Jethro Tull
Greek Theatre
September 27, 2023
By DAN MACINTOSH
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Ian Anderson-led Jethro Tull served up an eclectic set of songs at The Greek during this midweek slot, which was heavy on album cuts, but light on actual hit songs.
Even when the band closed with the popular FM song, “Aqualung,” it was arranged entirely differently from the original recording. It was as though Anderson wanted this audience to listen, and listen closely, to everything that was played. For those that paid close attention, then, it was a rewarding night of music.
Of course, Jethro Tull performed “Aqualung,” or else this hippie crowd would have ripped up its tie die garments in disgust. Instead of favorites, like “Bungle In The Jungle” and “Too Old To Rock N Roll, Too Young To Die,” Anderson and his four-piece backing unit sang about the dangers of the internet age with “The Zealot Gene” and Russia’ s resurrected dreams of reviving the Soviet empire on “Hammer on Hammer.” Only a few other favorites were played, these being opener, “Nothing Is Easy,” and “Heavy Horses.”
Jethro Tull liberally used video accompaniments for every song. And these musicians, looking so prim and proper, appeared more like a jazz combo than the hair rock group that it first started out as.
Wearing glasses and no longer longhaired, Anderson still sang well — sometimes bouncing up on his toes — and played a mean flute on most every inclusion. Even if you didn’t recognize some of the songs played this evening, these all consistently included Jethro Tull’s signature sonic mixture of folk sounds along with more traditional rock instrumentation.
Anderson announced at the outset that he did not want to smell cigarette smoke or spy cellphone cameras. In fact, he called out one camera user midway through the show. He was serious. It was a little nice, though, to watch a rock show without countless cameras held high. It felt a little like the old days, in fact.
With some of its newer songs, Jethro Tull proved to still be relevant. Anderson is a keen observer of current events and continues to work these observations into his songs. Tonight, Jethro Tull served notice that it’s not nearly ready for the classic rock nostalgia realm. The creative spirit is still alive and well in Anderson’s mind and heart.