The band burst onto the stage in a rather theatrical fashion, with more lighting than needed to land a small aircraft. The back projections used displayed old photographs of the band but the amount of other lighting meant that these were very difficult to see. Ian Anderson, singer and flutist, pranced onto the stage like a cross between a pixie and a performing monkey. His brand of humour and interaction with the audience made him appear more like a bad stand up comedian rather than a lead singer. The rest of the band appeared rather rigid and looked as though they really wished they could be somewhere else.

The choice of special guests showed up the band a little more than they had wanted to. Ex drummer Clive Bunker put Doane Perry to shame when he came out and played a rather impressive drum solo during Dharma For One. Anderson shared a similar experience when the other guest, Paul Forest; singer of Jethro Tull tribute band The Dayglo Pirates, appeared sporting an outfit of the same kind that would have been expected of a younger Tull. Forest sang Anderson’s lyrics as though he had written them himself and played his flute with the same passion as his leading light. Anderson’s retaliation was to refer to Forest as a ‘tribute Rolex’ of a performer.

The set list spanned the band’s musical catalogue and included their most well known hits such as Fat Man and Aqualung. The encore song, Locomotive Breath, included Bunker and Forest as well as all of the band. O’Hara, the pianist, and Barre, guitarist, both performed solos which were pretty good; the guitar solo showing that not all solos need to be fast and loud. There was a small technical hitch when it came to Forest’s vocal solo when the microphone was shown to be turned down and as such the majority of his vocals went unheard.

As it stands, the gig was not a complete failure yet it left a lot to be desired. Perhaps a sit down gig is required for the band as they are now considered ‘vintage’ and their fans are beginning to get to the stage that three hours is just too long to stand in one place.