The distinctive sound of Ian Anderson and supporting artists performing the Christmas Jethro Tull flooded the cavernous beauty of the Cathedral Nave on Saturday night. Despite the snow and travel chaos, the centre aisle of the Nave stood packed as over 700 people braved the arctic conditions and attended the first ever „rock‟ concert at Canterbury Cathedral. All 1,200 tickets for the event had sold out within weeks, and audience members had been expected to travel from all over the country, some even from as far a field as America.

Fresh back from a solo tour of the East coast of America, Anderson performed with musical precision and sheer brilliance. He was joined on stage by his band members John O‟Hara, David Goodier, Florian Ophale and Scott Hammond and special guests Greg Lake, Dr David Flood and the Canterbury Cathedral Lay Clerk Choir. Much to their disappointment, violinist Anna Phoebe and guest speaker and BBC anchorman Gavin Esler were unable to travel due to the weather conditions.

Anderson donned a festive Santa hat at the beginning of the evening. The set began with Tull‟s 1970 acoustic gem Life is a Long Song and was quickly followed by We Five Kings, which included a choral introduction sung by the Lay Clerks. The evening proceeded with a blend of folk, rock and classical compositions, all well chosen material and mostly with a yuletide flavour. Special guest Greg Lake delighted the audience with his 1975 Christmas Classic I Believe in Father Christmas, supported by Anderson on the flute and Florain Ophale on guitar, later returning to the stage for a performance of the Emerson, Lake and Palmer, ballad Lucky Man. The evening ended with a spectacular orchestral version of Tull‟s Aqualung, followed by Locomotive Breath .

Despite the weather, the evening was a success. Matthew Butler, Chief Executive of The Canterbury Gift, said “It was a very memorable evening and may not be the last rock concert in the Cathedral! Watch this space. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors John Booth, Shephard Neame, and Ian Anderson himself, all the money raised went towards the conservation of the Cathedral – particularly some very necessary repairs to our Organ”

Ian Anderson had graciously given up his time in order to put on this concert; when asked why he had chosen to support the Cathedral he replied, “If our generation and future generations don’t support these great buildings then they will be lost. There is, for me, a real parallel regarding the preservation of our great buildings and a greater sense of conserving our world. Canterbury Cathedral is a place for life today. But it is also a place for the future and whether you are a Christian or not, it is a place which should forever remain close to our hearts”