Forty years of Jethro Tull — the band that’s been bluesy, jazzy, riff-rocking, a prog/art rock icon, folkish, world music-dabbling and more, is helmed by singer-songwriter and the man with the flute (and acoustic guitar) Ian Anderson for all 40 years, plus enduring lead guitarist Martin Barre, for 39 of ‘em. Embraced and then lambasted and, in recent years, amazingly cool again, Tull endures.

True, there have been numerous musicians in the band for different eras and various incarnations (which may be part of why the Rock Hall has snubbed ‘em so far — a bad, bad call too). The latest line-up includes drummer Doane Perry (behind the kit off and on for more than two decades now), plus the “new guys” bassist David Goodier and keyboardist John O’Hara, who played behind Anderson for his solo “Rubbing Elbows” intimate shows of a few years back and his every-so-often performances with orchestras in different cities all over the world.

The band’s North American leg of its 40th anniversary tour wrapped up this past week (Sunday, August 17th) at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles under a full moon, no less (also the venue for the band’s 25th anniversary tour, by the way, back in 1993). The set had a few off-moments, but most of it was proof that Tull — Anderson and Barre especially — have always been working, touring, and recording musicians (though not as much in recent years). They never became actors or politicians, were involved in scandals or drugs (Tull, despite all the weirdness of the early years, was never a drugged up band — hah!). Sure, Anderson ran a salmon fishery business — successfully, for a number of years, but music was always his life motivator. Funny thing — he was once painted as the conservative rocker, but his comments in recent years about the Bush administration as well as global warming issues (he mentioned tractors leaving a giant “carbon footprint” during one segment) have shown just as he can’t be pegged musically, such is the case politically as well.

The performance didn’t hit every era of the band’s history but touched on a lot of different years nonetheless, as the video screens showed footage and photos from the band’s shaggier, long, long hair years, and then the follicle drop-offs too. Anderson’s voice, which has come off thin at times in recent years, was strong overall and taking delight in revisiting, though not Living in the Past (yes, they played that one).

There was plenty from the earliest albums, including the opener, “My Sunday Feeling” (found on the latest special collector’s reissue of the group’s debut This Was), the group’s cover of Roland Kirk’s “Serenade to a Cuckoo,” the hit jazzed-up (or, as Anderson called it, “awful cocktail lounge”) take on Bach’s “Bouree” from the second album Stand Up, as was the 3/4-time “We Used to Know” — the latter’s chord sequence mighty similar to The Eagles’ “Hotel California” a few years later and, considering that band opened for Tull in ‘71, as Anderson pointed out, well…you fill in the nicking blank there.

A truncated “Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll, Too Young To Die” was a bit off its mark, and the jammy “Dharma for One,” bringing back a drum solo moment, might’ve been better served by other great numbers the band has in its huge arsenal of songs spanning the four decades — perhaps an excerpt from Passion Play or one of those lesser-played Songs from the Wood, or something out of the ’90s from Roots to Branches or even Dot.com (the underappreciated “Gift of Roses,” perhaps)?

Still, the show covered a lot of musical ground. Other delights for the crowd included a full-length and epic “Heavy Horses” and a slice of the classic “Thick as a Brick.” The one-two punch of the set-closing “Aqualung” and encore of “Locomotive Breath” never fails to charge up a Tull audience.

And that audience, though yes, 40s-50s overall, was also populated by young folks, which brings us back to the return of Tull’s cool factor, its champions including art-rockers The Decemberists, Australian mood master Nick Cave, and R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, to name a few. I can recall talking, some years back, with bassist Conrad Lozano of Los Lobos, who was also a Tull-o-phile. There are more out there that one might imagine. And by Anderson and company touring the world in spots where a lot of rock bands had not appeared before, they’ve made new generations of fans in the last decade-plus.

While this 40th anniversary outing wasn’t as rich and rewarding as tours in recent years, with spry young female guest violinists to add new textures and unexpected numbers, it was still a fan’s show through and through.

The night’s opening band was a fine match, The Young Dubliners, who’ve been around for awhile now and ain’t so young anymore, though their spirited celtic rock is on par with bands such as Flogging Molly and The Fenians. Look for the band’s new studio album early next year.

And what about a new studio album from Tull (the last one was the Christmas Album earlier this decade)? There’s always ‘09.

Jethro Tull Summer-Fall European Tour Dates:

AUGUST

21st Beverungen, Germany Am Weserufer

22nd Bad Brückenau, Germany Kurpark

23rd Hanau, Germany Amphitheater

24th Bonn, Germany Museumsmeile

SEPTEMBER

6th Madrid, Spain Alcorcón Football Stadium

7th Salamanca, Spain Etnohelmántica, Plaza Mayor

OCTOBER

29th Zwolle, Holland IJsselhallen

31st Siegen, Germany Siegerlandhalle (www.siegerlandhalle.de)

NOVEMBER

1st Heilsbronn, Germany www.kulturverein-heilsbronn.de

3rd Debrecen, Hungary Fonix Hall

4th Budapest, Hungary Petofi Csarnok

5th Bratislava, Slovakia PKO

6th Prague, Czech Republic Kongresove Centrum

17-18th Copenhagen, Amager Bio

19th Herning, Denmark, Kongrescenter

20th Randers, Denmark Værket

21st Gothenburg, Sweden Lisebergshallen

22nd Oslo, Norway Sentrum Scene

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Upcoming Greek Theatre shows in Hollywood:

Friday, August 22nd - Café Tacvba plus special guest Ima Robot

Saturday, August 23rd - 2nd Annual Los Angeles Salsa Music Festival - Puerto Rican Power vs. Grupo Niche with special guests Tito Rojas, Joe Arroyo, El Rey Del Cuatro, Yomo Toro, and Xiomara

Friday, August 29th - Melissa Etheridge - The Revival Tour

Friday, September 12th - Tony Bennett

Wednesday, September 17th - The Black Crowes plus special guest G. Love & Special Sauce, plus Howlin’ Rain

Saturday, September 20th - Gladys Knight, Al Green

Sunday, September 21st - My Morning Jacket

Monday, September 22nd-23rd - The Raconteurs with special guest The Kills

Friday, September 26th - Wavefest featuring Anita Baker, Dave Koz, Average White Band, Joe Sample & Randy Crawford, Brenda Russell, and more

Saturday, September 27th - Wavefest featuring Anita Baker, Dave Koz, Average White Band, Joe Sample & Randy Crawford, Brenda Russell, and more

Tuesday, September 30th - Journey with Heart and Cheap Trick

Thursday, October 2nd - Sigur Rós

Friday, October 3rd - David Byrne - The Songs of David Byrne & Brian Eno

Saturday, October 4th - The Swell Season plus special guest Iron & Wine

Saturday, November 1st - Jason Mraz

For more info: http://www.greektheatrela.com

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