Ian Anderson

After 26 years fronting Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson doesn't really need a second act to his career. But Tull's wild-eyed flutist presented some impressive new stretches Wednesday at the Pantages Theater, leading a four-man "pocket orchestra" in a set of his recent neo-classical compositions, plus a set of refurbished Tull rarities.

* 1/2 JETHRO TULL. "The Crest of a Knave." Chrysalis. Tull-leader Ian Anderson used to be a champion of the free thinker, crusading against authority and conformity from the platform of his blues/Celtic/classical/rock music. Does that sound like the kind of guy who would put together a record through marketing research?

Jethro Tull's sophomore effort found the group in a transitional stage. The band was still steeped in the jazz influence that made its "This Was" one of the more auspicious debut albums of the late '60s, and now the band was beginning to assimilate classical, ethnic, Euro-folk and metal sounds into the mix. This early eclectic experimentation added up to crisp, smart rock 'n' roll that still sounds vital and inspired a quarter of a century later.

There are a lot of ways a rock band could celebrate its 20th anniversary on stage, especially if that group has heard cries of "dinosaur," and "over the hill"--not to mention "pretentious" and "overblown"--during many of those years. Wisely, Jethro Tull chose the light, self-mocking approach Friday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. Opening with "Cross-Eyed Mary," leader Ian Anderson played the first flute parts while being pushed on stage in a wheelchair.

What's Mike Boehm got against older musicians ("Talkin' 'Bout Degeneration," Sept. 24.)? About the only thing I could agree with Boehm on in his review of Jethro Tull's concert is that, yes, Ian Anderson's voice has somewhat diminished over the years and that the band indeed played in Irvine on Sept. 21. Musicians play live for two reasons: to play the songs that their fans want to hear, and to promote their product. Boehm wondered about the amount of songs played from "Aqualung," even as he himself mentioned it had just been re-released, with added tracks, and remastered.

Even the most staid British music periodicals have been giddy over the 3-year-old period instrument band Red Priest. Saturday the quartet of early-music veterans gave us some indication of what all the clamor is about with a high-energy Baroque hoedown at the El Camino College Center for the Arts. The ensemble's name comes from the nickname given to Vivaldi by his contemporaries. Its performing style, however, comes from pop-infused acts such as Kronos Quartet and the violinist Kennedy.

Jethro Tull's concert at the Wiltern Theatre on Thursday provided answers to a couple of questions that casual fans might have had about the group's leader, Ian Anderson: Yes, he's still fairly trim, but no, he's not quite as nimble as he used to be and he's definitely not the madcap showman he once was. But who would expect him to be? He's been at this for quite some time. What the show did, though, was present Tull's music as surprisingly trim and nimble.

It's tempting to dredge up the old Jethro Tull title "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll, Too Young to Die" to explain the mediocrity of the group's performance on Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre. But that would be too easy. After all, Neil Young has a couple of years on Tull's Ian Anderson, and he continues to make provocative, unadulterated rock. The real explanation for the irrelevance and tediousness of the Universal show goes beyond a few gray hairs.

Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes, who tied Major League Soccer's single-season scoring record with 27 goals, was presented Thursday with the league's MVP award in a ceremony at the Home Depot Center. Wondolowski was a landslide winner over Thierry Henry of the New York Red Bulls in balloting of club management, the media and players. Wondolowski's performance helped San Jose win the Supporters' Shield, which goes to the team with the best regular-season record, but the Earthquakes were ousted by the Galaxy in the Western Division semifinals.