By Tammy Scileppi
If you were a teenager in the ‘70s, you probably listened to those awesome bands that defined an era: Queen, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple and Jethro Tull. Their music and live productions really pushed the envelope and stretched musical boundaries.
Jethro Tull released a slew of uber-popular albums throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, including “Aqualung,” “Living in the Past,” “Thick as a Brick,” “A Passion Play,” “Songs from the Wood,” and “Crest of a Knave.” The legendary progressive rock group undoubtedly left an indelible imprint on pop culture.
Tull’s transition from blues and folk to a harder edge classic rock sound was all about that dynamic electric guitar alongside frontman Ian Anderson’s magical flute. Nobody had ever heard flute-playing during a rock concert before.
The British musician once said, “I was not a great guitarist, so I sold my 1960 Fender Stratocaster in exchange for a Shure Microphone, made in Chicago, and a flute.”
The rest is musical history.
Jethro Tull became one of the most successful groups of their time after their 1968 debut album, “This Was.” Back in 1989, the band won the Grammy Award for Best Hard/Heavy Metal Performance over a heavily-favored Metallica.
Across five decades, they’ve released 30 studio and live albums, selling more than 60 million copies worldwide and performed over 3,000 concerts in more than 50 countries, playing 100-plus concerts each year.
In early June, a new compilation release from Rhino Records titled “50 for 50,” was released featuring 50 songs drawing from Jethro Tull’s 21 studio albums.
Anderson is still entertaining crowds and doing his thing. But these days, he has gone solo. The famous artist still performs Jethro Tull’s music, albeit now with his own band.
In honor of the group’s 50th anniversary, he and his band members embarked on a North American tour this past May. They’re playing an amazing selection of Tull’s best-known works, and excited fans everywhere have been flocking to their sold-out performances.
In the coming months, you and your friends will have the opportunity to hear the band once again and experience a memorable performance at Forest Hills Stadium — New York City’s wildly popular sporting and entertainment venue located in Forest Hills — on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. Tickets are now on sale to the public. (For more information, visit Fores
The anniversary concert will feature a broad mix of material, some of it focusing on the earlier formative period through to the “heavy hitters” of the Tull catalogue from the their biggest records and even a touch of 2012’s “TAAB2.”
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.
In addition to the tour, look for “the excellent special edition of the Steven Wilson remix and remastered ‘STORMWATCH,’ now celebrating the 40th Anniversary (with extra material from the sessions and some live concerts),” according to organizers. The official Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary book should be released in the first few months of 2019 (watch www.Jethr
Forest Hills Stadium’s stacked 2019 season line-up also includes an evening with one of the most buzzed-about new rock bands today, Greta Van Fleet, on Saturday, May 25.
“Weird Al” Yankovic will perform at the venue with Queens Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, July 20. And My Morning Jacket is set to take the stage Saturday, Aug. 10.
Forest Hills Stadium is located just steps from the E, M, F, R subway trains at 71st Ave., as well as the Forest Hills LIRR station.
