Jethro Tull is one of the most successful British acts of all time with a career reaching from the late sixties to the present day. In 2003 they made their first (and so far only) visit to the Montreux Festival. Split into a semi-acoustic first half and a full on electric second half, the concert was a triumph combining newer songs such as "Dot Com", "Pavane" and "Budapest" with classic favorites. As ever Ian Anderson leads from the front with his instantly recognizable voice and inimitable style of one-legged flute playing. Tracklisting 1) Some Day The Sun Won't Shine For You 2) Life Is A Long Song 3) Bourée (Version de Noël) 4) With You There To Help Me 5) Pavane 6) Empty Café 7) Hunting Girl 8) Eurology 9) Dot Com 10) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 11) Fat Man 12) Living In The Past 13) Nothing Is Easy 14) Beside Myself 15) My God 16) Budapest 17) New Jig 18) Aqualung 19) Locomotive Breath
Two hours. 19 songs. And 35 years, which is the time that elapsed between Jethro Tull's first record and Live at Montreux 2003. Pretty amazing when you consider that when the punk and new wave brigade first hit the scene, Tull, with their tarted-up progressive rock sound, was one of the first "dinosaur" bands to be run out of town on a rail. Except not. Decades later, the punks have scattered, but Ian Anderson and company are still at it, and sounding good to boot. Only Anderson and guitarist Martin Barre, whose power chords matched with Anderson's flute to define the original Jethro Tull sound, are still around from the early days. But this particular lineup (with Jonathan Noyce on bass, Doane Perry on drums, and Andrew Giddings on keyboards) was the most enduring in the band's history, remaining intact from 1995 to 2006, and it shows; the musicians are tight and totally on their game as they make their way through what amounts to a career retrospective, with a couple of new songs to round out the set. They draw on their entire catalogue, from the first (the bluesy "Someday the Sun Won't Shine for You") second ("Fat Man," "Bouree"), and third (the exquisite "With You There to Help Me") albums through relatively obscure recordings like Crest of a Knave, Roots to Branches, and Songs from the Wood. "Living in the Past" is also there, as are the crowd-pleasing hits from Aqualung, and they even play a few holiday tunes to hawk the then-new Christmas Album. Although he gives ample space to the others, this is primarily Anderson's show. His stage demeanor has changed little over the years; his impish court jester shtick (what his fellow Brits might call "twee") may or may not be to one's taste, but the guy has always been a gifted songwriter, with an ear for melody and an innate feel for rhythm and interesting arrangements. The DVD includes no bonus material, but there's still plenty here to satisfy most music lovers--except maybe the punks. --Sam Graham
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