A spry 76 year old Ian Anderson pulled into town with his band to present the Seven Decades tour. Damn, Seven Decades, if that doesn’t make you feel old, I’m not sure what will. This was the last night of the US tour, and it appeared to be a sold out show. The Palace is a beautiful venue, and it has hosted many legends in its many years of existence. Just prior to the start of the show, Mr. Anderson made an announcement to ask the crowd to put their phones away, and enjoy the show. He promised that during the encore, you could take all the video and pictures you wanted, and the crowd from what I could see respected his request.
The band opened up with two tracks from their 1969 Stand Up album, the always powerful “Nothing is Easy”, and “We Used to Know”. Anderson joked with the audience that the Eagles stole his chord progression and made a fortune with “Hotel California”. Even funnier was the nod that guitarist Joe Parrish gave to the Eagles classic by interjecting a bit of that memorable guitar outro into his solo. Each song was accompanied by a film that played behind the band, adding to the visuals and at times taking the attention off of the band. One of my personal favorites “Heavy Horses” followed and this folk/prog classic brought a smile to my face. Bassist David Goodier assisted Anderson in spots with some vocals. It’s no secret to Tull fans that Anderson has struggled vocally over the years, but he has not lost his edge as a front man, he prowled the stage throughout the evening. They threw in a track from their Christmas album “Holly Herald” and a few newer songs “Wolf Unchained” from 2023’s RokFlote and “Mine is the Mountain” from 2022’s The Zealot Gene. The first set ended with longtime mainstay, Anderson’s interpretation of the Bach piece “Bouree.”
After a short intermission the band returned to the stage and may have played my favorite of the evening “Farm on the Freeway” from 1987’s Crest of Knave. A few more new songs “The Navigator” and “The Zealot Gene” led into a wonderful deep cut “Dark Ages” from 1979’s Stormwatch. As one would expect, the crowd was treated to arguably the most famous Tull song “Aqualung” to close the second set, and this received the largest crowd response of the night. The band came out for an encore of Locomotive Breath to end the evening.
Even with Anderson struggling, it was great to see him up on stage playing all these classics for an appreciative crowd. As a fan, we were treated to a career spanning show, a little taste of everything, and you have to wonder if this is the last time he will take on a full blown tour. I for one am glad I had another opportunity to hear these songs I love live, quite possibly for the last time.
Eric Porter
Set List (1)
1. Nothing Is Easy
2. We Used To Know
3. Heavy Horses
4. Sweet Dream
5. Hunt By Numbers
6. Holly Herald
7. Wolf Unchained
8. Mine Is The Mountain
9. Bouree’
Set List (2)
1. Farm On The Freeway
2. The Navigators
3. Pavane in F Sharp Minor (Gabriel Faure)
4. The Zealot Gene
5. Dark Ages
6. Aquadiddley / Aqualung
Encore: Locomotive Breath
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