We went to see Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull perform with the Filene Center Orchestra at Wolf Trap last night. It was free to us because of our membership, and we particuarly liked the fact their was a buffet dinner attached (I rarely turn down free food). The dinner was good (the chicken with cheese was tasty), but I wasn’t too excited for the show. Jethro Tull is one of those classic rock bands I like but don’t love – didn’t have a CD from them before I got the greatest hits in preparation fot the show (in retrospect, should have gotten the Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull instead).
But the show was great – Ian Anderson is still a great frontman, hopping around on one foot playing the flute, and the orchestra was good. The find of the night was Lucia Micarelli, the touring vioinist. She tore it up every chance she got, especially on a fiery version of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”, which easily earned a standing ovation. But the other songs were chosen well, nicely bridging the band and orchestra instead of it just being a band with the orchestra coming in for effect. It reminded me of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and I like them a lot. They ended with my favorite Tull song, “Locomotive Breath”, and it was worth the wait. Don’t know if I’d see them again, but I enjoyed myself.