Tales From The Crypt - 28th Wedding Anniversary (Saturday 18th September 2021)

A very busy Saturday gets off to a good start with a shopping trip to buy supplies for my university bound sons.  In theory we should be off to Birmingham University with son #1 around lunch time, giving me time to get back, eat some microwaved food and then head off out to meet a friend at a Jethro Tull gig (more on that later).

Before we set off I've got to get two wash loads done, so I get on with that, against a backdrop of increasing chaos, as the 'packing' is underway. I put 'packing' in quotes, because in my mind means putting your things in whatever container is appropriate before shoving them in the car. It does not, to me at least, mean looking for things that you have on your list but have assumed that either a) there used to be one of those items, so there still must be or, b) someone else will know where said item is. Eventually all four of us were enlisted into the process (not the plan!) and with a couple of items taken from son #3 (and ordering replacements for next day delivery) a reasonable set of things was created.

As we head off almost an hour later than I'd wanted, the sat nav ominously adds more and more minutes onto the journey time. The first traffic jam was local - heading for the M40 was slowed because (I assume) of the diversions in place due to the closure of the M4 London-bound. Despite further inexplicable traffic hold ups on the M40, we arrived at the the uni accommodation at around 15:40 (at least 40 minutes later than I'd hoped).  I parked up while son #1 got his keys and, thanks to the help of 3 or 4 students, we got the car emptied and everything in his new flat in about 15 minutes!  I really need to leave no later than 16:00 to have a chance of getting back in time to go out in the evening, so we are incredibly grateful to these second years (who look so young, but, of course, they are all probably 3 to 4 years younger than son #1)

No time for a drink, any food (I'm going to have to skip lunch - good for the diet!) or a comfort break,  I say my goodbyes and head off back through Selly Oak, Bourneville and other Birmingham suburbs en-route to the M40.  On the way home the car asks me if I need to take a break, and I say yes, about two weeks somewhere hot, but sadly that's not on offer, so I just cancel the message. Nice of you to ask, though.

Thankfully the return journey was less busy and I made it home by ten to six, needing a drink and food.  Luckily for me sons 2 and 3 had sorted out the washing and some of the mess thrown from cupboards while I was out.

Although today is our wedding anniversary, the celebrations are subdued. I had been talking about it with my counsellor on Tuesday, about how it feels, in part, a hollow celebration, very much about the past, but not the future. When I talk to E about it in the morning, a smile comes over her face, and, I suspect in part she's thinking about how we used to celebrate and fear that part of her suddenly realises that's no longer possible.  Later, when I show her the card, and the first of the presents, she doesn't seem interested - I don't know if she's just fatigued or if she feels it pales in comparison to celebrations in the past. I'll continue to show her things over the next couple of days and hope, in some way, that the celebration of 28 years brings some kind of joy. 

Back to now: I had a taxi booked for 18:45 and manage to have a drink, eat a microwaved Beef Stroganoff, before heading to town. I met up with my friend on the steps of the theatre and we masked up and headed for our seats in the balcony, with a great view of the stage.

Before they entered the stage, a film ran which flashed up album covers and images of bands from the first Prog rock era, including many of Jethro Tull (for reference the tour is subtitled, 'The Prog Years')  along with a dictionary definition. 

The band entered the stage and struck up 'Nothing Is Easy' (announced by the title being flashed up) and Ian Anderson took to the stage, flute in hand, and proceeded to sing and play, whilst prowling the stage, often balanced on one leg and thus began probably one of the weirdest and amusing gigs I've ever witnessed.

Where to begin? The setlist! 

Set 1:

Nothing Is Easy

Love Story

Thick as a Brick

Living in the Past

Hunt by Numbers

Bourrée in E minor (Johann Sebastian Bach cover) (Jethro Tull's "Bourée" arrangement)

Black Sunday

My God

Set 2:

Clasp

Wicked Windows

The Zealot Gene

Pavane in F-Sharp Minor (Gabriel Fauré cover)

Songs From the Wood

Aqualung (orchestral version)

Encore:

Locomotive Breath

The Dambusters March (Eric Coates cover)

Cheerio

Both of us thought it was immense fun but equally bizarre. At times it seemed that Ian Anderson was taking the piss out of himself and also some of the worst posturing that became common in bands of the early 1970, and having fun whilst doing it. Ian's vocal style combined with what seemed to be a bad mix from where we were sitting often rendered the lyrics indecipherable, swamped by the electric guitar.  For the well-known songs this was less of a problem, at least for me!

One of the strangest things was the incongruity of the films that accompanied the songs: at times these were a slightly annoying distraction, at other times the most bizarre literal images to match the words. For those old enough to remember, it reminded me of Pan's People on 'Top Of The Pops' in the way they used to attempt literal interpretations of song lyrics through dance, even if the interpretation was a completed misunderstanding of the words. 'Locomotive Breath', an encore that really captured the imagination of the woman sat in front of me, was accompanied by film of a steam train, when the locomotive is a metaphor.  

Even more hilarious was the film that accompanied 'Hunting By Numbers', allegedly about one of Ian Anderson's cats' tendency to kill for the sake of it: well, it has to be seen to be believed. I think the image of the men in the film 'impersonating' (and that's far too kind a word) a killer cat, will stick in my mind for a while.

I have to admit that I probably only like Tull's output up to and including the album 'Songs From The Wood', so the newer stuff which intersperses the old stuff, was OK, but not much more.  I'm probably not a big enough fan, I guess.  Nevertheless, it was great fun, they played most of my favourite numbers, and even ended (as they always used to back in the 1970s) with the dambusters march, accompanied by flags of all nations (including the EU and UN flags) which turned into a handshake between all nations, a nice touch given the connotations of the theme. 

We left the theatre, not entirely sure what we'd witnessed but feeling that somehow it had been fun.  For me, the most annoying thing was seeing a man well into his seventies so casually standing on one leg for extended periods and shifting his balance whilst doing so, and whilst playing the flute and singing!! It's one of the things I find very difficult even after two years of yoga. Bastard!!!

My friend kindly gave me a lift home, arriving to find son #2 here alone, watching 'Zombieland Double Tap', which I joined him to watch the end of, thinking that from Monday evening, it will be just son #2 and I, more or less. 

After that, bed, and well-earned sleep.

Everything But The Girl / 'Missing' / 'Amplified Heart'

[[The original version, rather than the better-known (perhaps) Todd Terry remix version. Brightly lit, just no longer around, for now?]]

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