It was on Feb. 2, 1968, at the Marquee Club on London’s Wardour Street, that Jethro Tull first performed under that name. To celebrate their golden anniversary, founder/bandleader Ian Anderson will present “50 years of Jethro Tull” throughout 2018. More than 20 new North American dates have now been added to the band’s itinerary. Scroll down for the full schedule.
Tull’s debut album, This Was, was released later that same year. Anderson, the frontman and flutist (and sometimes acoustic guitarist) since the beginning, said on the band’s website, “I am not usually a birthday or anniversary kind of guy but, just for once, I won’t be a party-pooper either! I treasure the memories of the earlier years of the Jethro Tull repertoire, associated as it is with the adventures of visiting so many countries for the first time to connect with new fans around the world. And this is a celebration of all the 33 band members who graced our ranks—musicians who brought their talents, skills and styles to bear on the performances live and in the studio. Join me and the current band for a nostalgic evening of varied music, representative of my ever-changing songwriting as our careers progressed through the years.”
Related: BCB’s interview with Ian Anderson
The anniversary concerts will feature a broad mix of material, some of it focusing on the earlier formative period through to the “heavy hitters” of the Tull catalog from the albums This Was, Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung, Thick As a Brick, Too Old to Rock And Roll: Too Young to Die, Songs From the Wood, Heavy Horses, Crest of a Knave and “even a touch” of TAAB2 from 2012, according to the band’s site.
Ian Anderson is accompanied by Tull band musicians David Goodier (bass), John O’Hara (keyboards), Florian Opahle (guitar), Scott Hammond (drums) and surprise virtual guests
Jethro Tull today (Ian Anderson in front)
2018 50th Anniversary U.S. Dates (Tickets available here and here)
5/30 Phoenix, AZ: Comerica Theatre
6/1 Los Angeles, CA: Greek Theatre
6/2 Berkeley, CA: The Greek Theatre
6/3 Paso Robles, CA: Vina Robles Amphitheatre
6/5 Visalia, CA: Visalia Fox Theatre
6/6 Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Community Theater
6/8 Bend, OR: Les Schwab Amphitheater
6/9 Troutdale, OR: Edgefield
6/10 Woodinville, WA: Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
6/29 Saint Louis, MO: Fox Theatre
6/30 New Buffalo, MI: Four Winds Casino Resort – Silver Creek Event Center
7/1 Sterling Heights, MI: Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
7/3 Toronto, ON: Budweiser Stage
8/31 Minneapolis, MN: State Theatre
9/1 Kansas City, MO: Starlight Theatre
9/3 Highland Park, IL: Ravinia Festival
9/5 Huber Heights, OH: Rose Music Center at the Heights
9/7 Vienna, VA: Wolf Trap
9/8 Philadelphia, PA: Mann Center for the Performing Arts
9/9 Boston, MA: Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
9/11 New York, NY: Beacon Theatre
Watch Jethro Tull in 1968’s Rolling Stones Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus
4 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationIt’s Ian Anderson Presents Jethro Tull.
No Martin Barre. Not Tull
It clearly says Martin Barre is in the “current lineup” of the band. Enjoy.
It says nothing of the sort. “Ian Anderson is accompanied by Tull band musicians David Goodier (bass), John O’Hara (keyboards), Florian Opahle (guitar), Scott Hammond (drums) and surprise virtual guests”
After enjoying more than 40 Tull concerts, I no longer go see “Ian & Friends”–first some kid on stage singing 1/2 of Ian’s vocals, the last go-round the kid was on VIDEO siging Ian’s parts on screen. I have seen the Martin Barr band twice since my ‘boycott’, however. Go Martin!