Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

All things must pass, all things must be realised, including the moment when you might see an artist for the final time, plying their trade, putting the finishing touches to the great epic, the last fingernail on the finger that touches God, or the finale, the flute of a genius put down beside his leg, stiff-arched and relaxed after a show in which many would perhaps suggest would be the last time they know to be in the company of one who has left arguably more than most in this precious life of ours. All things must end, as George Harrison once duly noted; however it doesn’t mean you cannot have a feast of brilliance brought to the table as you say possible and intended goodbyes.

Musically and physically demanding, Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull have not stood still for 50 years, their music invokes a times that may have been thought of as lost, often highbrow in its complexity of themes and arrangements, yet to anyone who has immersed themselves into the language, the depth of character and poise that the band, across many different outpouring of members and outlooks, have produced and performed, will attest, they deserve their place in the pantheon of groups and musicians that stand up high and wearing the laurel leaves upon their heads as champions of the cause.

Should Jethro Tull or even the man behind it all, the irreplaceable Ian Anderson, ever decide to finally call it a day, then the legacy they have left behind is undeniable, the music forever etched into the psyche of the fans and indeed the nation, a character driven theatrical piece with the master of the flute at the helm, steering the ship into the harbour of the Echo Arena’s Auditorium, and giving a musical experience that visibly brought tears of joy and memory to those that were once accused of  living in the past. However, that is the rub of the Progressive and once noble, the past is just a connecting point into which we must celebrate and as 50 years was explored and lauded, living in the past was more like knowing that the present is safe and well and the future, musically at least, could be as bright as anything.

With David Goodier, Florian Ophale, John O’ Hara and Scott Hammond joining Mr. Anderson on stage, the music and timing were always there to be utilised and praised, even if the prowess of vocal range of the man himself had become stilted by Time, everything else was to be admired, cheered, sang with and made good.

In songs such as My God, Cross-Eyed Mary, Thick as a Brick, Songs From The Wood, Ring Out Solstice Bells, Aqualung and the aforementioned Living in the Past, Ian Anderson and the members of Jethro Tull past and present, in spirit or in the flesh on stage, would have no doubt had their own memories enhanced; the performance in Liverpool always special, and even if this a goodbye after 50 years at the top, then what a way to go. Musically astonishing, nothing changes, sometimes not even Time or the minstrel who once inhabited the gallery.

Ian D. Hall