kaz then Ian stuck his elbow out for a elbow greeting from me and I rubbed my left elbow against his left elbow.... Les was feeling good then :)... I watched as Ian hurried across the street and making sure he was out of ear reach,I turned and grabbed Kaz in a excited hug and loudly said "KAZ I HAVE WAITED CLOSE TO 34 YEARS TO MEET THAT MAN !! She was very surprised and said "ohh my I thought you had met Ian before." I said no I have not and she was so sweet and said "Les I am very happy for you !" So was Les lol ! You know I wonder if maybe some of that "flute magic" entered from his elbow into mine and traveled through my body and now maybe I can now play on the same level as Ian...Think so? ( ummm does not work that way Les!..rats)

Kaz and I made our way to the bakery to grab something for dinner. There were some fantastic goodies in there and fresh sandwiches with homemade breads and fresh produce and fresh seasonings... We picked up what we wanted and went back to the room. I think I must of still been trying to soak in what happened meeting Ian and anticipating the Tull concert.I could barely eat half my sandwich LOL! I was so excited on the inside while still trying to maintain a "Joe Cool" appearance (ha!)

Then it was time to go to the concert....

This time we all met there. Wayne was not able to attend this Tull concert :( But Tom came with his parents :))) Who BTW looked as though they enjoyed themselves immensely !!:)

NOTE TO TOM HERE : Please provide these good folks with a set list I tend to get too wrapped up to keep thing straight...Thanks...

In my own personal thoughts here . I thought the first night was excellent indeed but the second night was WILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Could not believe it !!!!!!

The audience the first night were receptive and very attentive and like 2000 were laid back and very respectful yet obviously were crazy about Tull for sure !! But this crowd was NOT the typical Bass Hall crowd anymore...We had a crazy crowd..I LOVED IT !!!

They were even on their feet a lot for The Dubs !!!!When Tull hit the stage it felt like the roof of Bass Hall was going to be blown off ! They were on their feet !!!!!!!!and would rise and sit and rise and sit all evening long... Tull fed off this crowd in return ALL Band members were wired for sound !! Energy baby !!!!!Even Jon was active (lol ) Ian was hyper pacing the stage like a lion turned loose, Doane was banging madly away on the drums Andy was playing his feet flying around in circles occasionally getting up to encourage the crowd to rise and clap (no problems there !) And even Jon broke out in smiles. Martin was sssssssooooooooooooooooooooo incredible !!!!!!!!!!Makes goose bumps come on my arms to remember !!!He was really into it big time !:)

The only down side was we had a real jerk nearby (you know the type) who decided to holler at Ian right when things were quite and while he was doing Elegy ...BAD MOVE ! he hushed up for after we all hissed SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH at him. But after Elegy he started talking loudly again...Someone behind him really got into it with him and hollered at him . Then here comes the most irritating part...Around this time Martin did a very rare gem that night "Sad Cafe" and him doing jazz on a acoustic guitar.. That boob of a jerk hollers "THIS SUCKS...THIS IS SHIT CRAP" It sounded like he was cursing Martin's solo .. I came unglued!!! I sat straight up in my chair and mumbled "shithead" !! and flung my hands hard hitting poor Tom in the arm ( oop) ..I was so mad !Kaz said "why is he cussing Martin .." I really could not tell if the idiot was still pissed at the guy he got in a tiff with or because it is a jazz solo he was mad it was not a rock song.. (grrr)It did sound like he was aiming his anger at Martin's solo ..I believe when that happened the idiot thankfully got escorted out of Bass Hall (Texans don't like fer yew ta mess around :) )

Not to be detoured by a slight incident it was on to the greatness that was going on before us... The crowd as I said were on there feet often. Then came Budapest and we all got prepared again to make our way down front. This time we were on row N so it was a closer jont for ole ms. short legs here. We made it fine Kaz leading the way !:))) I was on my way yes !! Front row again Yes ! On Martin's side again YES!...uh oh... some rather tall big bear of a guy blocks me as I reach for the edge of the stage. Kaz saw that and grabs my hand and somehow I manage to squeeze though a very small hole next to Kaz... (I felt like a sardine in a can lol ! ) Kaz had promised not to headbang that night because of the headache.. I promised not to hand slam the stage , But she tossed her head side to side on occasion ( Les getting slapped by long hair every once in awhile lol ! ) Me I just plain got carried away and started to pound the stage (hey could not help it!) Kaz grabbed my right hand (injured hand) and said"don't do it Les." I was startled... My hands were on some wiring ...Thought maybe I had tried to unplug Tull ! :) She was reminding me not to injure my right hand..Ok by me I just proceeded to pound the stage with my left hand instead... LOL !

Only one other small incident.. Some little fella decided to have it out with a huge guy with a Mohawk. The guy with the Mohawk started threatening him loudly and pushed him around. This went on awhile and I thought a fight was going to happen. But they were separated by the crowed and security and then "escorted out" And things settled down...geez ya would of thought we were at a heavy metal concert :))

As I said this time we were on Martin's side. And oh baby was he into it. Head back ..eyes closed and something I had not noticed before. He was making these moaning sounds... I wanted to turn my back so he and his guitar could be alone...sounded like a guitarist making love to his guitar lol ! :))) .Then Martin would come forward barely inches from the audience's fingers. Ian would wander over and lean towards the audience inches away also. To think my fingers were at Ian and Martin's feet. Martin came forward several times and I would do a mock bow with my hands stretched out in front of his feet and leaning my head down on the stage's edge as if I were bowing down. He acknowledge by bowing his head a bit. Then at the end Martin came forward and shoved a guitar pick right into Kaz's hand and closed Kaz's hand to be sure she got it and not someone else WOW !!!!! Tom and my jaws dropped !! Then sweet Kaz passed Martin's pick to Tom who had been wanting a pick from Martin for years ! (My jaw dropped again lol !) And then Kaz got the setlist and handed it to Tom as well ...What a sweetheart !

Then it was off to the bar again.. When Kaz and I walked into the Flying Saucer it was very crowded noisy and terribly smoky. We ran into Keith of the Young Dubs and we both commented on the place...He said "I know it smells like a sweaty sock in here !" LOL ....And he told us to try a bar up the street called The Fox and Hound that it might take awhile but band members, Tull road crew and the Dubs would be there .

Kaz and I went there . The place was practically vacated. But we trusted Keith's words and earlier one of Tull's road crew had told us the same thing so we figured we would wait it out. Well it got later and later and Kaz said "do you think we should go back to the hotel" and I said "call me crazy but my instincts tell me to wait.." Kaz agreed to it and I said as a matter of fact there is Andy now ( I saw him in a mirror that was facing me in the bar) ..Sure enough Andy came in and said "we are going upstairs." he seemed lost so I directed him to the stairs. Kaz and I followed later.While we were there. Various Tull road crew, Young Dub members, Andy and Doane came in. I got Andy and Doane to sign my program I bought . I also got Jon's signature but as I mentioned earlier he had been farmed out to man the stage door and was not there . So I got his on the way to the bar.There were hardly any outside crowd there outside of Tull/Dub folks. So it was almost like a private party thing lol ! Drinks were had by all (including Les who could not refuse all those Bailey Irish Creams that were being placed in front of her by a Tull road crew member lol !) and a good time again was had by all.. A funny note I am short and the bar stools in the places we went were too tall for me ... So it got to the point where a road crew member for Tull had to pick me up and place me on the stool so I could get up to the bar lol ! Also when Andy signed my program he signed it :"best Wishes ..Andy Giddings..." Well he stopped and looked at it and said "oh... it looks like I have written "Best Whiskers! " I laughed and said "it would be a difficult thing for me to grow" ... He laughed and leaned way down (he had to ) and gave me a huge hug and said "Now go get drunk" I joked "no problem!" :). Doane also gave me a hug when I got his signature...Funny he had to lean way down as well...wonder why ;).

Kaz had to leave because she had to get up at 6 am to drive to San Antonio to go to work...So we did not stay to close the bar this time... We left about ohhh a good 15 -20 minutes earlier instead (lol)

The next morning Kaz got up at 6 am. I woke up to say bye and a heart warmed Thank You for this special time indeed !!! She left at 7. My ride home was not due until 10:30 Instead of sleeping I decided that a good bath and a good breakfast is what I needed. Sort of some downtime in the morning thing....And I was hungry after not eating much the day before...

I managed to get down to the bakery by 8 am. I got my breakfast and headed towards a table next to a window facing out...I sat down and was eating when I saw Ian getting a cup of coffee. He had been in line while I was getting my breakfast...So there was Ian...Behind me again loll !he came and left ...

I struck up a conversation with a group of business men who were heading towards a convention. One told me about being at the Toll concert the night before...he had heard they were playing and decided he would walk down to see them...He got in an someone sold him a ticket for $5 ! Center Row NO ! I looked at him and said " hush and eat your breakfast!" Can not believe it !! After what I paid !He also said "do you realize Ian was behind when you were getting breakfast?" I told him I saw Ian as I was sitting down...But did not exactly want to bombard the guy at 8 am ! lol! So there was Ian...Behind me again :)

After breakfast I went upstairs and packed and left... Very tired but still on cloud nine !!!!!!!!!! YEHAAA ! I still can't believe all of this :)))

As I said sorry this is very long So much happened ...Thanks for your time and patience!!:)

Les

Sunday, June 16 - I spent the weekend with my friend Lee and his family (including my 3 godsons) in Plano, which is a suburb of Dallas. An ugly one at that. Lee and I drove to Fort Worth to meet up with Les, Kaz and Wayne at a very nice Mexican restaurant near the Bass Concert Hall. Had a great meal and it was nice to meet Les and Wayne for the first time. Both are lovely people, as you'd expect die-hard Tull fans to be. A couple of margaritas later, it was time to check out the concert hall.

Bass is absolutely gorgeous, with nice acoustics. Five levels of balconies, so it's like seeing a show in a Viennese opera house. Our seats were in row X, which doesn't sound like much, but they were in fact great seats. Toward the back of the hall for sure, but the hall is very shallow, so no one is that far away from the stage.

Young Dubs were fun and I have nothing against them ... but after a couple of margaritas, there was no band that could keep me interested at that moment so I ducked out for the last half of their set and wandered around the foyer, plotting which T-shirt to buy and doing some people watching. Finally, the moment was at hand at Tull came out with the now-famous Aqua Intro. The first thing I noticed was how much better Ian's voice sounded than the past several times I've seen him. He sounded a bit more closer to the old Ian than the raspy Ian we've still come to love and enjoy.

Wayne's already posted the setlist, so I won't belabor that. Highlights for me on Night 1 in Fort Worth were Roots To Branches, the full-length Heavy Horses, Hunt By Numbers and, of course, Elegy, which might have been the highlight of the whole night. Ian said Roots was about the evil things that some so-called religious people could perpetrate, and just when you thought he'd mention Sept. 11, he said, "and that's just the Christians!" He then dedicated the song to Cardinal Law in Boston. KAz and I were jumping up and down in our seats when they began Heavy Horses ... I was really hoping to hear it and would trade that for Jack In The Green any day of the week. On Elegy, Ian sat on a speaker at the front left of the stage playing his flute, while Martin just pretty much owned the song on guitar on the far right. Ian added some extra flute passages that were just beautiful. Can't wait to hear the tapes of the tour to hear versions of Elegy. Ian did not mention playing this for David Palmer's wife/daughter, but intro'd it by saying in 1978, when the song was written, it took two keyboard players to make the same amount of noise as Andrew Giddings, and then he mentioned that Palmer had written it.

At the appointed hour, right after Budapest (another song I never tire of live) all four of us Talk Tullers and Lee made a dash for the front of the stage. Kaz and Les kept going on down to Andy's side, but I parked myself right in front of Martin and was delighted to see Wayne right next to me ... with his digital camera!!!!

There aren't too many things I like better than having me elbows on the stage while Tull is doing an encore ... and this was another great moment. I had forgotten about Sweet Dream as an encore number, so I was real enthused when they cut off Loco. Breath to start playing that one. One of the balloons bursted on the front of the stage after the fans had pushed it back. I could have easily grabbed a chunk of it, but I was determined to get a pick from Martin and kept trying to catch his eye. Alas, he didn't give out a pick, and that was a minor setback ... but all in all a great show. Tom

On Monday night, I brought my parents to see their first big rock show. Both are in their late 60s, but both have pretty good taste in music. Tuesday was their wedding anniversary, and they live near Fort Worth, so when tickets went on sale, I thought it'd be cool to take treat them to a Tull show so they could see firsthand why their wayward son traveled all around the country to see the band.

We went to a lovely restaurant before the show and unbeknownst to us, Les and Kaz were upstairs in the same restaurant having a drink.

My parents and I arrived at the venue just in time to see the Young Dubs last song. We wished we had seen more, but we were having a good time yakking it up over dinner. We found our seats and Kaz and Les, and it seemed like the intermission went real fast because Tull came on quick. It was probably the standard 30-minute break, but I guess we were having fun chatting away. We had even better seats in Row N, and I hardly used the binoculars that I had forgotten for Night 1. Motivated by Wayne's photo-taking the night before, I did smuggle in a camera. Mine was much too big to sneak in, so I bought one of those cheap disposables and got that in in my Mom's purse!

I was surprised to hear 4 songs that were not played Monday night. We lost Heavy Horses but gained Jack In The Green, A Song For Jeffrey and Wond'ring Aloud, whcih I didn't realized they had skipped Sunday until I had gotten home and began thinking about it. So Wond'ring Aloud was a real highlight. I had heard that SOng For Jeffrey was rocked up a bit and that it wasn't too good, but I liked the new treatment of it. It was never one of my favorite songs, so I'm glad they did something new with it.

Also, Martin played Empy Cafe as his instrumental, with Doane again coming to the front of the stage for bongo work.

At this point, I should mention that sitting very near us was the most obnoxious drunk asshole I've ever seen/heard at a concert. He'd scream everytime Ian was talking, and would call out for rockers during the slow tunes. Took a bit of an effort to ignore him, and lots of people were telling him to shut the hell up, which just made him more belligerant. There's one at every show and this time he happened to be within earshot of us.

After warning my parents, at the appointed moment Les, Kaz and I descended to the front for the end of the show. This time we were all together in front of Martin ... which is pretty much my favorite spot on Earth. At this point I quickly grabbed my cheap camera and began snapping away. I know in his post, Wayne mentioned talking with a Tull crew memmber saying it was a good thing he didn't use his flash 'cause he would have been kicked out if he had. Well, I didn't know about that ... and it's a good thing 'cause I was using my flash left and right. Martin came right in front of us at one point and I must have taken a dozen photos in 30 seconds of him. I was mindful to try not to flash when he was looking toward the crowd, but at one point he started making funny faces at the guy next to me, who also had a camera, so I snapped a couple of more with him looking right at us. Ian came by a few seconds later, but I had already used up my allotment of 27 shots. We'll see how they come out ... it was a real cheap camera.

I then tucked my camera away and rocked out with Les and Kaz for the rest of the show. During the Loco Breath piano intro, a big fight broke out in the middle of the stage. We're pretty sure it was our drunk friend, who was a bit late in rishing the stage but was making up for it by plowing through people to get there. It somehow got calmer (I quit paying attention after a bit) but I wonder if the fracas had anything to do with Tull skipping Sweet Dream during the encore.

And then the highlight of the night, Kaz ... bless her heart ...got a pick from MArtin at the end ... and handed it to me. I told her there was no way I could accept it, but she was insistent. And she did not know that I had spent the entire encore on Sunday night trying to get a pick from him. Martin came forward to pass it out, and he made sure it got into Kaz's hands. So Kaz is my new hero. She also coaxed KEnny Wylie into giving her a set list, so I now have my first official Tull set list. For those keeping score, here's what they played:

LWTP
X-Eyed
Roots
Jack in the Green
TAAB
Hunt x #s
Elegy
Water Carrier
Stronger Stuff
Song for Jeffrey
Martin solo (empty cafe)
Wond'ring Aloud
Bouree
Budapest
New Jig
Aqualung
~~ encores~~
Locomotive Breath
Protect & Survive instrumental
Cheerio

(they skipped Sweet Dream, which is on the setlist right after L.B.)

And if anyone is wondering, my parents absolutely loved the show. I had given them SLOB and Divinities to ease them into the Tull world, and we heard those CDs over and over the next day or two.

MY big regret is that I did not get to spend more quality time with Les, Kaz and Wayne ... but that's what the next tour is for!

Had a great time ... and I'm seeing Tull again in about 4 hours back home in Austin!
Expect another report!

Tull On, people!
Tom

**************************************************

Just got back from another wonderful night of Jethro Tull heaven at the Backyard in Austin. It's kind of nice to see the band in your own hometown and sleep in your own bed and be able to give my TalkTull friends a report about an hour after the show.

To set the stage, I had eight 4th-row tickets, dead center of the stage. The Backyard is a nice venue, outdoors with several oak trees amongst the crowd toward the back, and the back of the stage is open-ended, so you look out behind the band at the Texas Hill Country and even more oak trees. It wasn't as hot as it can be in Austin in mid-June, with a nice cool breeze making it very comfortable.

Tonight' Talk Tullers were Kaz and myself, plus Kaz's friends Karen and Scott and Kaz's brother Carl, plus my brother Mike and two friends of mine: Christian and Jamie. We all arrived around 8:00, during the opening of Todd Rundgren's opening set. Nothing against Todd, but when I'm at a Tull show, that's all I can stand to see, so we milled around in the back, had a few drinks and enjoyed the scenery.

Tull came out at 8:50. With the back end of the stage open and it not quite dark yet, you could see all the band members walking toward their instruments, so there was not much drama to the opening. But the crowd went beserk at the opening notes of Living In The Past. It's harder to gauge crowd reaction when most of the crowd is behind you, but I'd have to say it was a very enthusiastic audience. Maybe not quite as charged up as Monday night in Fort Worth (where the one obnoxious guy was waaaaay too charged up) but still plenty revved. Finally having primo seats for the tour, I took it upon myself to give the band a standing ovation after practically every number, and usually if one person starts doing that, a lot more will join in. So our row was leading the cheers and generally all rocking out.

Elegy received a rousing ovation from everyone, but I still seem to be in the vast minority of those who love Hunt By Numbers. What a great showcase for Martin that is.

I will report that Kaz did get the setlist for the show for the express purpose of reporting it here, but she and Karen are driving 80 miles back to San Antonio even as I type so Kaz can be at work at 6 a.m., so it might be a while before she can report. But here's what I remember unofficially:

LITP
X-Eyed
Roots (again dedicated to Cardinal Law!)
Jack In The Green
TAAB
Hunt x #s
Elegy
Water Carrier
MArtin instrumental (Empty Cafe)
Wondr'ing Aloud
A New Day Yesterday
Bouree
Budapest
New Jig
Aqualung
~~ encores~~
Locomotive Breath
Sweet Dream
Protect & Survive instrumental/balloons
Cheerio

It seemed to be the same as the second Fort Worth show, but they dropped Grip and Song For Jeffrey, and added back Sweet Dream. But statisticians, please wait for Kaz's official set list, I may have missed a song in there.

At one point early in the show, Kaz leaned over to me and said she was going to go watch some of the show from the soundboard, and I took it to mean she was going to sit with the guy who runs the lights, who she had met in Fort Worth. She left right after Brick, and I thought it strange that she'd give up a 4th row seat to go chat it up with this guy, but c'est la vie, right?

Well, it all made much more sense when Water Carrier began, and who should come dancing out wearing a veil and Indian garb then our dear Talk Tuller Kaz!! It turns out that she knew nearly two months ago that she'd be the Water Carrier in Austin ... and she never told me or anyone else there!!!! It was a complete shock to all of us. I was stunned for a second or two, then regained my senses long enough to shout "Love ya Kaz" at the top of my lungs. Then I remembered that I had snuck in another portable camera to take close-up pictures for the front-row rush at the end. But by the time I had it out of my pocket and the flash charged up, she had already been rebuffed by all the boys in the band and was carrying her two filled bottles of water offstage. But when she reappeared on the other side of the stage, your intrepid reporter/photographer was ready. It's a lousy camera, so I don't have high hoped for great quality shots, but I should have two photos of Kaz bringing out Andy's horn for his big honking solo!

Our whole row managed to squeeze out to the aisle as Budapest was winding down, so for the third show in a row I had my favorite spot on Earth: elbows on the stage, right in front of Mr. Barre. I saw a friend I knew from my travels through New England to see Tull, Terry Beane, who had made it down for all three Texas shows and is going on to New Orleans. Ended up right next to him in front of Martin, and as Martin was getting ready to begin his Aqualung solo, Terry pointed to a spot on stage right in front of him and said, "I want you playing your solo right here, you son of a bitch!" Martin just burst out laughing, as I'm sure he's seen and heard Terry a few hundred times from the front row. A great moment. On the other side of me was a little girl named Megan who must've been about six years old and was on her Dad's shoulders for the end of the show. It clearly thrilled Martin to see such a youngster at the show, and at the end he handed Megan his pick. She was just beaming.

Another wonderful Tull performance. When I officially knew that they were touring to support the live album rather than a new studio album, I thought three shows would be plenty for me. But after having such a grand time the past 4 nights, I - and I know Kaz is, too - am thinking about making the trek to Houston, even if we don't have tickets. We'll see. It's going to be hard to top fourth row in your hometown, but right now I'm craving more.

The band is really gelling right now, so you folks who have shows coming your way are in for a real treat. My friend Jamie hadn't seen Tull since 1970 or so, and he just absolutely loved it. All eight people in our group came away thoroughly entertained and amazed at how good Tull still is.

Good night, TT'ers!
Tom

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PreShow: Imagine stately antebellum homes, palm trees, live oaks with
Spanish moss, and beaches lined with glitzy casinos and thus, you have,
Biloxi, where Jethro Tull performed last night at one of glitziest of
the casinos, the Biloxi Grand Casino's 1,700 seat Grand Theatre, which
was packed to the rafters.

I arrived early, bringing along my mother, to spend the day in Biloxi
and enjoy a few of the many casinos before the show. I go to Biloxi
often and one of my favorite haunts there is a certain vintage vinyl
record store. While making the short hour drive from my home in Mobile,
Alabama, I kept thinking of that mint sealed copy of the Living In The
Past lp that I had seen at this store for quite a while and how great it
would look signed. So when I arrived, I went and bought it for $15.00.
It's not the original release, but a later release with the gold
adornment being very brilliant in color.

When I arrived at the Grand shortly before 5pm, I immediately went to
one of the hotel lobby bars. The Grand Casino on the beach is so large
it has two high-rise hotels, one next to the casino and one across the
street. I chose the one across the street, and as soon as sat down to
relax I noticed Ian, Andy, and Jonathan striding through the lobby
headed to the elevators. Ian appeared to be in a great mood, smiling and
laughing.

So, as I sat in the lobby, I then looked and told my mother, "there's
Martin." Martin strolled in dressed very casual wearing sandals and
pulling a luggage cart. I went over to Martin and he very kindly signed
the Living In The Past and A Passion Play albums and I got a picture
with him. Out of nowhere, Martin then asks us can we watch his luggage
for him? He had a small luggage cart with a flight case and a large
carry-on bag.

Sure we say, and Martin then goes outside to the pool area and greets
all of his Mississippi relatives! Martin spends time greeting them all
all and making plans for the night. He's out there for awhile, but no
worry, we are guarding his property quite well. He then comes back in,
apologizes for being long to which I tell him, "Martin, you're one of my
favorites, no problem, and we guarded it well." He then thanks us,
shakes hands, and says he's off to the soundcheck.

Very shortly after this, Ian comes down alone, signs the albums and
poses for a picture. I tell him,"Ian, alot of Martin's Mississippi
relatives are here for the show." He replies, "Oh really, they are?" I
say "yes, I believe he's taken them over for the soundcheck." Ian then
humorously says, "Well, if that's the case, maybe I shouldn't go.' We
shake hands, I tell him I can't wait for the show. Ian says "Great, I
hope you enjoy it!"

The Show: Tickets were only $24.95 and $29.95. A bargain compared to the
previous night's show at the French Quarter House of Blues in New
Orleans where tickets were $46.50 and sold out weeks ago. There was no
opening act. Tull came on a little late, at 8:15 pm. No Aqua intro, they
came on and went straight into an instrumental version of Living In The
Past. No vocals. For the fashion minded, Ian was wearing a pull-over
light blue short sleeved shirt with buttons, a silvery vest, black
tights, black shoes, a thin black belt, and a dark blue "biker scarf"
with a white starburst pattern on his head. Martin had on a black
buttoned shirt with gold/maroon floral patterns, black pants, white
sneakers, and a black Kangol newsboy style hat turned backwards.

The stage was decorated with three artistic circles at the rear, and
long flowing drape-like curtains at the rear and sides. A black awning
with JT in white was above the front of the stage. On both sides above
the stage were two large video screens. There was a large buffer between
the stage and the first table sections on the floor, at least 8ft wide
at center-stage tapering to 6ft on the sides. Each table at the front of
the stage had an announcement held to the tabletops with strips of white
stage tape which said: The members of Jethro Tull welcome you to our
concert tonight. Since much of the concert requires real concentration
on our part, we would appreciate it if you do not come and go from your
tables in this area, except in an emergency, due to the visual
distraction to the musicians. If you require a beverage, please order
well before the show, which commences at 8:00pm. Thanks for your
cooperation, Ian Anderson Jethro Tull. Photocopies, of course.

I sat upstairs, in the lower balcony, nearly center, but more to
Martin's side. Fab! Next up was Cross-eyed Mary, Roots to Branches
(again dedicated to Cardinal Law), and Jack in the Green. Introducing
Jack in the Green, Ian told the audience of the folklore surrounding the
song, stopped his discourse and said it's all B.S.! Thick as a Brick
followed and then Hunt By Numbers. Before beginning Hunt By Numbers, Ian
spoke of his adoration of cats and all things feline, but little did he
know that the Ringling Bros. Circus was in town and their cats were on
public display just a short distance away. For this song, Martin, who
began the show playing a black Fender Stratocaster w/ tortoise-shell
pickguard and rosewood fretboard, switched to a pewter (sometimes
referred to as ash) Strat w/mother of pearl pickguard and rosewood
fretboard.

Elegy was next. Up to this point, Ian had been playing some sort of
wooden flute. For this, he switched to a standard long metal flute.
Martin stayed with the pewter Strat. Ian sat on a stool at stage-right.
This is such a beautiful piece.
Then came The Water Carrier and Martin with the black 8 string Bouzouki.
Martin returned to the pewter Strat for, In The Grip of Stronger Stuff
which was dedicated by Ian to Dave Pegg.

Then came something I was waiting for, Martin's solo. Empty Cafe was
played on a beautiful tobacco sunburst large hollowbody Gibson with twin
f-holes and a rosewood (or maybe it could have been ebony), fretboard.
When Ian introduced the song, he said "Martin has a new guitar he just
bought the other day." Ian and the lads came back on stage as Martin
exited for a break and Ian broke into Wond'ring Aloud. Ian's voice may
not be the same as it was years ago, but I thought he was brilliant on
this. Forget the voice, think about Ian's great stage persona! Martin
returned with the pewter Strat, and with Ian on harmonica, they played A
New Day Yesterday.

Bouree followed wth Martin on a beautiful gold Strat w/white pickguard
and maple fretboard. Then came Budapest (Martin back to the pewter Strat
which he would finish the show with), New Jig, with dancing rabbit (or
should I say hare?), and what else, Aqualung!

Beginning the encore, Martin walked to a darkened stage-center and two
roadies came from stage-right (left side of stage for the audience),
wearing white lab coats, white hard hats, and shined flashlights on
Martin, to which Martin burst into Locomotive Breath. Superb! Sweet
Dream followed, the balloons (2), came out, Ian took one, balancing it
on top of his head as he ran from side to side on the stage before
finally pushing it into the crowd. No one popped the balloons, which
were white with a single blue Ian "standing on one leg playing the
flute" insignia. One even made it up to the lower balcony. Then came
Cheerio. House lights on and Louis Armstrong singing What a Wonderful
World.

What a show, Ian did the one-legged, pranced and stalked the stage all
night and Martin, perhaps boosted with his special guests in attendance,
was spot on! By the way, Martin played through two Marshall cabinets
powered by a couple of Soldano heads with a rack of various effects. My
mother and I had brought along two small hand held two way radios to
stay in touch with each other, so I rang her up and she was able to hear
Aqualung and the entire encore as she made her way from the casino floor
to our designated meeting place. Let me also say, I went to great
lengths to take accurate notes during the show, even using my Timex
Indiglo wristwatch to light up my note sheets. It was nearly pitch dark
in the balcony section.

AfterShow: Many of us left the theatre and used the air-conditioned
glass enclosed SkyWalk which crosses over an eight laned Beach Blvd to
the hotel lobby bar and restaurant. There I met Juan Carlos and his
friends, another gentleman and a young lady, all of whom had flown from
their home in Mexico City, Mexico to see Tull. They had flown into New
Orleans, caught the House of Blues show in the Quarter, and driven over
to Biloxi to see the show. I also met Donald, a Tull fan from Pensacola,
Florida.

Now, the really good part begins. With quite a few fans gathered around
the bar hoping to get a glimpse or an autograph, Martin shows up at the
bar to enjoy some time with his Mississippi relatives and close friends.
Folks, things are done a little differently here in the Deep South.
Everybody is invited. Martin's sister in law, Gina (Julie's sister), was
there, and she and her relatives and friends insisted on anyone wanting
to meet Martin, get a picture or autograph was welcome. This informal
gathering went on for over two hours and was still going on at 12:30am
when I left. Martin stood at the bar, and went table to table meeting
people. He was really enjoying himself and especially the fried shrimp
and oysters. One of Gina's friends is even running for political office
in Mississippi and he was there to meet and greet. He's running for a
spot on the Mississippi State Supreme Court.

Jonathan, Andy, and Doane were there. All signing and posing for
pictures. At one point, Ian made a brief appearance as he was escorted
back to the hotel with security, leaving quickly but not before he
signed the cover of my program. I took lots of pictures. Many candid of
Martin with Gina. Ian too.

Martin was really having a good time. I talked to him about the new
guitar and he told me he bought it from someone close to Gregg Allman. I
asked him if he knew of TalkTull and he said he wasn't really familiar
with the internet. He said he will not be appearing at any brunch the
day after the Boston show . "That's my day off!", he said, all in good
humor!

Doane came late, a little upset, telling everyone he had to help load
the bus and wasn't very happy about doing so. Andy held court at a table
with my new friends from Mexico City and myself. They brought gifts from
Mexico for the band, including a carved wooden flute which Martin
promised to give to Ian. They took a ton of pictures.

Doane and Andy were a little miffed that they, along with Jonathan, were
to leave at 12:30am on the bus for Houston, an eight hour ride. Ian and
Martin were to fly out at 6am.

As I left, Martin was still going strong, continuing to enjoy his guests
and meet with fans. As I went to my car, I looked at my watch and it was
12:30am, and sure enough, there was the Tull tour bus and trailer,
slowly pulling out of the venue parking lot, turning left on Beach Blvd,
headed to Houston. With a few guys who wished they could have flown too.

Cheerio, Donald

Wow....that Biloxi submission was incredible! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Please do not be disappointed with my humble attempt to describe last
night's final show of the current leg of this 2002 tour.

The Woodlands is a city located about 40 miles north of Houston.
It is a very attractive, woodsy (as the name implies) community and
pricey. It has several golf courses, (the Houston Open is held at one)
beautifully landscaped roadways strewn with wild flowers in the Spring
and plantings the rest of the year; sculptures dot the area as well. The
Pavillion is similar to the type found in Boston (Harborside) and
Columbia, Md (Merriweather) and though a fine venue I believe "security"
over does it a tad. I am pleased that Security checks for weapons,
liquor, drugs and other contraband that could cause harm but
jeez.....sandwiches, plastic water bottles, cameras (is that a venue no
no or the entertainer's no no?) etc. Boarding an aircraft is a breeze
compared to gaining entrance to a concert.

Brenda and I arrived at about 7pm and the place was about 1/3
occupied. I fathom a guess that attendance reached perhaps 5,600
so I'll be curious if it is announced in the local paper tomorrow.
Our seats we Row D in the Left Section (Thank you Karen!!) but turned
out to be 2nd row because there was no A or B in front of us. A few
temporary seats were set up to accompany wheelchair fans and their
escorts but I only recall that 2 fans occupied that area. Our seats were
$48.50 and I believe the other two prices were $28.50 for uncovered
reserve and $16.50 for lawn.

Todd Rundgren ("skunk hair" per Kaz) opened precicely at 8pm. I am not
terribly familiar with TR but still very interested in seeing his
performance. I will not dwell on it because I honestly did not warm up
to it. His first song was performed on guitar; voice seemed strong...but
like the string that snapped, his voice seemed to me to do the same. He
moved to the piano soon after but the choice of songs left me void of
any warmth. Like I said, I will not dwell on this any longer.

With Intermission upon us, I bravely ventured out to Center Section
and Row P in hopes of locating fellow TT'er Patrick Neal & son
who had made their way by auto all the way from Tulsa I believe. But
seats 14 and 15 were vacant. Perhaps away for a Peebreak. Sadly, I did
not locate them after the show either. When I returned to my seat
a lovely tall thin girl was chatting with Brenda. Yup, it was Kaz!
We exchanged warm hugs and conversation for most of the remaining
intermission. (A fellow fan obliged and snapped a photo of we 3 with my
illegally smuggled digital camera! The ladies look beautiful but I look
like Jerry Garcia on a bad hair day!)

At exactly the preplanned time of 9:05, Tull began their performance.
The setlist (which one very kind female Security officer handed me) was
I believe the same as Biloxi the evening before:
Living In The Past
Crosseyed Mary
Roots To Branches
Jack In The Green
TAAB
Hunt By Numbers
Elegy
The Water Carrier
Stronger Stuff
Empty Cafe
Wondering Aloud
A New Day Yesterday
Bouree
Budapest
New Jig
Aqualung
then
Locomotive Breath
Sweet Dream
Balloons
Cheerio

Donald's wonderfully detailed report about the song presentation
in Biloxi leaves nothing that I can think of to add but I would like to
confirm that the opinions previously stated by fellow TT'ers regarding
the quality of Ian's voice were right on. I too have seen Tull
performances dating 1972 thru 2002 and concur Ian's vocals were the best
that I have heard since....gosh, 1982 I would guess.
Not only do I thank IA and the band for so many years of unprecedented
recordings and touring but highly commend Ian for his perserverance of
those many difficult and what has got to have been
frustrating years of vocal struggles...not to forget DVT! A lesser
person would have thrown in the towel for sure. So we celebrate,
congratulate and encourage Ian for many more years of health, happiness
and music!!

During LWTP, I snapped of what almost turned out to be my only photo of
the show. A Security agent immediately approached me to advise that I
was being very bad. So I promised to be good and returned my camera to
the protective plastic bag that I always carry souveniers, fresh doorags
and earplugs. (We were right next to the speakers!!)

However after Budapest the nice female Security Officer motioned to us
to enter the pit. Brenda and I jumped up and dashed to within 12 inches
of the stage for the encore tunes. I then pulled out my faithful diggy
camera for a few (5) quick shots in hopes that maybe at least one would
be good. Indeed, one did seem to come out rather well. The ballons
released by Ian sailed over our heads; Ian took our picture from the
stage with his little disposable and Doane's
drum beats were felt inside by body. We all sang Cheerio, Andy kissed a
blonde in front us and Ian, Martin and the others extended their
heartfelt thanks to the fans. It was, as always, wonderful.

See you all in Boston!!!
Bobbo

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