Jethro Tull

On 31 October 2026, Jethro Tull will play at De Doelen in Rotterdam. Around frontman, singer and flautist Ian Anderson, a band emerged in the late 1960s that evolved from the blues into its own blend of rock, folk and progressive structures. With This Was, Stand Up and Benefit, Jethro Tull set the tone, followed by concept albums such as Aqualung, Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play: long suites, shifting time signatures, acoustic colours and electric counterparts, with the flute as a distinctive feature. The group went through several line‑up changes but developed a clear signature in which guitar, keyboards and the rhythm section make room for melody and storytelling. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, more electric and sometimes synth‑driven accents were added on albums including Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses, Stormwatch and The Broadsword and the Beast. In the 2020s Anderson once again revived the name with new studio material.

Live, Jethro Tull interweaves those chapters: folk‑driven passages alongside heavy riffs, themes that unfold and recur, with Anderson anchoring the whole through his vocals and flute playing. In this way Rotterdam will enjoy an evening that connects the band’s history with its current chapter.