Post by Shutter Girl on Mar 4, 2007 16:25:25 GMT -5
When you agree to attend a Richard Thompson performance you’re setting yourself up for a rollercoaster ride of raw talent, emotion and awe. You know it’s coming but no matter what you do you’re still surprised when the moment of clarity hits you like a ton of bricks: You don’t know how he does it but Mr. Thompson can capture your attention like no other, weaving his often heart-wrenching lyrics with a searing performance on guitar.
This evening RT mixed some old classics with a couple of new tunes off of his upcoming Sweet Warrior album. Folk songsters have a long history of performing socially intriguing songs and RT is no exception. Dad’s Gonna Kill Me (an MP3 on his site, check it out!) is a soldier’s relation of life for him in Bagdad. Its lyrics won claps from the crowd and he explained that the song could not only be found on his website but also on the site of political activist Arianna Huffington.
Almost no one in the biz can sing songs of angst and heartache like Richard Thompson, it’s as though he has a special pair of glasses that can see inside your soul. He somehow is able to put emotions into words and sing about things and you didn’t even realize you felt. Among the beauties tonight were Walking on a Wire, Crawl Back, Persuasion, How Will I Ever Be Simple Again, Misunderstood and Wall of Death. The story of James and Red Molly and his fine motor bike in 1952 Vincent Black Lightning put a tear in my eye and made the woman next to me sob. The insecure man who rummages through his woman’s drawers for pictures of her former lovers in Cold Kisses gave me chills down my spine. And his drowning in a river of tears for his lost love in the Dimming of the Day made me thankful to have my man by my side.
But not all is doom and gloom in RT’s musical world! We were lucky enough to hear one of my favorite tributes to brainy females, Hots for the Smarts. I mean, what other songs do you know that compliment a lady with plutonium stains on her dress? 2 Left Feet, now there’s a song written for me! Cooksferry Queen and I Feel So Good rounded out the fun feel to the evening. RT also paid tribute to his roots when he shouted out for suggestions for songs to honor the 40th anniversary of Fairport Convention. He mentioned that he played with Fairport there in Kent a few weeks after the Kent State shootings and made a joke that no one came to the show. That wasn’t the case this evening of course…Matty Groves was the song of choice and RT sang it with heartfelt feeling and showed it the respect it deserved. He also honored folk legend Eric von Schmidt by performing one of his classic songs. And we were also treated by an Italian dance number from the 1600s called So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo. Talk about diversity in a show, where else can you go to get all of this, witty repartee and a great performance to boot?
All in all it was a wonderful evening! RT never manages to disappoint, he’s a pleasure both to hear and to watch. He’s a master at the acoustic guitar and the worn wood where his arm rests lets us know that his instrument is an extension of himself. His style of finger picking is like no other, it’s brilliant to see and keeps you thinking, “How does he do that?” The man next to me said it best: “I’m going home and I’m going to sell my guitar.” You’ve said a mouthful, brother.
It was a wonderful evening, made even better by the fact that the day before was my birthday and that he ended on one of my favorite songs. Thank you for the evening and the Beeswing, Richard, you've given me a memory not soon to be forgotten.
This evening RT mixed some old classics with a couple of new tunes off of his upcoming Sweet Warrior album. Folk songsters have a long history of performing socially intriguing songs and RT is no exception. Dad’s Gonna Kill Me (an MP3 on his site, check it out!) is a soldier’s relation of life for him in Bagdad. Its lyrics won claps from the crowd and he explained that the song could not only be found on his website but also on the site of political activist Arianna Huffington.
Almost no one in the biz can sing songs of angst and heartache like Richard Thompson, it’s as though he has a special pair of glasses that can see inside your soul. He somehow is able to put emotions into words and sing about things and you didn’t even realize you felt. Among the beauties tonight were Walking on a Wire, Crawl Back, Persuasion, How Will I Ever Be Simple Again, Misunderstood and Wall of Death. The story of James and Red Molly and his fine motor bike in 1952 Vincent Black Lightning put a tear in my eye and made the woman next to me sob. The insecure man who rummages through his woman’s drawers for pictures of her former lovers in Cold Kisses gave me chills down my spine. And his drowning in a river of tears for his lost love in the Dimming of the Day made me thankful to have my man by my side.
But not all is doom and gloom in RT’s musical world! We were lucky enough to hear one of my favorite tributes to brainy females, Hots for the Smarts. I mean, what other songs do you know that compliment a lady with plutonium stains on her dress? 2 Left Feet, now there’s a song written for me! Cooksferry Queen and I Feel So Good rounded out the fun feel to the evening. RT also paid tribute to his roots when he shouted out for suggestions for songs to honor the 40th anniversary of Fairport Convention. He mentioned that he played with Fairport there in Kent a few weeks after the Kent State shootings and made a joke that no one came to the show. That wasn’t the case this evening of course…Matty Groves was the song of choice and RT sang it with heartfelt feeling and showed it the respect it deserved. He also honored folk legend Eric von Schmidt by performing one of his classic songs. And we were also treated by an Italian dance number from the 1600s called So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo. Talk about diversity in a show, where else can you go to get all of this, witty repartee and a great performance to boot?
All in all it was a wonderful evening! RT never manages to disappoint, he’s a pleasure both to hear and to watch. He’s a master at the acoustic guitar and the worn wood where his arm rests lets us know that his instrument is an extension of himself. His style of finger picking is like no other, it’s brilliant to see and keeps you thinking, “How does he do that?” The man next to me said it best: “I’m going home and I’m going to sell my guitar.” You’ve said a mouthful, brother.
It was a wonderful evening, made even better by the fact that the day before was my birthday and that he ended on one of my favorite songs. Thank you for the evening and the Beeswing, Richard, you've given me a memory not soon to be forgotten.