Jethro Tull

There is nothing quite like a Jethro Tull performance. The band has been mastering numerous genres of music since their formation playing anything from blues, rock, classical, folk, jazz, and Celtic influenced music.
Ian Anderson is the driving force behind Jethro Tull and makes all the shows interesting with his adept skills at flute playing as well as his eccentric stage presence. The band has great dynamics on stage and often plays in a progressive kind of style. The piano sometimes will gently start off a song playing a very ornate melody, which is then accompanied by a loud distorted guitar blaring a solo. The guitar will then switch to playing a rhythmic pattern throughout the song when Ian Anderson is playing his airy jazz licks on his flute. Ian Anderson is also known for his wide vocal range, which allows him to use a dynamic style of singing by jumping back and forth between different pitches with his voice. The band also has a great sense of rhythm and time playing in unison with one another with their different instruments to create a deep, rich sound. Jethro Tull is also known for their stage presence. At Jethro Tull’s older shows Ian Anderson used to look like a wild maniac with bushy hair and a beard, sporting tattered clothes, and running around stage playing his flute with much energy. Although Ian Anderson has toned down his vibe since his early days of performance, he still has a cartoonish characteristic that allows him to play with much enthusiasm. At a Jethro Tull concert you can expect to see intricate, atmospheric lighting, which creates an entrancing landscape with blends of colorful lights mixed together and laser beams penetrating through the fog that is on stage. Jethro Tull will even sometimes have actors come on stage during the performance to act as props. When he plays songs from the album, Thick as a Brick, you might see a man dressed in a drench coat reading a paper, which is supposed to be used as a visual representation for the song.
There is a reason why Jethro Tull has sold over 60 million albums and has influenced such notable musicians as Geddy Lee, Bruce Dickinson, and Eddie Vedder, and seeing them live will surely convey why Jethro Tull is such a well loved and influential band.

Jethro Tull still shine musically, and keep in mind: this is their 50th anniversary tour!

They had great sound, and played their instruments almost flawlessly.

All of them are high-level musicians, but a particular mention goes to Florian Opahle at the electric guitar, who performed beautifully and injected new life in many classic pieces with his own playing style and ideas (maybe a hint more of blues and heavy metal than previous guitarists, but very welcome by the crowd!).

Ian Anderson himself still is a great live performer, both physically moving around the stage and when playing the flute. This despite his age (72 years old). That said, even if it saddens me as a Jethro Tull fan, his voice really doesn't hit the right notes anymore.

He was often losing power to the point of inaudibility while singing even short phrases, and was also often off-key, to the point of being embarrassing.

I believe he recognizes the problem, as he had some videos of younger performers "helping him" sing some of the classic pieces, like "Aqualung".

However, for me his singing kinda hampered the whole concert. Combined to it, was the fact that this was a sitting rather than standing experience.

There was a standing ovation on the last two pieces, and as the last song, "Locomotive Breath" everybody rose to their feet. That was an intensely emotional moment.

tl;dr: recommended only to hardcore Jethro Tull fans. The occasional listener better be beware.

IN my mid to late teens I discovered the unique sound of Jethro Tull. I saw the band on Top of the Pops and was fascinated by the look of the group and their musicianship. Of central attention was Ian Anderson. Individual and striking a pose with his flute in outlandish clothes and flowing hair. The band were cool, edgy and blues influenced. I have been a fan ever since. It was such a contrast last night to see Tull in concert for the first time. I missed out when I was a student. It is a truism that you can never go back and that was the disappointment, for me, of the concert last night. The retrospective was a good idea which was ruined by awful video screen footage and overblown renditions of many of my favourite songs. Anderson’s voice had all but lost its depth, range and volume and was hidden behind heavy electric guitar. His antics on stage were, for me, out of place and out of time. I am probably alone in this view but I felt the presence of the band had not survived the intervening years and in my estimation had gone from cool to cringy. Maybe, too old to rock and roll?

I was lucky enough to 'come of age' during the mid to late 1970's and it DEFINATLY was a GREAT DECADE for concerts in NYC and elsewhere!!! I saw Jethro Tull several times, primarily at Madison Square Garden, NYC. At that time, 'Tull' was usually magical to see and hear 'Live". Ian Anderson was at the top of his game and listening to him turn his flute into a 'soaring bird' taking flight was simply AMAZING!!!! I haven't seen them since, but I can only imagine that Anderson has continued to mold into an even better performer.
Sometimes ya just gotta live with the special memories. Concerts today are generally SO OUTRAGOUSLY EXPENSIVE that one has to be picky about which bands are worth dumping $500 to $1000 on, just for a mediocre show.

We thoroughly enjoyed Jethro Tull in such a wonderful setting Ripon Cathedral.

His Christmas mix of songs with his past classics was just fabulous ( not really knowing what to expect !) & Ian could still perform on one leg !

The lighting was atmospheric moody & crisp.

The only slight negative was why on earth did He need Lloyd Grossman singing tame bland punk songs WHICH added absolutely nothing to the overall performance ?? ...if anything it cheapened the whole experience for us being alongside a true global Rock Legend ...…...but never mind We look forward to Jethro Tull live at Ripon again...WE'LL BE THERE !

Cheers & Merry Christmas

Roger Fawcett & Gail Hague ( Harrogate )

Hi,
Great show as always - however we were a bit disappointed by being pointed out among the audience by the young guitarplayer in the band for taking a short video at the end of the concert.
We have been following Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull since they started 50 years ago, were to our first concert with the band in Odense in 1972 (47 years ago) - this time we came from Denmark to see them. It has never before been a problem to take a picture.
But obviously this young kid had to mark his territory though our taking a picture or a video sequence did not bother anyone. Martin Barre would not ever have done so and I don't think that this is what Ian Anderson wants either.

It was a very mixed experience. The first two/three songs had very bad sound mix but then it worked well. There was a Christmas song in the middle, which turned the whole experience in the middle if the second half down and it was tough for the band to raise the mood before Aqualung and Locomotive Breath.
I personally would have liked more Thick as a Brick and the songs that had one or two extra voices were better mixed in with the music than when Anderson sang alone, and, these voices lifted the experience of Andersons voice. Use more voices on most of the songs - please.
The videos of the artists at work do not function - do live video!

Loved the show, great mix of new songs with Tull classics. Great job of interacting the video with the live performance. Supporting band members are great and Ian Anderson still rocks out at 68 years old. Favorite part of the show is all the flute playing Anderson displayed throughout the performance. FYI, there is a 15 minute intermission 1/2 way through the show and the total show time, including the break, is 2 1/2 hours. If you're a Tull fan you'll enjoy this show.

I have seen Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull perform in in the 1990s three times. Always a different experience each time but always putting on a great show. His flute playing always takes centre stage. I am a flute player myself. I saw them first at the Anvil, Basingstoke and then a couple of times at Guilfest, awesome!! ❤❤❤

Ian Anderson is always great on stage!
The show was a celebration of 50 years of Jethro Tull and so between some songs there were guests that (via video) announced the next song. Nice.
Strange: attendantd were NOT allower to take ANY kind of photos or records. It seems so trange in 2019...