Fresh off releasing their masterwork Aqualung, Ian Anderson and his trusty flute led Jethro Tull into the Boston Garden on November 15, 1971. The band had also undergone significant shifts in the lineup at the time, but that didn’t stop them from touring.

Aqualung marked the turning point in Jethro Tull’s career, transforming them from a marginal prog-rock act to international stars and one of the most distinctive sounds in rock & roll. It technically only released one single, “Hymn 43,” but “Locomotive Breath” is also a regular here on 100.7 WZLX – and, of course, there’s that unmistakable guitar riff from the title track.

The album came out in March 1971 and went gold within three months. The tour that accompanied the album rolled in to Boston for one of the final stops.

Several sources around the interwebs, including this blog claiming to have bootlegs from the Boston Garden show, say that this was the setlist (also according to Setlist.fm):

1. My God
2. Thick as a Brick
3. Aqualung
4. To Cry You a Song
5. A New Day Yesterday
6. Cross-Eyed Mary
7. Up to Me
8. Tomorrow Was Today
9. Hymn 43
10. Nothing Is Easy
11. Wind Up
12. Guitar Solo
13. Locomotive Breath
14. Wind Up (reprise)

You can see the band worked in a sneak preview of Thick as a Brick, which didn’t come out until the following year, as part of the show. And this tour program appeared to help illustrate Aqualung’s dark imagery.

Did you catch Jethro Tull at the Garden on their Aqualung tour? share your memories in the comments.