JETHRO TULL's IAN ANDERSON On Rigors Of The Road: 'The Travel Is Just So Boring And Stressful'

In a new interview with Brazil's A Rádio Rock, JETHRO TULL leader Ian Anderson spoke about the rigors of the road, particularly as it relates to the band's upcoming Brazilian tour, which kicks off this week. The 76-year-old lead singer, flute player and songwriter said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you can be excited about getting on an airplane and getting off an airplane and getting to soundcheck and going to bed at night, but there isn't any time to do anything else because we're not there as tourists, we're not there to have a little holiday. Most of the time, we won't get into bed until one o'clock in the morning, and most of the time we have to wake up at five o'clock in the morning after three or four hours sleep because we're traveling to the next city for another show. And so it's a long, long day. It's gonna be really tough for the crew because at least the band get a chance to catch up on some sleep when we get to a hotel, but the crew have to go straight to work. And not only that, when they get back from this Brazil tour, the next day they start a U.K. tour. So, they don't have any time off in between."

He added: "That's the reality of the world we live in. We think about the next thing we have to do, and the next thing we have to do is really awful. I mean, they don't like it any more than I do. The travel is just so boring and stressful. And so sitting on an airplane for 12 hours might be somebody's idea of fun — maybe if you're going on holiday with your family and the airplane ride is part of it — but for me, I go to work on an airplane and I don't enjoy it. I really hate it. So, it's not an enjoyable thing to have to start. But you have to do it to get there. And every day we have another flight. So, it's kind of easier when I'm playing in Europe. I can jump on an airplane and be in another city in Europe in a hour and a half, but coming to Brazil, it's a 12-hour flight, plus another flight when we get there. So I'm not looking forward to that."

This past February, JETHRO TULL announced the departure of guitarist Joe Parrish-James. Parrish-James officially exited the band at the end of that month to concentrate on his own band ALBION, which recently released a new album, "Lakesongs Of Elbid". He has since been replaced by Jack Clark, who previously played bass and second guitar for TULL at various live shows in the last couple of years.

JETHRO TULL released its 23rd studio album, "RökFlöte", in April 2023.

JETHRO TULL later launched the alternative stereo mixes of the album by Bruce Soord (THE PINEAPPLE THIEF) on digital services worldwide.

Following 2022's "The Zealot Gene", the group's first LP in two decades, Anderson and his bandmates returned with a 12-track record based on the characters and roles of some of the principal gods of the old Norse paganism, and at the same time exploring the "RökFlöte" — rock flute — which JETHRO TULL has made iconic.

"The Zealot Gene", released in January 2022, was JETHRO TULL's 22nd studio album and it garnered critical acclaim across the board. Reaching No. 9 in the U.K. album charts, a feat the band hadn't reached since 1972, it also debuted at No. 4 in Germany, No. 3 in Switzerland, No. 5 in Austria, No. 8 in Finland, as well as top 10 in the U.S. album charts, Current Album charts and Rock Album charts.

With more than 30 albums to their credit and sales totaling more than 50 million, JETHRO TULL are one of the most successful rock bands of all-time with a catalog that contains classics that still resonate today.