Martin Barre (of Jethro Tull)

So, I finally found a show that offered the right intersection of cost and interest in the performer.

In this case, I'd known Barre was kicking ass and taking names via his latest solo albums, which are well worth seeking out. The reviews coming from concert attendees were also on point.

The venue was small, kind of a bar/venue setup. The acoustics were muddy, but ok. The sound guy was just pushing the sound enough that it bordered on uncomfortable, but never crossed the line. I was also helped by the fact that Barre isn't a big fan of brain dart EQ, so his tone never threatened to pierce my skull anyway.

As for the playing, Barre's got a four piece group consisting of himself, a drummer, a bassist, and a second guitarist who is also the vocalist. While I wasn't remarkably impressed with the singer's voice (very mellow blues voice - but capable), his presence was great live and he was playing some pretty complex harmony lines while singing. On balance, he won me over after seeing him do his thing live.

The set was a pretty nice toss up between re-arranged Tull songs, traditional blues numbers (played loud as hell), the odd cover song, and some of Barre's solo compositions. The real surprise for me came at the opening of the second set where the band just ripped into Porcupine Tree's "Blackest Eyes." I mean, by the numbers, they tore into that song in a way I don't even recall PT managing when I saw them on tour for the In Absentia album. My jaw just about hit the floor.

Overall, it was great to see that Barre has all of his chops fully intact and is playing with a great group of musicians. It was pretty easy to sense that they were all having a blast.

Oh, for an added bonus, the lady running the merch booth hooked me up with a setlist (unasked for) and Martin came out and did some signings and had pictures taken with fans. I was just happy to pick up his newest CD at the gig - ended up grabbing a copy for my one roommate as well. It was a bonus to shake hands with the man himself AND get those signed on my way out.

Great show all around.