We in India may be a part of a booming economy, and our wish of being mentioned in the same breath as China (rather that Pakistan), appears to be coming true. But one thing that hasn't been Bangalored is rock and roll. Live acts from Westernesse.
Live acts under half a century old, that is.
So I went for the Tull show.
A word of advice for my anglophone compatriots: I suggest you stick to Slayer T-shirted Iron Maiden-loving Madras-ites. At least they have verve. Avoid moldy old hippies attempting to prance around.
Mr Anderson (no Matrix jokes please, I've just eaten) did that raised-leg-Krishna-playing-the-flute routine. Several times. I was expecting him to. But what I was not expecting was an out-of-breath flautist gasping out his beautiful lyrics. (And the prancing, did I mention the prancing...)
To be fair to memory and history, I'm posting a few Tull tracks, to remind everyone that this was a unique phenomenon in popular music, in almost every way possible - the dense lyrics, the horses hags and hobgoblins - you know. They also recorded one of my all-time favourite songs: Skating Away (On The Thin Ice of a New Day). Jethro Tull is one of a select group of bands that I took a while to get into, even though everyone else picked them up quite quickly. This list features Radiohead, Dave Matthews Band, Grateful Dead - all acquired tastes. And somehow, they are among my most cherished acquisitions, from the days before playlists.
Well, do you ever get the feeling that the story’s
Too damn real and in the present tense?
Or that everybody’s on the stage, and it seems like
You’re the only person sitting in the audience?
Skating away on the thin ice of the new day.
Some picks from the Minstrel's finest:
Skating Away (On The Thin Ice of a New Day) [mp3]
Locomotive Breath [mp3]
Thick as a Brick (Edit #1) [mp3]
