“It’s not OK”: why Ian Anderson thought some fans were simply rude
What makes music so important? If an alien were to come to Earth and see the amount of time, money, and effort we place into creating sound, they would be confused about why so much of our everyday life revolves around these songs. For instance, there is a massive obsession with Jethro Tull, as fans worldwide constantly listen to their music and look to attend whatever gigs they are playing.
We could sit these aliens down and show them the music of Jethro Tull in a bid to explain to them why music is so important, but that would probably leave them with more questions than answers. There are a lot of different styles and sounds on display throughout Jethro Tull’s discography, to the point that once they had heard concoctions of jazz, electronic, rock and classical music, they would probably be confused.
The best way that you can really show why music is important is by taking somebody to a gig. There is no better feeling than being sat in a room with a range of like-minded individuals and feeling connected by what you’re hearing on stage. When cheers erupt during the intro to a classic, and voices collide in choruses, it’s an incredibly unifying feeling that remains unmatched.
It’s this combination that makes music persistently so relevant. People want to continue making music and listening to it so that they can attend shows and have the bizarre unifying feeling happen all over again. You have veteran gig-goers who are constantly attending concerts in a bid to see and hear something exciting.
Of course, given live music means so much to so many, it tends to be the case that many people who go to concerts have their own ideas of how people should behave at them. Some people believe it’s rude to use your phone, others think you shouldn’t sing along, and others aren’t fans of mosh pitting.
It’s better to speak to musicians about how they believe people should behave, given they have been to many more gigs than most average people. Jethro Tull toured relentlessly, not just playing their own shows but also on the road with bands such as Led Zeppelin. During these periods, Ian Anderson has picked up on something that a lot of people do at gigs, which he finds incredibly frustrating.
He spoke about performing in Brazil and how it’s normal for fans to shout and scream during songs. Anderson doesn’t see anything wrong with this between tracks when the music isn’t playing, but he always found it annoying when people did it while the band was performing.
“I actually find it incredibly rude, and I really don’t enjoy that,” he said, “It’s not every concert I’ve played in Brazil, but I encountered it a couple of times last year when I was on tour in Brazil, and that’s the way they are. There are other national stereotypes where people do behave that way.”
Concluding, “You will encounter it sometimes in the USA, where people think it’s OK to shout and whistle. It’s not OK.”
