With over 50 years of live performances behind him, multi-instrumentalist and singer Ian Anderson has experienced moments of sheer bliss on stage, and he admits, a couple of instances that have turned his stomach. "Fortunately, the number of bad shows Jethro Tull played are actually quite few in comparison to the enormous amount of great shows we performed over the decades," he says. "For that reason, coming up with one gig that's 'the best' is somewhat difficult."

Speaking to Music Aficionado, Anderson did single out one show from 1991 that stands out as an especially gratifying night (in more ways than one), and he had no trouble at all recalling one of his worst gigs, which took place in 1976 at New York's Shea Stadium. "For some strange reason, the range of awful experiences is relatively easy to recollect," he remarks. "And in the case of Shea Stadium, it's something I would really like to forget but can't."

The Best

"Probably from a historical standpoint and given the circumstances, my best show was in 1991, when Jethro Tull played at an ancient Greek amphitheater in Ephesus, Turkey. It's a crumbling, enormous amphitheater where Saint Paul famously tried to preach. It's a venue that seats about 25,000 people, so it's bigger than Madison Square Garden.

"They didn't hold many concerts there. They had some classical concerts here and there and a few gentle affairs, but we were the first rock band to play at Ephesus. And we were almost the last—I think it was after Elton John or the Police that they discovered that the bass frequencies from the PA systems were causing the stones to shake, causing damage to the already crumbly seats.

"But it was a magnificent place to play, and it was a very memorable event. It was an unusual venue and the place was sold out, and we had a fantastic crowd. I remember coming off the stage and thinking, 'At least we had a better night than poor old Paul,' 'cause he apparently got booed off stage. No one was interested in hearing him preach about the Christ.

"It was a magnificent view from the stage. There was a vast sea of people, and there were also the ruins of Ephesus surrounding us. It was a real assortment of incredible archeological works. All in all, it was quite a sight. Also, one could look up the short skirts of all the young Turkish girls in the audience. [Laughs] The way that the seating was angled offered those of us on stage the odd flash of panty. Of course, I had lights on my face and I had to concentrate on performing. I think our drummer had a better view of things. Drummers usually have a better vantage point to try to get a demographic account of the audience."

The Worst

"This is the one show that's memorable for the wrong reasons. Jethro Tull played Shea Stadium in New York in 1976, and of course, that's quite an achievement for any band. The Beatles were the first group to perform there 10 years before. A couple of other bands had played there, but it wasn't a common venue for music by any means.

"This became apparent to us very quickly when we discovered that the field was under the flight path for LaGuardia Airport. Consequently, it was very difficult to hear ourselves play. Every few minutes, various jets were coming in and taking off overhead, and the sound of their engines fed into the microphones and went out over the PA system. From a technical standpoint, it was a bit of a mess.

"Worse than that is what happened right before we took the stage. The band was in an area below the seating commonly referred to as the 'dugout.' So while we were in there waiting to go, members of the audience were high above us looking down. Suddenly, right as I was about to walk out, I was hit by a shower of what I at first thought was warm beer. It was all over me—my head, my hair, my clothes and my flute. I was completely doused.

"I didn't even have time to try to get cleaned up—we had to get on stage. So we went out and started playing, and it was during the first number that I realized this wasn't beer all over me… It was somebody's urine! Somebody had peed into a pitcher—I'm assuming it was a man, although I guess a woman could have done so, as well—and they just dumped it downward, and onto me it fell.

"So there I am, completely reeking of pee. Not being into golden showers, this was quite a rude awakening for me. I think eventually somebody did hand me a towel, but there was no way to get completely clean. It was disgusting. Mind you, I had been hit by various things flung by fans over the years—you play enough shows and you're amazed by all the crazy items people toss around. Once I was even hit in the chest by a used tampon, which wasn't very nice.

"But the Shea Stadium show stands out as the worst experience, by far. Some people might say, 'Hey, you played Shea Stadium—what a tremendous memory that must be.' And unfortunately, I can only think back to being covered in urine. It's not something I like to recall, to be quite honest."