Ian Anderson Plays ‘Homo Erraticus’ + Best Of Jethro Tull In Costa Mesa

By Andrew Bansal

September 18th 2014, Segerstrom Center For The Arts, Costa Mesa CA: A highly influential figure in the world of progressive rock, British singer and multi-instrumentalist and conceptualist Ian Anderson is best known for his work with Jethro Tull, but aside from that he’s also pursued a solo career that has spanned more than three decades. His sixth solo studio album ‘Homo Erraticus’, a concept album that follows the life of fictional character Gerald Bostock, much like Jethro Tull’s ‘Thick As A Brick’ (1972) and Anderson’s own ‘Thick As A Brick 2’ (2012), was released in April 2014 via KScope Music. He embarked on a two-month US tour last week to perform this new album in its entirety, along with a full set of Jethro Tull selections. The tour arrived in Southern California last night for a gig at the lovely Segerstrom Center For The Arts in Costa Mesa.

Beautiful from the inside and outside, the Segerstrom immediately instills positive thoughts and vibes the moment one enters its premises, and even though the venue is primarily used for broadway musicals and theatrical events, whenever they host a rock concert, it’s a chance I certainly do not miss, as the wonderful stage, the immaculate sound system and the intimate setting at the Segerstrom in itself enhances the experience of watching a rock band, whoever it may be, and makes it worth the long trip even for LA folks.

As I walked in to find my seat, upon observing the demographic here it almost felt as if the show was open only to ages 50-plus. I felt underage, underdressed and out of place, but being fully aware of Jethro Tull’s influence on a plethora of high-profile rock and metal groups over the years, I was curiously excited to bear witness to this Ian Anderson performance.

The lights dimmed at 7:40 and Anderson’s ensemble appeared on stage to play the ‘Homo Erraticus’ set. The story of the album was told through a vivid array of mind-bending visuals projected onto the screen in the stage backdrop while the band played the songs in the foreground. Musically, the material has a folky style and comprises more of flute and spoken-word type vocals and lesser prominence of guitar, which perhaps suits the nature of the story. Anderson was delivering great vocals, the band was sounding crystal clear and achieved a perfectly balanced mix of instruments despite the multitude of layers, but perhaps for first-time listeners of this material it was a bit of a challenge to be able to understand and appreciate what the album attempts to convey, which seemed to heighten their anticipation for the second half of the show even further. At 9:35, the set ended, the band disappeared for a brief intermission, and this crowd was ready for some Jethro Tull tunes.

At 10 PM, they returned and starting with the 1969 tune ‘Living In The Past’, they laid into the Jethro Tull set amidst loud cheers from the crowd after and during every one of the ten songs they played in this portion of the show. The set took the audience through a chronological journey of Jethro Tull’s career, and before the start of every song, the screen showed a clock ticking to its release date. Ian Anderson’s flute was expectedly the centerpiece of the sound at all times during both sets, but the Jethro Tull material sounded decidedly more guitar-oriented and hence more ‘rock’ than the Homo Erraticus album played before the intermission, garnering an energetic response from the crowd, which remained completely seated throughout Homo Erraticus but got off their seats towards the latter portion of the Tull set.

Anderson’s age-defying performance was inspiring to watch, and coupled with that typically dry, witty British humor which he briefly showcased when he spoke between songs, he put forth an entertaining show and clearly possesses a group of excellent musicians who are well capable of keeping up with him. ‘Aqualung’ followed by the encore offering of ‘Locomotive Breath’ together formed the highlight of the show and was the perfect way to end the evening on a high, but besides, the set also included ‘Critique Oblique’ off of the 1973 album ‘A Passion Play’ which was remixed by modern prog rock luminary Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree).

Progressive rock in its formative stages was very ahead of its time as was proven by bands such as Jethro Tull who pushed its boundaries to the very limits and beyond, and it was extremely interesting to get a taste of it through this Ian Anderson live experience which really exhibited the broad and expansive nature of prog. Fans of modern prog rock and metal can certainly get introduced to the roots of the genre with Anderson’s show, and comes as highly recommended.

Set List:

Homo Erraticus:
01. Doggerland
02. Heavy Metals
03. Enter The Uninvited
04. Puer Ferox Adventus
05. Meliora Sequamur
06. The Turnpike Inn
07. The Engineer
08. The Pax Britannica
09. Tripudium Ad Bellum
10. After These Wars
11. New Blood, Old Veins
12. In For A Pound
13. The Browning Of The Green
14. Per Errationes Ad Astra
15. Cold Dead Reckoning

Best Of Jethro Tull:
01. Living In The Past
02. With You There To Help Me
03. Sweet Dream
04. Teacher
05. Critique Oblique
06. Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die
07. Songs From The Wood
08. Farm On The Freeway
09. Aqualung
Encore:
10. Locomotive Breath

Remaining Tour Dates:
09/19/14 – Las Vegas NV – Pearl Concert Theater
09/20/14 – Mesa AZ – Mesa Arts Center
09/21/14 – Albuquerque NM – Kiva Auditorium
09/23/14 – Dallas TX – Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
09/24/14 – Midland TX – Wagner Noel PAC
09/26/14 – Austin TX – Austin City Limits
09/27/14 – San Antonio TX – Tobin PAC
09/28/14 – Stafford – TX – Stafford PAC
09/30/14 – Atlanta GA – Symphony Hall
10/01/14 – Nashville TN – Ryman Auditorium
10/03/14 – Charlotte NC – Blumenthal PAC
10/04/14 – Durham NC – Durham PAC
10/05/14 – Richmond VA – The National Theater
10/16/14 – Naperville IL – Pfeiffer Hall
10/17/14 – Springfield IL – Sangamon Auditorium
10/18/14 – Milwaukee WI – Pabst Theater
10/19/14 – Cedar Falls IA – Gallagher Bluedorn PAC
10/21/14 – Minneapolis MN – State Theater
10/23/14 – Elizabeth IN – Horshoe Casino
10/24/14 – Charleston – WV – Clay Center
10/25/14 – Greensburg PA  – The Palace Theatre
10/26/14 – Bethlehem  PA – Sands Bethlehem Event Center
10/28/14 – Burlington VT – Flynn Center
10/29/14 – Providence RI – Providence PAC
10/30/14 – Ridgefield CT – The Ridgefield Playhouse
11/01/14 – Lynn MA – Lynn Auditorium
11/02/14 – Albany NY -Palace Theatre
11/04/14 – Buffalo NY – Center For the Arts
11/06/14 – Washington DC – Lincoln Theater
11/07/14 – Atlantic City NJ – Caesars – Circus Maximus
11/08/14 – Huntington NY – The Paramount
11/09/14 – Red Bank NJ – Count Basie Theater
11/10/14 – Montclair NJ – Wellmont Theatre

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