Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Mauricio Alvarado
The line between Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull just got fuzzier.
Not that it wasn’t fuzzy to begin with. More than a few fair-weather fans have been fooled into believing Anderson is actually a guy named Jethro Tull. The image, the vocals, the clever quips between songs, the flute, the one-legged stance, the “parlour” guitar, the clear leader and wide-eyed visionary — to most everyone, this is Jethro Tull. And try as he has in recent years to distinguish himself outside the context of Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson cannot deny the obvious: That he and Jethro Tull are one and the same. Well, at least as far as celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary.
Yes, as he told me in February, Ian Anderson has put the brakes on his solo efforts, and stepped back into the Jethro Tull driver’s seat to commemorate 50 years of Jethro Tull music with a tour that will take him through Europe and the U.S. for the better part of 2018. For his show at the Greek Theatre, he revealed two sets filled with Tull artifacts from the late 60s through the late 80s. There were some glaring omissions, as in no “Bungle In The Jungle” or “Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day” (or anything else from 1974’s Warchild), “Minstrel In The Gallery” (or anything else from the 1975 album of the same name), and everything else that came after 1978’s Heavy Horses, save for “Farm On The Freeway” from the Grammy-winning Crest Of A Knave album of 1987. So, essentially, it boiled down to choice prime cuts from the band’s first 10 years, presented chronologically with a couple of necessary deviations from the format.
After teasing the audience with a hodge-podge of video snippets playing over a console TV projected on the backline and side screens, Anderson and his “Jethro Tull” band — bassist Dave Goodier, keyboardist John O’Hara, guitarist Florian Opahle and drummer Scott Hammond — dove headfirst into material from the band’s beginnings. “My Sunday Feeling” and “Song For Jeffrey” from the group’s 1968 debut This Was, along with the non-album single “Love Song,” adequately covered the Mick Abraham years. Abraham, the band’s original guitarist, then popped up on the screen to honor the band’s 50th before Anderson and Opahle ran through the country blues of “Some Day The Sun Won’t Shine For You.” For fans of the original lineup, it couldn’t have gone any better.
From there, it was onto “Dharma For One,” dedicated to the band’s still-living original drummer Clive Bunker, which directed the spotlight onto Hammond for a short drum solo. All the while, video clips, highlighting various drummers who have played with Tull — ten in all — kept the focus and brilliantly encapsulated the fact that the band has gone through a number — 36 to be precise — of personnel changes. Which, of course, reinforces the notion that Ian Anderson is Jethro Tull.
“A New Day Yesterday,” with a video introduction from Joe Bonamassa, who covered the song, and “Bourée” represented 1969’s Stand Up, while “With You There to Help Me,” plus the non-album B-side single “The Witch’s Promise,” covered 1970’s Benefit. So what was left to cover before taking a 20-minute break? Arguably the band’s most sacred achievement, Aqualung. Even better, instead of going to the obvious, Anderson, armed with his “parlour” acoustic, gallantly tackled “My God.” Then the band reassembled for “Cross-Eyed Mary.” This wouldn’t be the last we’d hear from Aqualung.
Throughout the night, Anderson’s singing stayed on track, even his stretched to the highest of notes. During the second set, he was assisted on some vocal parts, as he has been on recent tours, both live and virtually. Somehow, this practice succeeded in the keeping the music moving forward without any sonic glitches to disrupt the flow. Fortunately, Anderson’s flute work has yet to waver; he continues to showcase his unruly and unique approach to the instrument without reservation.
Playing excerpts from Thick As A Brick, and, miraculously, A Passion Play defined Tull’s prog-rock credentials The leap over Warchild and Minstrel In The Gallery lead to “Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die!,” which could be cited as the group’s feeble attempt at mediocrity. Its follow-up, Songs From The Wood, put things back on track, and hearing the title track and its dreamy chorus echo to the upper reaches of the Greek was a sight to savor.
Video testimonials from Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris, Black Sabbath (and one-time Tull) guitarist Tony Iommi, original Tull keyboardist John Evan (dressed as a daffodil), and Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliot filled the gaps. Goodier and O’Hara helped out with the vocals on “Ring Out, Solstice Bells,” while Unnur Birna showed on the screen to sing verses and play violin on “Heavy Horses.” One of the night’s best examples of how well oiled and refined the band is came about during “Farm On The Freeway,” arguably the last classic song of the Jethro Tull canon. For as much as we all miss guitarist Martin Barre, Tull’s longest standing member aside from Anderson, it’s hard to discount Opahle’s touch and the band’s overall chemistry. Still, a guest appearance from Barre or another former member would have made the night extra special.
Once Slash’s face showed up on the screen and introduced “Aqualung,” the mostly elderly fans rose to their feet, held up their cell phones and lighters, and transported back to 1971. Another virtual guest, Ryan O’Donnell, traded verses with Anderson, but the pulse of the song never fell out of sync. The encore of “Locomotive Breath” sustained the energy and left the hillside outdoor theater buzzing in the aftermath.
The question remains: After 50 years, how much longer can Jethro Tull go? More specifically, how many more tours and albums does Ian Anderson have in him? Reunions are no longer in the cards, so it all pretty much lives and dies with the man so many think of as Jethro Tull. As it goes with most anyone from the classic rock era, as long as people keep coming, buying $10 programs and officially licensed rock pins, Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull could very well enjoy another milestone or two before calling it a day.
