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Rating: "Ah, this would be the Fillmore? What a cr###y place!" was my first thought as soon as I sat on the extremely uncomfortable steps in the gallery of the former cinema, now converted into an event hall, which on September 24th was hosting the great Ian Anderson for a tune in Tullian territories (and beyond). Already half-crippled due to the unnatural posture and utterly defeated by the suffocating heat and saturated air, I noticed that, quietly, the Beggar's Farm were already getting ready to take the stage; nothing more than the official Italian tribute band to the British minstrels.
Without much introduction, they started with a nice "The Flying Dutchman", followed by (more or less in order, going from memory) "One White Duck", an excerpt from the famous "Thick As A Brick". A nice interlude occurred with the arrival on stage of the great Bernardo Lanzetti who, with the band, performed the piece "Chocolate Kings" by Premiata Forneria Marconi: his voice perfectly executed the song, not looking out of place even though it was recorded 35 years prior.
The group, without allowing much room for Tullian movements (except for the singer, who was quite similar in appearance and demeanor to the roaring years' Anderson), after a good half hour of music invited to the stage a much-anticipated guest: none other than Clive Bunker, drummer from the first Jethro Tull albums (up to the global success of Aqualung). With this guest on the drum stool, the group churned out great pieces such as "Nothing Is Easy", "My Sunday Feeling", and especially a nice version of "Dharma For One" with a long but pleasantly vintage solo by good old Bunker: despite his venerable age, he played decidedly well.
But, of course, it is with the performance of Ian Anderson that the Fillmore heated up (as if it wasn't already 40 degrees...). The frontman was accompanied only by faithful O'Hara on keyboard (as well as percussion, accordion, etc., already an integral member of the full Jethro Tull) and an unknown blonde on guitar (from afar he bore a good resemblance to metal player Dave Mustaine, henceforth I shall call him Gino Mustaine, hypothetical younger brother). With this trio, it's evident that the evening would be predominantly acoustic. And off they went with "Wond'ring Again", "Up The 'Pool". Good, no doubt about it.
Then... the drama. A beautiful girl (introduced as a guest star...) came up on stage, evidently embarrassed by the vague feeling of "whatamidoinghere?", sang with the band an unidentified original piece, decidedly out of place, then contributed her (forced) vocal input to another excerpt of "Thick As A Brick": "the poet and the painter, casting shadows on the water...". After this appearance, the girl decided it was best to leave the stage. However, today Ian Anderson was in a good mood, and he offered a couple of spots to good old Gino Mustaine, who delighted us with a Spanish-style solo and an electrified, distorted rendition of a "Toccata and Fugue" by Bach. This last one was presented as "Toccata e Fuga in thrash-metal style". Nothing worth losing one's hair over in delirium, but Ian was definitely in a playful mood. However, the question arises, "But what's the point?".
One of the best moments of the evening came with the second guest appearance of Bernardo Lanzetti who performed with the Britons a nice version of "Impressioni di Settembre", in which the ex-PFM singer gave great shine to his voice, delivering remarkable emotional peaks. Wonderful performance, only slightly spoiled by the cursed sampled drums (aargh! But there's Clive Bunker backstage, and probably bored!). As customary, the concert concluded with "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath", promptly revisited for the acoustic performance, pleasant but not exceptional.
More than a standard concert, this evening turned out to be a decent happening, a relaxed party, full of moments of high music and interlude passages: but the compactness of the full Jethro Tull is decidedly of another level. Now let's return to real life: the back is aching, the heat induced inappropriate sweating, and 230 kilometers back home are long...
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