Jethro Tull: The Prog Years Tour set for 2020

Ian Anderson and the Jethro Tull Band
Ian Anderson and the Jethro Tull Band

Ian Anderson and the Jethro Tull Band have announced an 11-date UK tour which will take place in 2020.

The Prog Years Tour will begin at The Waterside in Aylesbury on September 30 and wrap up at The Forum in Bath on October 13.

The tour will concentrate on Jethro Tull’s earlier material from albums including Stand Up, Benefit, Aqualung, Thick As A Brick and A Passion Play.

Anderson says: “Dusting off many older progressive songs amongst my earliest attempts to experiment outside the blues repertoire we began with has proved hugely enjoyable.

“Along the way, over the last 50 years, there have been a good few pieces that still strongly resonate with me today on either a musical or lyrical level. Hopefully both. 

“Some are really tricky to play – some might sound that way but fall under the fingers quite naturally, although the overall arrangements require feats of memory! Test my marbles – come to the party!”

Anderson will be joined onstage by bassist David Goodier, keyboardist John O'Hara, guitarist Joe Parrish, who replaces Florian Ophale, and drummer Scott Hammond, while the shows will be enhanced by full scale video projection.

Tickets will go on general sale from 9am on November 6.

Anderson has also announced a separate tour titled Ian Anderson On Jethro Tull, which will see the Tull frontman appear at a number of smaller venues across the country.

The intimate evenings of chat and archive footage will see Anderson talking about his career, the history of Jethro Tull, while Anderson will also answer questions from the audience.

He'll will be joined onstage by guitarist Parish to play a few Tull songs.

Only three dates have so far been confirmed, with further shows to be added in due course. Tickets will go on sale at the end of November on a date still to be finalised. Find further details below.

Ian Anderson and the Jethro Tull Band: The Prog Years Tour 2020
Sep 30: Aylesbury The Waterside
Oct 01: Leicester De Montfort Hall
Oct 03: Blackburn St George’s Hall
Oct 04: Perth Concert Hall 
Oct 05: Glasgow Pavilion Theatre
Oct 06: Stoke-On-Trent Victoria Hall
Oct 08: London Shepherd's Bush Empire
Oct 09: Brighton Dome
Oct 10: Poole Lighthouse
Oct 12: Reading Hexagon
Oct 13: Bath The Forum

Ian Anderson On Jethro Tull 2020 tour
Apr 20: Yeovil Westlands
Apr 21: Bristol St George's
Apr 22: Cheltenham Town Hall
Further dates will be revealed in due course

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.