I sat 7 rows back and dead center as Thompson entered the
stage lights promptly at 8:00 PM. Seated right in the sweet spot where performer
and attendee meet. At some points in my amazed consciousness I met glances with
Thompson only intensifying the effect of the music. The succinct and percussive
introduction of ‘I Misunderstood’ initiated the proceedings. The song
originates from Thompson’s 1991 LP Rumor
and Sigh and was a proper opening to stretch out his vocal chords and energize cold fingers. Different
from its layered studio counterpart, here light shines through the empty spaces leaving
nowhere to hide for song or performer. Thompson stands stoically center stage,
dressed in black and grey denim with guitar and glass of water and trademark beret
planted on top of his head. The sound of the concert is enveloping, like glacier water, a
special type of pristine, Thompson’s guitar notes shimmer through the
collective silence of the theater taking on a tangible form. Thompson mentioned that he was surprised at
the crowd attending the show seeing that it was Saturday night. He revealed that he thought
folks could find something much more ‘positive’ to do than listen to his dark compositions in his typical self-deprecating fashion.
The first ‘movement’ of the concert spotlighted a cross
section of Thompson’s career with every rendition a stunning highlight. The
perfection of Thompson’s playing in addition to his unparalleled songwriting
left the collected crowd in stunned silence for the duration of the two hour
set. A spectrally delicate ‘A Ghost of You Walks’ followed the opener, prepping for the first
stunner of the evening. ‘Valerie’ from 1985’s Daring Adventures came next and left the room breathless. During
the mid-song spotlight Thompson slurred strings, chicken picked and bent
strings like they had been heated. Thompson played showman for a moment hitting on a pleasing lick that
brought a smile across his face and caused his shoe leathers to stomp on the
stage. During the songs peak and the marked scream that leads back to the verse, the
crowd put their hands up for the big roller coaster dip prior to landing in
major applause. Thompson remarked at the songs conclusion, ‘That was easy, the
hard stuff comes later’.
Thompson always likes to throw for lack of a better term, a novelty, or slyly humorous compositions in the midst of his collected dark
sarcasm and shaded honesty. The song, ‘Crocodile Tears’ fits that droll bill as a wry folk song
comparing a jilted lover to that of a reptile. The crowd loved it and chuckled
along to each line as Thompson flashed a grin from the corner of his mouth for
some of the best lyrics.
In total and extreme contrast, one of Thompson’s most beloved songs and in the ‘rock room’s humble opinion one of the finest songs in the annals of music followed with ‘Beeswing’. A classically stunning melody and heart tugging narrative, ‘Beeswing’ when birthed sat unassumingly on Thompson’s 1994 Mirror Blue. Since it has grown into a concert standard, and this evening it was given a crystalline reading, one only to be handled by white gloved hands. Thompson, eyes tightly closed, sang a tale he has told numerous times previous, yet here as important as any ever. Perfection, and as the song concluded Thompson stayed in trance until the last remnants of stringed sound reached the apex of the theater.
In total and extreme contrast, one of Thompson’s most beloved songs and in the ‘rock room’s humble opinion one of the finest songs in the annals of music followed with ‘Beeswing’. A classically stunning melody and heart tugging narrative, ‘Beeswing’ when birthed sat unassumingly on Thompson’s 1994 Mirror Blue. Since it has grown into a concert standard, and this evening it was given a crystalline reading, one only to be handled by white gloved hands. Thompson, eyes tightly closed, sang a tale he has told numerous times previous, yet here as important as any ever. Perfection, and as the song concluded Thompson stayed in trance until the last remnants of stringed sound reached the apex of the theater.
Before I could recover emotionally from what I had just
witnessed, Thompson hit me again with another stratospheric melody and classic
from the deep reaches of his catalog, ‘Walking on a Wire’ from Richard and
Linda Thompson’s final LP, 1982’s Shoot
Out the Lights. This evening the ballad was given a more aggressive edge,
the taught tight rope becoming a silvery knife blade to which Thompson used large strums
and gruff vocals to keep his balance. The concert was climbing into the clouds toward a musical summit that it
would not return from until the final song.
‘Walking the Long Miles Home’ followed and returned the concert attendees
and myself to firmer ground. Richard introduced the song by saying he wished he
had composed it as a youth to help him with the miles he had to traverse to
school as a child. Supported by a delectable and danceable jaunt of
finger picking, the song provided a brief respite from the ‘heavier’ aspects of
Thompson’s performance.
Following a discussion/introduction about Thompson’s former
band mate and friend Sandy Denny, Thompson poured himself into a timeless
tribute to both Denny and his Fairport Convention band mates, with a towering
version of ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’. In contrast to Denny’s original
vocals, Thompson sings with a deep amber, dotted with precious lacy filigrees of
acoustic guitar. Rare is the concert I attend where there is complete silence
by the assembled crowd. This evening there was nary a labored breath or squirm
in the seat. Again, before I could soak in what I witnessed, Thompson throttled into what could be his most famous number, ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’.The crowd yelled its approval as Thompson Travis picked out
the songs well known opening. Speeding through the narrative, cruising around
hairpin musical corners and enunciating each syllable, Thompson played a quintessential
version (which probably happens every night!). When Red Molly finally received the keys to
her lovers Vincent the crowd responded with a standing ovation (which would
happen on more than a few occasions over the evening).
With its reference to dancing on a Saturday night, we were
next treated to a somewhat rare reading of ‘The Night They Tore the Hippodrome
Down’. The tale of an older man who is stunned by the changes to the things
that have dotted and effected his life is the perfect bring down following ‘Vincent’. Here, Thompson shows off his ‘jazz’ chops during the verses and then changes to waltz
time when the protagonist remembers his lost love.
Hot on the ‘Hippodrome’s’ heels follows the high speed ‘Cooksferry
Queen’ which opened RT’s Mock Tudor LP.
Normally a burning electric number, in Harrisburg Thompson blew on collected
woody embers until a blazing hot to the touch acoustic version brought the
house down. Dynamic strumming patterns brought the tune from soft folk to big
brash triplet strums. Richard growled, howled, and stomped his way through this
‘rock room’ favorite! Closing what I referred to as the ‘first movement’ of the
show (prior to RT’s partner joining the proceedings) was the song, ‘If I Could
Live My Life Again’. Now admittedly I am embarrassed to say I am not familiar
with this song. Please feel free to drop the knowledge on me if have info about
this tune. It was introspective and typically wonderful and could be a new song? Hmmm.
It was at this time Richard invited his partner and a
wonderful singer in her own right, Zara Phillips to join him on a series of
songs from Thompson’s more current releases. But before diving into the recent
catalog the duo played a stunning version of the Richard and Linda Thompson
classic, ‘Jet Plane In A Rocking Chair’ from 1975’s Pour Down Like Silver. This was a cut that the ‘rock room’ had
hoped for and I was not disappointed. Zara and Richard’s vocals nestled closely together and their enjoyment was palpable. They soared the friendly melodic skies of the chorus and settled down easy for the verses. A personal concert highlight
for me, because I love the song so much.
Like the entire set list, Thompson was deftly and
successfully maneuvering his way through 50 years of songwriting. He had used a
beloved deep cut to set the stage for this next collection of his current work while also
letting Zara lend her welcome voice to the proceedings. ‘Dry My Tears and Move On’
was a welcome appearance and a second song from 1999’s Mock
Tudor. Played with a gentle back porch sway and delicate resignation, Zara
joined on the repeated title lyric lending the track an early rock and roll doo-wop feel. The main body of the concert then concluded properly with the trifecta of
‘The Storm Won’t Come’, The Rattle Within’, and ‘My Enemy’ all hailing from
Thompson’s most current album, 2018’s 13
Rivers.
It’s a testament to Thompson’s longevity and talent that
these following three songs were in my opinion as strong as the compositions
covering the 50 years previous. While 'The Storm Won't Come' was better in my opinion than the studio reading, ‘The Rattle Within’ was particularly menacing
with a deep musical warning and daring self-analysis. Containing an undulating
primal thump the song chugged aggressively under Thompson’s percussive vocal
lines.
The crowd reacted rapturously as ‘My Enemy’ concluded and Thompson quickly waved to the darkened venue before heading off stage. The expected encore followed the anticipatory silence as Thompson returned solo and coaxed out the introductory
notes to ‘Persuasion’. What a deft choice for an excited crowd I thought. Master of the stage. The song was
composed by Thompson and Tim Finn and was used as an instrumental in the film Street Walker. Later, Richard recorded a
version with his son Teddy who appeared on vocals. Tonight, Richard stands alone
and plays a chill inducing and flawless version.
Keeping the vibe mellow and the emotion serious Thompson
then sings the introduction to ‘Dimming of the Day’. Covered by a plethora of
artists including David Gilmour and Bonnie Raitt, ‘Dimming’ is one of those
special songs that defies description’ its music box picking and sensual verses
expressing the deep internal longing we feel for those we love. In typical
fashion Thompson, disseminates human emotion in ways not yet figured by ‘normal’
artists. Seated at the show, the melody drew tears from my eyes and unfurled
the strings of my heart. Stunning.
Following the introspective portion of the encore Thompson
returned to the stage with Zara to send us on our way appropriately for a
Saturday evening. The somewhat expected ‘I Want to See the Bright Lights
Tonight’ comes first with the crowd mouthing the words of the Richard and Linda
classic and clapping to RT’s syncopated and celebratory riffing. Then for a
proper surprise, Thompson then gifts the crowd with a yet to be unreleased song
(hopefully from an upcoming LP) called ‘When the Saints Rise out of Their
Graves’. The high tempo track was a unique but typical Thompson commentary on
our current times (both politically and personally) with the lyrics flying buy
in teletype fashion. Both Zara and Richard moved around the stage joyously as
the song reached a rolling conclusion.
And…..just like that it was over. Two hours of the most soul
inspiring, intellectually stimulating and musically stunning concert
experiences I have ever had in over 300 concerts. I cannot believe it took me
so long to experience the live magic that is Richard Thompson. The performance
left me wanting more and I cannot wait to go again. A purer and more honest
evening of diverse musical alchemy will be hard to
find. In addition, its a pleasure to witness a spectacular fifty year career that seems to just be hitting yet another peak, don’t
miss it.
Richard Thompson Acoustic Classics
RT Live In Studio 13 Rivers Songs
Richard Thompson Acoustic Classics
RT Live In Studio 13 Rivers Songs