If you somehow missed out on the chance to see Jethro Tull legend Ian Anderson's 2012/2013 Thick As A Brick tour, where he and his band played both that album and the follow-up Thick As A Brick 2 back to back in their entirety, then thank the lucky stars for Eagle Rock who are bringing this full show from the Harpa Concert Hall in Iceland to DVD & SD Blu-ray. Myself, I personally enjoyed the New York City performance of this tour, so being able to sit back and watch this in the comfort of my own home was a real treat. This here is a review of the SD Blu-ray, which means 'standard definition', but to be honest the picture clarity is pretty damn close to what we expect from an Eagle Rock high-definition Blu-ray release...it's that good folks, and the audio channel is stellar as well. Pop this one in, crank up your speakers, and settle back to enjoy close to 2 hours of the saga of Gerald Bostock.
As most of you know, Anderson has basically (for the time being anyway) retired the Jethro Tull name, but continue's to record and tour with that same mindset that always drove Tull, but with a new band of his own. Joining him here are John O'Hara on keyboards & accordion, bassist Dave Goodier, Florian Opahl on guitar, drummer Scott Hammond, and second vocalist, mime, and dancer Ryan O'Donnell. Opening up with the legendary prog epic "Thick As A Brick", the band rampages through this Tull classic, perfectly recreating it every step of the way. As Anderson can't really sing many of the higher notes from the old JT repertoire, that is where O'Donnell steps in, who perfectly covers all those parts and fills in where Anderson just can't manage. The two complement each other nicely, and Ryan also adds a certain flair & chime with his miming and dance. All the humorous offstage video skits are included throughout the concert, and really, it wouldn't be an Ian Anderson show without a little of that.Once the mammoth first installment is complete, the band launch into the more recent sequel to TaaB, another epic & complex journey into quirky progressive rock. Live, this second part is an even more powerful statement, the band pulling out all the stops and really delivering a stunning performance. Sadly, the 'hits' portion of the set and encore are not included here on this SD Blu-ray, but most Tull fans no doubt already have multiple video releases containing "Locomotive Breath" and all the others. This is all about Gerald Bostock after all.
In summary, a very grand release from Anderson & Eagle Rock, the definitive live presentation of Thick As A Brick if you will. Enjoy!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1) Thick As A Brick
2) Thick As A Brick 2
Bonus material:
Interview with Ian Anderson
Ian Anderson & Claude Nobs workshop: Someday the Sun Won't Shine for You
Live at Montreux 2012-Upper Sixth Loan Shark & Banker Bets, Banker Wins
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