Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre Unplugged Acoustic Trio at the Cohoes Music Hall on April 21 2025
Famed Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre brought his Unplugged Acoustic Trio to the Cohoes Music Hall in Cohoes, New York on Monday, April 21, 2025.
Joined on stage by two stellar musicians, Dan Crisp (vocals/acoustic guitar/recorder) and Alan Thomson (vocals/acoustic guitar/slide guitar/acoustic fretless bass), Barre performed a 28-song double set for an intimate evening of acoustic music and clever anecdotes. The evening showcased each of the other two musicians’ talents, as much as Barre’s dexterity, skill, and expertise on the guitar, as well as his versatility on a number of other instruments, including mandolin, flute (although not standing precariously on one leg a la Ian Anderson), and even a spoon and tea cup during a rather camp number “Everything Stops for Tea,” a Long John Baldry cover from the 1935 musical film Come Out of the Pantry. As much as Barre’s extraordinary musical talent was on display throughout the night, so was his cheeky, dry, sardonic British wit and humorous commentary, as he told jokes, made off-handed remarks about the English, and introduced various songs from his solo material, Jethro Tull classics and deep cuts, and some impressive covers.
Without any formal introduction, the three gentlemen strolled onto the stage together to a rousing round of appreciative applause. Barre announced, “Good evening, all! Does anyone mind if we settle?” as the musicians took their places, set down their respective drinks, and adjusted their instruments. He continued, “Tonight, we will play some Jethro Tull songs, although not the ones you’ll like, some of my music, which is fabulous, and a repertoire of things we like to play. They all sound the same – so don’t worry.” “First, we will take you on a trip, down the Hudson River, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Paris, France in the 20s and 30s. To a café just off the Champs-Élysées,” Barre explained, before opening the show with the majestic instrumental piece “Empty Café.” Afterward, noticing a patron making his way to the back of the theatre, Barre quipped, “Come back – we barely got started!” After a few instrumental numbers – “Spanish Tears” and “As Told By” (which Barre introduced as “a blues number I wrote that went terribly wrong”), he introduced Crisp and Thomson, then added humbly, “I drive the van” before performing “Home,” the first of fourteen Jethro Tull songs, all sung by Crisp, who has a striking resemblance to Ian Anderson’s vocal styling in both tone and baroque, and proved to be a dynamic and fitting vocalist.
Barre’s affable, personable nature and engaging banter had the crowd in good spirits throughout the night, clapping along and stomping their feet during “The Jig/Hymn 43” at the end of the first set, and laughing, gasping, or groaning at his comments about Northeast weather (“I know you’re all fed up with it, two weeks of beautiful Spring than – Bang!”), flutes being household essentials (“They do make a great plunger for the sink or toilet”), and typical English demeanor (“The bloody English – we are a bunch of baddies and bastards… other than Hugh Grant, of course, everybody seems to love him”).
The select covers they chose were some blues standards, uniquely orchestrated versions of Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning,” Blind Faith’s folksy lament “Can’t Find My Way Home,” and Don Henley’s melancholic and moody “New York Minute,” a surprising yet apt selection, which Crisp delivered authentically for one of the more emotive moments of the night, along with their encore “Still Loving You Tonight.” Besides the crowd-pleasing Jethro Tull numbers from the band’s late 60s/early 70s heyday (including, among others: “Life is a Long Song,” “Fat Man,” “Teacher,” as well as five from their classic 1971 Aqualung album: “Cheap Day Return,” “Wond’Ring Aloud,” “Slipstream,” “Mother Goose,” and “Hymn 43” – they avoided the ubiquitous title track), the trio wowed the crowd with some absolutely mesmerizing instrumental numbers so deftly performed that you could’ve heard a pin drop as the audience sat rapt in awe by their intricate and syncopated guitar playing prowess. Martin Barre’s stunning Unplugged Acoustic Trio was an amazing performance to witness, that cannot fully be described in words. You really have to hear, see, and experience this show.
More information at: https://martinbarre.com/
SET 1:
Empty Café
Spanish Tears
As Told By
Home (Jethro Tull)
Sea of Vanity
Cross Road Blues (Robert Johnson cover)
Serenade to a Cuckoo (Rahsaan Roland Kirk cover)
A Winter Snowscape (Jethro Tull)
Can’t Find My Way Home (Blind Faith cover)
Bourrée in E minor. (Johann Sebastian Bach cover)
It’s My Round
Life Is a Long Song (Jethro Tull)
Mother Goose (Jethro Tull)
The Jig / Hymn 43 (Jethro Tull)
SET 2:
Favourite Things
Sossity; You’re a Woman (Jethro Tull)
Trinity
New York Minute (Don Henley cover)
The Whistler (instrumental flute – Jethro Tull)
Slipstream (Jethro Tull)
Wond’Ring Aloud (Jethro Tull)
Under Wraps #2 (Jethro Tull)
Cheap Day Return (Jethro Tull)
Everything Stops for Tea (Long John Baldry cover)
Smokestack Lightning (Howlin’ Wolf cover)
Fat Man (Jethro Tull)
Teacher (Jethro Tull)
Encore:
Still Loving You Tonight (Jethro Tull)