A Brief History of Tull Tour
October 30, 2024 at The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Old Saybrook, CT.
“The Kate” the shortened name for the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center was jamming the night before Halloween with a concert by the legendary guitarist Martin Barre and his band. They treated the audience to a two hour show with a twenty-minute intermission. They played a setlist that was just plain hot and tight. The crowd couldn’t have asked for a better show.
The Martin Barre Band consists of course Martin Barre on guitar along with his longtime bandmates Dan Crisp on guitar and Alan Thompson on bass. The newest member of the band is drummer Terl Bryant.
Barre played a great selection of the Jethro Tull tunes which in his 43 years with the band he was instrumental in developing the sound that made Jethro Tull so distinctive. There were some of Barre’s solo songs like “Lone Wolf” he wrote and produced since leaving Jethro Tull. This was appropritate the night before Halloween.
Included in the set were a couple of Beatles songs and Dan Crisp who does an awesome job of singing the Tull songs also puts his own spin on the Beatles as well. He has just the voice to croon on a bluesy number with a sultry sound as well as belt out a driving beat that’s called for in “Locomotive Breath.”
There were also blues influenced songs such as the cover of B.B. Kings “Rock Me Baby.” Barre said he was heavily influenced some of the blues’ greats when he was starting out in London back in 1968.
The band gave a memorable performance. Barre has not slowed one bit with time and was as energetic on the last song as the first. His guitar playing is first rate and one of the best guitarist I have ever heard. This is a man and a band that has staying power. I have seen him a few times it each time the show just gets better.
Barre and the band said they love playing The Kate and I believe them. It is an intimate theatre and allowed Barre to interact with the audience and them him. I think he enjoys that and draws off the energy from the crowd. The more they cheered the tighter the band got. The band had a chance to banter back and forth with each other as well and were in high spirits for the whole night. The whole band just gets along so well on stage and there are plenty of smiles and comradery.
Martin Barre brought a great combination of artists in picking this band they mesh, have fun and give the audience a great night of music and some background into the beginnings of his career.
If you haven’t had a chance to take in the a show by the Martin Barre Band you should. It’s a night full of fantastic music by one of the greatest guitar players of our time backed up by a top notch band and a memorable night.
For more information about Martin Barre upcoming concerts see Martin Barre Band
Review by Donna Erichsen
Photos by George Bekris
SETLIST:
Steel Monkey (Jethro Tull song)
Back to Steel
A New Day Yesterday (Jethro Tull song)
Nothing to Say (Jethro Tull song)
Love Story (Jethro Tull song)
Lone Wolf
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles cover)
I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (The Beatles cover) Serenade to a Cuckoo (Jethro Tull song)
My Sunday Feeling (Jethro Tull song)
Fat Man (Jethro Tull song)
Teacher (Jethro Tull song)
Set 2:
Sealion (Jethro Tull song)
Back to the Family (Jethro Tull song)
Rock Me Baby (B.B. King cover)
My God / Palladio
Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover)
Moment of Madness
A Song for Jeffrey (Jethro Tull song)
Wind-Up (Jethro Tull song)
Hymn 43 (Jethro Tull song)
Aqualung (Jethro Tull song)
Encore:
Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull song)
