By Andrea Ramirez-Maciolek, Rock At Night Philadelphia Correspondent
Venue: McLoone’s Supper Club-Asbury Park, New Jersey-April 12, 2016
A couple of months ago I had the honor of interviewing Martin Barre, famously known as the legendary guitarist of Jethro Tull. This week I had an even greater honor to see Martin Barre perform live with his band, the Martin Barre Band, in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The band has been busy this month on their US Spring tour supporting their latest album Back to Steel. This spring they kicked off their tour in New York City making Asbury Park third on their stop after playing in Maryland where they picked up some shiny, well deserved pretty new toys, a couple of Paul Reed Smith guitars.
The band which includes members Dan Crisp (vocals/guitar), Alan Thomson (bass), George Lindsay (drums), and Martin Barre (guitar/mandolin) played a mixture of old and new songs. They played an impressive 2 + hour show which kept the fully packed venue on its feet the entire night. One of the first songs of the night, “Back to Steel” was an obvious crowd favorite as people cheered with excitement as Martin showed off his impressive guitar skills.
Without a doubt, the Martin Barre Band was incredibly well rehearsed as they pumped out perfection after perfection with every song they performed. Each member played with superb power and technique. Dan’s vocal range was impressive as his range went well with the diversity of the covers they played throughout the night. During the song “Locomotive Breath” I could not help but notice that his voice had a great similarity to Ian Anderson’s voice and he made the Jethro Tull classic song sound incredible. A cover of “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles, which is also a track on the latest Martin Barre Band album Back to Steel, was another great treat as the band played a great assortment of classic covers along with songs of their own.
After an outfit change by Martin and a brief intermission, my favorite song of the night, “Crossroads” by the great Robert Johnson, was eloquently played on the mandolin by Martin. Martin’s personality shined as he made jokes about wanting dessert as people enjoyed an evening of entertainment and dinner. When someone’s cell phone went off, he pretended it was his phone that went off and told the person to tell the caller to call him back after the show.
It was an intimate and unforgettable night of music, it was a great time had by all. Going by the excitement in the room, nobody wanted the night to end but as all good things must come to an end, the Martin Barre band closed the night with the song “New Day Yesterday” from their 2014 album Order of Play. If there was anyone who enjoyed the show more than I did it was my husband and son who had a fantastic time, what better way to introduce my son to his very first concert than to see a great rock and roll legend and to experience the amazing sound of a great band like the Martin Barre Band. Make sure to catch the Martin Barre Band on tour this spring before they head back to the UK in May.
PHOTO GALLERY
VIDEOS
USA Tour Spring 2016
10 April – B.B. King Blues Club, New York NY – Tickets
11 April – Ram’s Head, Annapolis, MD – Tickets
12 April – Mcloones Supper Club, Asbury Park, NJ – Tickets
21 April – Infinity Hall, Hartford CT – Tickets
22 April – Mexicali Live, Teaneck NJ – Tickets
23 April – Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore PA – Tickets
26 April – Martyrs Live, Chicago – Tickets
28 April – Daryl’s House Club, Pawling NY – Tickets
29 April – Hanover Theatre, Worcester MA – Tickets
30 April – Blue Ocean Music Hall, Salisbury MA – Tickets
AND BACK TO EUROPE!
UK/Europe 2016
28 May – Mello Festival, Worcestershire, UK
19 May The Ropetackle, Shoreham-by-Sea, UK
2 July – Fan Club Convention, Barcelona
9 July – Close to the Moon, Padova, Italy
7 August – New Day Festival, Kent, UK
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