'It just keeps rolling along': Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson start U.S. tour Aug. 18 at Ravinia
Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson never wanted to be “an overnight pop star,” as he phrases it.
Instead, his goal as a young man embarking on a music career was to emulate the older blues, jazz and classical musicians he admired growing up in Scotland and England during the 1950s and '60s.
True to his vision, here he remains with his flute, iconic voice and legendary catalog of songs.
Anderson is still the venerable leader of Jethro Tull, the progressive folk-rock group known for classic hits such as “Aqualung,” “Locomotive Breath” and “Bungle in the Jungle.” With record sales totaling more than $60 million, in April the band released their 23rd studio album, “RokFlote.”
“I looked upon this as a long-term career,” Anderson said recently from his London studio. “Many of the people I listened to when I was younger were in their 60s, 70s or even 80s. I had that in my mind that if I was lucky, blessed with good health physically and mentally, then I could probably go on for a bit.”
After wrapping up a European leg of their “Seven Decades” tour this week, Jethro Tull starts their U.S. journey Friday, Aug. 18, at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. The setlist will feature songs from throughout the seven decades of Jethro Tull, starting with their 1968 debut album “This Was.”
When the U.S. tour ends in November, the band will return to Europe for another slate of shows.
Anderson, though, is quick to note the “Seven Decades” tour is easily misunderstood. It's not like Anderson, 75, has been touring since he was 5. Rather, Jethro Tull's run has spanned seven different decades, starting near the end of the 1960s and continuing into the early 2020s.
While no original band members remain in Jethro Tull other than Anderson, bassist David Goodier and keyboardist John O'Hara have been with the band since 2007. After not releasing a studio album since “The Jethro Tull Christmas Album” in 2003, the band is on a creative roll with “RokFlote” and last year's “The Zealot Gene,” much of which was recorded in 2017.
“There were a couple of solo albums in there, but there was a bit of a gap for Jethro Tull,” Anderson said. “The release date for 'The Zealot Gene' was as early as it could be, but I had already started work on 'RokFlote.'”
Anderson credits fan loyalty for the band's ability to continue touring. Although the Jethro Tull fan base is aging, Anderson believes their music endures because of its timelessness.
“It just keeps rolling along,” Anderson said. “What we do, it doesn't depend on being fashionable. It's music that seems to appeal to wider generations. It has a broader appeal. Rock music, in many ways, is timeless.”
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Jethro Tull
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18; gates open at 5 p.m.
Where: Ravinia, 201 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park
Tickets: $44 lawn (price increases by $5 one week before the show); $75 lawn reserved blocks; $75-$115 pavilion reserved seats; purchase through jethrotull.com/tour-dates/ or ravinia.org