Ian Anderson, 77, Pushes Through COPD With European Tour Plans into 2026

At 77 years old, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson still takes the stage, defying his 2020 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosis. His tour dates stretch into 2026 across Europe. The group will visit Germany, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Italy, and more. Fans can catch several shows in the UK. The band will appear at Newcastle's O2 City Hall on April 23, 2026, London's Palladium on May 6, and Southampton's Guildhall on May 9.

Performing takes its toll as he switches between singing and playing a flute onstage. "It depends what you do. You can be physically animated, but there's a degree to which you can only do so much if you're playing a flute," Anderson said during an interview with Now Spinning Magazine. 

While speaking about his health compared to others in music, he added, "Luckily, I'm not in a position of poor old Ozzy Osbourne or equally poor old Phil Collins, or Billy Joel or a whole bunch of other people whose performance has been essentially terminated forever because, although they're still alive, they're not physically capable of doing concerts. And that's hopefully a way off in my life." The artist is approaching his 78th birthday, and he also faces knee issues. The interview happened before Ozzy's recent death.

After losing his brother to colon cancer, he gets regular medical checks, including colonoscopies. He said that he feels generally healthy. His past issues with his wrist, ankle, and back have improved, and his asthma, which doctors diagnosed late in life, no longer causes any symptoms.

In 2020, his COPD diagnosis made him think he'd stop singing soon. Now, five years later, he continues to manage his condition successfully while keeping up with outstanding shows. You can visit Jethro Tull's website for the complete tour schedule and tickets.