Ian Anderson brings 'Bricks' to Mohegan Sun

Gotta love the idea. In 1972, Ian Anderson wrote a Jethro Tull masterwork called "Thick as a Brick" - a conceptual piece based on the ficticious observations of a precocious 12-year-old kid named Gerald Bostock. The album sold millions.

After years discarding the oft-suggested notion, Anderson decided to write "Thick as a Brick 2" - a musical exploration of how young Master Bostock turned out 40 years later in a world few of us could have imagined.

And, yes, to answer your question: the follow-up is actually very good and holds up admirably.

As a precursor to a full-blown Jethro Tull tour, Anderson comes tonight to the Mohegan Sun Arena with a smaller band, and both the original "TAAB" and "TAAB2" will be performed in theatrical entirety. The only thing bad about this is that the expansive program presumably precludes an encore of the band's 45-minute "A Passion Play."

- RICK KOSTER

Ian Anderson, 7:30 tonight, Mohegan Sun Arena; $35; 1-888-664-3426, mohegansun.com.