Martin Barre, the longtime Jethro Tull guitarist, was skeptical when it was suggested he do a 50th anniversary tour for the band’s iconic “Aqualung” album.
“I rejected (the idea) immediately,” he said. “Bands go out and say they’re gonna do an entire album, and essentially most albums don’t suit being played live the whole way through, because there are tracks that people sometimes don’t like.
“But then I looked at it and I said, this is doable and it would be fun,” he said. “I think people respect and enjoy the fact that it’s such an important album, and it is a landmark anniversary.”
Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre: “Aqualung” 50th Anniversary Tour comes to The Palace Theatre in Greensburg at 8 p.m. Feb. 10.
The tour also features Dee Palmer and Clive Bunker, original members of the British progressive rock band, along with Barre’s touring band, featuring lead vocalist Dan Crisp, keyboardist Alan Thomson, drummer Darby Todd and vocalists Becca Langsford and Alex Hart.
Who replaces Tull’s overcoat-clad, long-haired flutist and frontman, Ian Anderson? Nobody.
“We do have a flute player, and it’s me. But do I get my flute out of my suitcase? No, I don’t,” Barre said. “At nearly every show, there’s somebody that will say, ‘Where’s the flute?’ and they want their money back. But there’s only one person.
“No, there isn’t a flute, though if I say so myself, I am a proper flute player,” he said. “Right now we have two guitars to play all the flute parts, and it gives a new slant to the music. It refreshes it.”
For the extended flute solo in the track, “My God,” Barre said, “I have a very nice surprise in its place, but I’m not gonna say what it is. But when people hear it, they’re astounded.”
Concertgoers won’t hear “Aqualung” played beginning to end, either. The acoustic numbers are grouped together.
“The audiences just love it, and it’s a real contrast to the rest of the set,” Barre said. “We road-tested it in Europe a few months ago, and we tweaked it here and there. Some of the tracks I thought would be difficult to do have really become highlights of the set.”
Tickets for the show at The Palace are $49.75 and $59.75, floor seating only. Tickets purchased at the door are an additional $5. Masks are required inside the theater.
For more information and tickets, call 724-836-8000 or visit thepalacetheatre.org.
