The year was 1968 and Jethro Tull was on itsway to becoming an emerging force to be reckoned with in what was becoming the post Beatles era of rock music. Album oriented rock and roll had begun to dominate radio airwaves and harder, more heavy concept records were lining record store shelves. Every band was unique in its own way; from the album packaging and art to on and off stage gimmicks or antics. Music was changing and Jethro Tull was an integral part of it.
Anderson, the front man and face of the band is widely credited with introducing the flute into rock music. Helping to launch an entire trend into the genre, Anderson blazed a trail with his use of this wind instrument. Now more than four decades later, 30 studio and live albums and more than 60 million records sold worldwide, Anderson is bringing his first “quasi rock opera” to the masses. Tickets are now on sale for “Jethro Tull, The Rock Opera,” which premieres at the Chicago Theater in Chicago,IL on November 1 and ends in Newark, NJ on November 11 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).
“All these years later, I wanted to find something about him. I discovered that whether by fate or accident, many songs that I’ve written coincide with his life or career. I didn’t know at the time I wrote it that a song such as ‘Aqualung’ could actually relate to his bronchial disorder but it is all quite similar and there are quite a few of the songs that are like this. So I assembled them all together into this sort of an opera style show,” explained Anderson.
The rock opera named after Jethro Tull reimagines the man in the near future with the story illustrated via songs from the band’s repertoire.
“Heavy Horses,” “Farm On The Freeway,” “Songs From The Wood,” “Aqualung,” “Living In The Past,” “Wind-Up,” “A New Day Yesterday,” “The Witch’s Promise,” “Locomotive Breath” and many other classic songs from the Tull collection will be part of this undertaking; some modified a bit to “fit the bill,” he explained. “What I did was bring them up to speed to reflect a modern day chemist who is trying to feed the planet; a very hungry planet. Other than obvious cosmetic changes and a few pronoun changes; I’ve done very little in the way of changing the material. Those who come to the show are going to hear approximately 20 songs from the best of the Jethro Tull repertoire and they’ll all be relevant to the show and what I am trying to do; so obviously there will be no ‘Bungle In the Jungle,’ Anderson said with a slight laugh.
Also included in this presentation will be some new material and some “virtual guests” as well. “I’m using the original lyrics for the most part and incorporating them in a theatrical, multi-media event. The virtual guests will be on a large screen and will interject at precise moments to help tell the story.”
This series of eight shows in November are just the start of something much bigger to prepare the band for touring in 2016. “We are scheduling more in 2016 after Easter. In September we will take it to the west coast of the U.S. and shows in Europe as well.”
Anderson once said, ”A band to me is whomever is in the room at the time.” Well, this tour features a new band, a new show and a few history lessons as well and tickets are on sale now.
Jethro Tull with Ian Anderson
Wed, November 11 at 7:30pm
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
1 Center Street, Newark, NJ
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
