However, Bursting Out’s biggest surprise comes in the form of Barriemore Barlow. Every one of the musicians is given their chance to shine, and shine they do: Barre’s solos are much more aggressive and dirty than they every were on record, with him eagerly spitting out bluesy licks whenever the opportunity arrises, and Evan’s keyboards, while normally subtle touches, occasionally show of his virtuosity (a prime example of this is Locomotive Breath’s intro solo).
While much of Jethro Tull’s discography can arguably be viewed as an Ian Anderson solo project, with some backing performers providing a thoroughly non-essential accompaniment, this couldn’t be farther from the truth with Bursting Out. Every song sounds significantly better than on album, especially the adrenaline-filled, sped-up Locomotive Breath and Aqualung, whose acoustic section and solo are almost doubled in length. Needless to say, the performance here is exceptional. The band had a strong, diverse catalogue which contained very few real missteps, and, at this point, consisted entirely of world-class musicians helmed, of course, by Anderson himself, whose voice and flute playing abilities were then at their peak. Quite naturally, I soon began to wonder: if Jethro Tull could put on a hell of a good show now, when they were by no means in their prime, what would a concert of theirs at the peak of their abilities sound like? The answer, as shown in Bursting Out, is absolutely phenomenal.īursting Out was recorded, as implied above, when Jethro Tull was at it’s best, just after the release of Heavy Horses. I sat down in my seat nervous, and walked out, an hour or so later, absolutely ecstatic: the performance was as charismatic, enthralling, and, dare I say it, flawless as one could possibly hope. One must understand that the minstrel’s work hasn’t been, for the past thirty years, what can be called consistent, and his voice, marred by surgery and time, was by no means as strong as in the days of old. It was almost a year ago today that I, for the first time, saw Ian Anderson perform live, and, to be perfectly frank, while I was definitely excited, I didn’t know what to expect as I entered the Opera House where he was to play. Review Summary: If you ever needed proof that progressive rock bands can put on a good show, look no further.
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