Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson Slams Brazilian Fans & iPhones: "Crowds Are Worse Than Ever"

So Ian Anderson, flute-wielding sorcerer of JETHRO TULL, has had it with you people—yes, YOU, the one recording an entire concert through a cracked iPhone 8 with 2% battery while also screaming “PLAY THICK AS A BRICK!!!” like you’re calling for reinforcements in Game of Thrones.

Anderson—who, let’s be honest, has survived every musical trend from prog rock to whatever the hell was happening with NSYNC—is absolutely losing it over audience behavior these days. And honestly? He’s got a point.

Brazil, You’re Getting the Smoke

Yeah, normally, when an artist has beef with concert crowds, it’s vague. “Some audiences don’t know how to behave,” they’ll say. Maybe they shake their heads and talk about “respect for the art.” But Ian? Oh, no. Ian NAMED NAMES.

BRAZIL.

Oof.

According to Anderson, Brazilian fans are out of control. And by “out of control,” he means they’re whistling, shouting, calling out song requests, and—brace yourself—booing. That’s right, folks, some brave souls down in São Paulo apparently booed the dude responsible for Aqualung. BALLER MOVE.

Anderson, meanwhile, was having NONE of it:

“I actually find it incredibly rude, and I really don’t enjoy that.”

Translation: Brazil, you are officially on thin ice.

It’s not every show, he admits. Just some. But that’s enough to have him rethinking his travel plans—at this rate, he’ll probably end up sending a hologram on tour instead, like Tupac at Coachella but somehow even more confusing.

iPhones Ruined Everything

Anderson’s rage isn’t just about Brazil. Oh, no. It’s also about you, me, and every single person who thinks their phone is a concert essential.

If you’ve ever been at a show and thought, Wow, there’s so many screens in the air, this feels like a depressing music video about society collapsing, congratulations—you and Ian Anderson are on the same page.

“The first time I encountered that, I suddenly flashed back to playing in a concrete amphitheater in the middle of the woods somewhere in the former East Germany that was actually built for N@z1 rallies.”

WOW, OK. DID NOT HAVE THAT ON MY 2025 CONCERT ETIQUETTE BINGO CARD.

And look—I get it. I’ve recorded a concert clip before. Maybe you have too. But Anderson? He is NOT HERE for it. In fact, he straight-up left a concert once because he couldn’t deal with all the phones in his face.

That’s right. A rock legend walked out of a show because people were too busy watching through tiny screens instead of, you know, their EYES. Imagine being that artist. You personally hand Ian Anderson a free ticket and 20 minutes later he’s like, lol no and Irish-exits because someone in front of him decided to FaceTime their cousin.

The Man Wants Silence. TOTAL SILENCE.

Now maybe you’re thinking: “OK, Ian, so what’s your perfect concert vibe?”

Easy. Quiet. Like, weirdly quiet.

“For me, it is absolutely sufficient, at the end of a song, to see smiles on faces and somebody applauding at the appropriate time.”

Oh you thought he meant quiet like a nice polite audience? NOPE. Anderson is out here longing for near-monastic concert experiences where the only noise comes AFTER the music stops.

I respect it. But also… good luck enforcing that, my dude.

“Puppet And The Puppet Master”—aka, Ian’s Musical Complaint Letter

Anderson is so fired up about this nonsense that he literally wrote a SONG about it. “Puppet And The Puppet Master,” a track from Jethro Tull’s upcoming album “Curious Ruminant” (March 7, 2025), is basically his rant in musical form.

The song explores how performers are “controlled” by audience expectations but also kind of control the audience in return.

“We are controlling, and yet in a funny kind of a way we’re also being controlled by. And in a kind of sadomasochistic way, perhaps we, or at least some of us, might like that.”

LOL, is Ian Anderson out here saying concerts are a kinky power struggle? I mean, sure, why not.

Anyway, if you were hoping this song would be an uplifting banger, you have clearly never listened to Jethro Tull before. This is about to be prog-rock complaint-core at its finest.

“Curious Ruminant”—aka, More Ian Anderson Hot Takes Set to Music

So what’s the deal with this album? Is it just Anderson yelling at clouds for 50 minutes?

Not quite.

“Curious Ruminant” (watch the official music video below) is Jethro Tull’s 24th studio album (seriously, they’ve been around longer than some COUNTRIES), featuring nine tracks that include everything from 17-minute prog odysseys to 2-minute existential crises.

There’s also accordion, mandolin, acoustic guitars, and more flute than your brain can handle. Basically, if you’re a Tull fan, this is exactly what you want. If you’re not a Tull fan? Well, congrats, you’ve just accidentally walked into a prog-rock fever dream and there’s no way out.

Also, fun fact: some of the album’s instrumental demos were recorded YEARS ago and are only just now seeing the light of day. So if you ever feel bad about procrastinating on a project? Just remember that even Ian Anderson sometimes sits on ideas for a decade.

The Takeaway

So to summarize:

1. Phones at concerts? HATE.
2. Brazilian audiences? TOO LOUD.
3. “Puppet And The Puppet Master”? SADOMASOCHISTIC VIBES.
4. New Jethro Tull album? COMING SOON.
5. Ian Anderson? STILL A FLUTE-WIELDING MENACE.

And look, I get it—maybe you love filming concerts. Maybe you’re Brazilian and feel personally attacked (sorry, but also, you DID boo Ian Anderson). But at the end of the day, Ian Anderson just wants you to put your phone away, stop yelling, and let him flute in peace.

Will it happen? LOL. Good luck, Ian.

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