I was mid-morning in June, of what was to be a summer day, and it was not typical even for Seattle, WA weather, but the clouds rolled in and the rain came down.
I made a couple of calls fearing that the Jethro Tull concert might be cancelled due to the weather, but I didn’t get any firm answers so I had to go with what the tickets, and website said, “rain or shine.” Wouldn’t you know it, hours before the start of the show the rains stopped and dried the lawn of the outdoor venue just enough to enjoy a cool summer (not quite) evening.
On this particular day I was asked not to photograph the show, but was given the opportunity to interview John O’Hara of Jethro Tull.
O’Hara, born in 1962, learned to play a plethora of instruments from the piano to the accordion. After more studies in music and personal success in both live performances and teaching, he joined the Jethro Tull group sometime in 2003.
Like more, and more musicians of today, O’Hara kept an ongoing interest in outside projects, and one in particular was to help arrange and conduct the music to The Who’s album “Quadrophenia” for a stage production- and this is where the interview picks up…
The Evening of Music
The concert at the St. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA was part of the 40th anniversary tour for the Jethro Tull group. Playing many of the favorites from 1971’s Aqualung album including “My God,” Crossed-Eyed Mary,” and ending the night with an encore of “Locomotive Breath.”
I don’t need to explain the crowd at a 40th anniversary tour, but you can picture what most of the crowd was like. However, it goes without saying that there is always a handful of party goers in any group.
What I found most humorous was the pockets of parents who brought their teen-aged children with them. In many cases, I witnessed the younger generation of concert goers either texting or listening to their own music on ipods and other mp3 devises. Boy, did they miss out on some good tunes!
Part of what makes a show worth while is the show itself; the lighting and sound. Both of which in the case were superbly done. The sound check was meticulously done hours prior to the show, and continued with constant checking every so often during the concert by sound engineer Mike, while Greg handled the lights.
At the end of the night, I was satisfied with the show as was everyone else who attended. The weather held-out with only a brief moment of rain, and there were no hick-ups during the performance.
I would say to anyone who would ask, that this is well worth the money to go and see. With Ian Anderson being 63 and showing no signs of stopping, he’ll continue to give a top notch performance every night of this tour.