The 60’s prog rog legends, Jethro Tull with Ian Anderson, filled Bradford Cathedral at the weekend in a festive concert to support the cathedral building fund.
(Picture with thanks to Cathy Higgins/Bradford T&A Camera Club)
Also on the bill was Def Leppard's Joe Elliott appearing as a guest musician. The cathedral's own choristers took part in the concert, as well as the Bradford Citadel Salvation Army band. The concert mixed Jethro Tull classics with Christmas carols, the cathedral resounding to such classics as 'Living in the Past' and 'Aqualung'.
Jethro Tull, who first formed in the 1960s, have sold more than 60 million albums, and are still giving concerts, often at cathedrals around the country, donating the takings to help with their upkeep.
Ian Anderson, whose one-legged, flute playing pose became an iconic rock image, has said he enjoys the challenge of playing cathedrals and their “cavernous spaces”.
Sandra Howard of Bradford Cathedral said: "It went really, really well. The band themselves said that they were really pleased and Bradford had given a really warm welcome."
People had been generous, she added, with a number of donations left in the retiring collection.
Dean of Bradford, the Very Reverend Jerry Lepine, said: “In the past few years we have had to raise something like three quarters of a million pounds to make sure the building is kept in good condition, and that is not something that ever stops.
“Really what they [Jethro Tull] are doing is giving us a massive Christmas gift, all the money will go towards helping the Cathedral pay its way, and for that we are incredibly grateful."