Jethro Tull in Loket - tickets for The Curiosity Tour at the open-air amphitheatre beneath the castle

Jethro Tull in Loket: progressive rock beneath the walls of a medieval castle

Jethro Tull is coming to Přírodní Amfiteátr Loket with a concert that connects almost six decades of distinctive sound with the current, highly active phase of the band's career. The performance begins at 20:00, and the location beside the Ohře River, directly below Loket Castle, gives the evening a setting rarely encountered on classic rock tours. Instead of an enclosed hall, the audience can expect an open sky, the slope of a natural auditorium and stone walls rising above the stage.

Loket's municipal calendar presents this performance as Jethro Tull's sixth concert appearance at the amphitheatre. This is an important detail: the band is not appearing for the first time on an unfamiliar stage, but returning to a venue with which it already has a concert history. At the same time, this is one of only a few stops in the Czech Republic during this part of the tour, following the performance in Olomouc.

Ticket sales for this event are currently under way.

Why The Curiosity Tour is more than a retrospective

The name The Curiosity Tour accurately describes the way Jethro Tull approaches its own history today. The tour is conceived as a journey through a catalogue that began in 1968, but it is not made up solely of old favourites. Ian Anderson and the band are simultaneously highlighting material from the album Curious Ruminant, released in 2025 as Jethro Tull's 24th studio release.

This means that the concert is not a museum-style survey of songs whose development ended long ago. Older compositions receive the contemporary sound of the current line-up, while newer material demonstrates why Jethro Tull continues to record albums, alter arrangements and introduce different colours into its familiar combination of rock, folk, blues, jazz and European musical tradition.

The band's recognisable identity rests on Anderson's flute as a leading rock instrument, sudden changes of rhythm, acoustic transitions and riffs that move from pastoral textures into a heavy sound. Audience members who know Jethro Tull through songs such as "Aqualung", "Locomotive Breath", "Living in the Past" or "Thick as a Brick" will receive a broader cross-section than a selection of greatest hits.

The current line-up and the sound on stage

Ian Anderson leads the group with vocals, flute and acoustic and electric instruments. He is joined by musicians who have already been an important part of Jethro Tull's concert identity for years, as well as guitarist Jack Clark, the newest member of the current line-up.

• Ian Anderson - vocals, flute, acoustic and electric guitar and other instruments
• David Goodier - bass guitar and backing vocals
• John O'Hara - keyboards, accordion and backing vocals
• Scott Hammond - drums
• Jack Clark - guitar

This distribution of instruments is important to the concert experience. Keyboards and accordion can broaden the folk and orchestral layers, while the rhythm section keeps the complex transitions firm enough for the songs not to lose their rock momentum. Clark's guitar does not attempt to cover the entire arrangement; at previous performances on the tour, it has been given space in key riffs and solo passages, especially in songs in which the audience expects a powerful electric climax.

For the time being, the programme for Loket includes no confirmed support act or special guest. Visitors therefore should not build their expectations around an additional performer, a joint performance or a special production segment that has not been announced.

What the tour's concerts so far reveal

The exact set list for Loket has not been published and may change from evening to evening. Nevertheless, repertoires recorded at performances on The Curiosity Tour during 2026 reveal a clear dramaturgical structure. The band opens the space with its early blues and rock roots, then moves towards acoustic and progressive compositions, before building towards its best-known riffs in the final section.

At concerts in London, Salford and Cagliari, songs from different periods appeared, including "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You", "Beggar's Farm", "A Song for Jeffrey", an abbreviated selection from "Thick as a Brick", "Mother Goose", "Songs From the Wood", "Living in the Past", "Bourrée", "Budapest", "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath". The more recent side of the catalogue was represented by the compositions "The Navigators", "The Zealot Gene" and the title track "Curious Ruminant".

This list is not an announcement of the programme in Loket. Its value lies in showing the direction of the tour: the early blues years are not neglected, acoustic Jethro Tull remains just as important as the electric side, and the newer albums are not merely a brief obligation between the hits. At several previous performances, the concert was divided into two musical blocks, but the duration, interval and ending time of the evening in Loket have not been confirmed in advance.

Reviews of the current tour particularly highlight the dynamics between quieter acoustic passages and heavier sections. "Mother Goose", "Fat Man" or the pastoral segments of "Thick as a Brick" lower the intensity and open up space for flute, mandolin, acoustic guitar and a storytelling tone. In contrast, "Aqualung" and "Locomotive Breath" remain natural points for stronger guitar and a final rise in energy.

Curious Ruminant as the centre of the current phase

Curious Ruminant is not merely the title used to identify the tour. The album was released after The Zealot Gene from 2022 and RökFlöte from 2023, making it the band's third studio album in four years. Its nine compositions range from short, concise pieces to the nearly seventeen-minute form of "Drink from the Same Well". The sound includes progressive rock, folk, acoustic instruments and a return to an atmosphere reminiscent of the period of the albums Songs from the Wood, Heavy Horses and Stormwatch, but with more modern production.

The title track and "Over Jerusalem" have already appeared at concerts in 2026. Their presence in the live programme shows how the new material functions alongside the classics, rather than in a separate section that would interrupt the rhythm of the evening. A visitor who has not followed the more recent releases can listen before the concert to at least "Curious Ruminant", "The Tipu House", "Over Jerusalem" and the longer "Drink from the Same Well". This will make it easier to recognise the connections between the band of today and its folk-progressive roots.

The current phase also includes a new edition of the 1999 album J-Tull Dot Com, announced for August 2026. This does not confirm its songs for Loket, but it shows that, alongside new material, the band is reopening less obvious parts of its discography.

It is worth securing tickets in good time.

A natural amphitheatre that changes the feeling of the concert

Přírodní Amfiteátr Loket is located in a park beside the river, below the castle that dominates the town's historic centre. The venue's first cultural season opened on 2 July 1949 with a performance of Dvořák's opera Rusalka. Since then, the amphitheatre has hosted opera, theatre, film and concert programmes in a variety of genres.

For Jethro Tull, the location is more than just a backdrop. The band's music frequently uses images of forests, stone, rural landscapes and historical layers, so songs such as "Songs From the Wood" or "Bourrée" acquire a different setting beside the river than they would in a sports arena. The castle and natural slope already create powerful scenery.

The amphitheatre accommodates an audience outdoors and in seating shaped by the terrain. This can create a stronger sense of proximity to the performer than a flat festival field, especially from sections with a good view of the stage. At the same time, it is an open-air venue: the temperature after sunset, wind and possible rain directly affect comfort. Clothing and footwear should therefore be adapted to an evening outdoors, and the current rules regarding objects that may be brought inside should be checked before departure.

Getting to Loket and parking

Loket is a historic town in the western part of the Czech Republic, in the Karlovy Vary Region. The old centre is compact, and the amphitheatre is located at the foot of the castle, so the final part of the journey is usually completed on foot. Precisely because of the limited space in the town centre, arriving by car requires somewhat more planning than visiting a hall beside a large parking area.

The town recommends that visitors use the parking areas marked P1-P4 and P7-P9. Parking on the main square, marked as P5, has approximately 20 spaces and is not recommended by the municipal administration because of its limited capacity and high occupancy during the tourist season. For certain cultural events, vehicle access to the square may be restricted to residents and deliveries.

It is practical to arrive earlier, leave enough time to find a space and allow for walking to the amphitheatre. The old centre, narrow streets and larger number of visitors can slow movement immediately before the start. The organisers state a starting time of 20:00, but the opening time of the entrances has not been published in the available information. It should not be assumed that arriving only a few minutes before the beginning will be sufficient.

It is possible to travel from Karlovy Vary to Loket by regional bus or train, after checking the timetable for the date of the concert and the return journey after the evening programme. Karlovy Vary's tourist information lists bus connections from the Dolní nádraží area and a rail option via Chodov. Those travelling by train should know that České dráhy marks Loket station as inaccessible without barriers towards the station building and platforms. Visitors with reduced mobility would be better advised to arrange road transport in advance and separately verify the access conditions for the auditorium.

How to prepare for the evening

The most useful preparation is not trying to predict every song, but understanding the way Jethro Tull constructs a concert. The audience can expect transitions between loud and quiet, between a firm riff and an acoustic detail, and between a short song and a longer progressive development. This is not a performance that relies solely on continuous volume.

Long-standing fans will find it interesting to compare today's arrangements with older versions. Progressive-rock enthusiasts will receive complex structures and changes of metre, while audiences inclined towards folk rock will hear flute, accordion and acoustic guitars. The broader rock audience will connect most easily with the familiar riffs and Ian Anderson's stage presence.

Before departure, it is useful to:

• check the latest timetable and any announcements from the organisers
• plan to arrive early because of parking and the pedestrian approach
• bring protection for the evening weather only in a form permitted by the venue's rules
• check the last bus or train if not staying overnight
• keep the ticket in an easily accessible place for faster entry

Loket is compact enough for the concert to be combined with an earlier tour of the historic centre, a walk beside the Ohře or a visit to the area around the castle. Nevertheless, the schedule should remain relaxed enough to avoid rushing across the town before the start. The most valuable part of this location is precisely the slow transition from the historic town towards the stage beside the river.

Tickets for this event are in demand.

An evening for several generations of audience members

Jethro Tull in Loket is attractive to audiences who have followed the band for decades, as well as to younger listeners of progressive rock. The Curiosity Tour connects early recordings, the great albums of the 1970s and recent releases, with the flute occupying the role played by the lead guitar in many rock bands.

The special character of the date also lies in the return to a stage that the band knows well. A sixth appearance at the amphitheatre speaks of continuity between Jethro Tull and Loket, rather than a random stop on the map. The concert beneath the castle therefore has two parallel layers: a survey of one exceptionally long discography and the continuation of the band's relationship with one of the most striking open-air venues in the Czech Republic.

Sources:
- Jethro Tull - the concept of The Curiosity Tour, the current line-up, information about the album Curious Ruminant and the release J-Tull Dot Com: Another Cast Of The Net
- Město Loket - the concert date and time, information about the band's sixth performance at the amphitheatre and parking instructions
- Information center of the town Loket - the location of the amphitheatre and the history of the venue since its first cultural season in 1949
- At The Barrier and setlist.fm - the repertoire and concert format recorded at performances on The Curiosity Tour during 2026
- Karlovy Vary Official Tourist Website and České dráhy - travel options from Karlovy Vary and information about the accessibility of Loket railway station