I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: February 9, 2016] Richard Thompson at the McCarter Theatre

This was my fourth time seeing Richard Thompson at McCarter Theatre (he says it was his 492nd time playing there).  And this time, I got my tickets early and scored ROW G!  Right in the center!

So there was the man just six rows away.  And I got to watch every amazing solos and chord changes and capo placements and tuning (that’s why I can’t play his songs) and everything else he could do with that one guitar.

For indeed, that’s what it was, just him and his acoustic guitar.  Standing in front of us for 2 hours and blowing us away.  When I bought the tickets, he was touring with a trio (last summer), so I assumed that this show would be the trio show.  But nope, it was just him.

And, more amazingly, he played with no opening act!  The night before he was at the Sellersville Theater (which sold out before I found out and although they called me about the waiting list, it was about 2 hours before show time, so there’s no way I could have gone) and had an opening act.  And the next show after this one he had a different opening act.  But we got just Richard (and we were home by 10, which is pretty awesome for us old people).

I don’t think I appreciated last time about how wonderfully he manages his setlist.  There’s fast songs and slow songs.  Songs to wake you up and songs to mellow you out.  Funny songs and sad songs.  Sing-alongs and you-can-hear-a-pin-drop ballads.

He started out with a song I didn’t know, an old song he did with Linda Thompson.  And then moved into the beautiful “The Ghost of You Walks.”  Then he played a rocking version of “Valerie.”  I love watching him play this song.  The solo is incredibly long and as Sarah said, “why does it sounds like two people are playing?”  I don’t know how he does it–he keeps rhythm in the low strings and then solo picks the high strings.

He didn’t play that many songs from the new album (which is a bit of a bummer, but when you have been making, as he counted, music for six decades there’s a lot to choose from…).  He said that “Josephine” was the saddest song on the new album.  And then he thanked us, his fans for actually buying CDs, because his new record, Still, made the top ten and for one week he was ahead of Taylor Swift!

After the mellow song he did the fun “Johnny’s Far Away” a cool sing-along sea-shanty.  He imagined that all of the people in Princeton would get together after work to sing sea shanties.  And if not, why not?

He introduced the newish single “Beatnik Walking” by saying that it was not a deep song.  It’s just about him walking around Amsterdam.  He said it makes Taylor Swift look like George Bernard Shaw–well not physically, obviously.  He also told us that George Bernard Shaw had a rotating shed which he wrote in (he would rotate it to follow the sun all day long)–see photo at the bottom of the post.

Then a beautiful version of “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” (with such great soloing on an acoustic guitar).  Introduced as a love triangle between boy, girl and octopus–no, that’s something else–uh, bike.

Despite how close I was I couldn’t get many good photos of his face (the lights were too bright–how do you compensate for that with a phone?).  But I did get lots of great shots of his guitar.

He played “Dry My Tears and Move On,” a song I had in my head all day, so that was cool.  And then a great version of “I want to See the Bright Lights Tonight.”

He always play a Fairport Convention song and this time it was “Genesis Hall,” which I knew but knew nothing about–it a good political song.  He said that Fairport is still touring and they are on their 900th band member.  I was happy he played “Good Things Happen” (Sarah’s favorite song, so she was happy too).

He played “Woods of Darney,” which is from the first album of his that I ever bought (and had signed) You Me Us? although I didn’t recognize it (it’s on the second disc, which I play less).  It was pretty intense song about a solider in WWII, and when it was over the guy next to us said, “woah.”

There was a fun version of “Read About Love” (about dirty magazines), and then a beautiful version of “Persuasion.”

I was so excited that he played “Wall of Death,” one of my favorite of his older songs, because I was so close I got to see everything his hands were doing (capo 6!)

For “Fergus Laing,” (a bonus song on Still) he introduced it by saying it was about a rich businessman who has been building golf courses all over Scotland. They are trying to get him banned from Britain.  I didn’t know who he was talking about at first until he said he cant say his name or he’d have him killed.  But he did just start going into politics.  He added an extra verse just to address this fascinating turn of events.  It was hilarious.

He ended the first set with “I Misunderstood” a song that I often have running through my head.  It was such a satisfying closer.

For the encore, he asked what people wanted to hear and everyone shouted at once.  He said he didn’t hear anything and someone quickly got in “Beeswing.”  Which he played beautifully and then left again.

Only to come back for encore number 2–three songs this time!  The mellow sing along “Down Where the Drunkards Roll,” then a fun version of “One Door Opens” from The Old Kit Bag.  But I knew he’d have to end with a bigger song.  And he played a killer version (with s super log solo) of “Shoot Out the Lights.”

Outstanding as always!

For some reasons Richard’s setlists are never added on Setlist.com.  I had to start the thread, but i didn’t write things down.  Someone finished it for me, and I believe it is correct.  The previous shows aren’t even listed on setlist.  But for my 2012 post, someone commented with the setlist from that night.  Although I read what I wrote about the show and realized that person left some things out.  So, between the two of us I cobbled a comparison setlist.  Repeats are bold.

February 9, 2016	February 17, 2012
[this space left blank by accident]	She Twists the Knife Again
The Sun Never Shines on the Poor	Easy There Steady Now?
The Ghost of You Walks	Good Things Happen to Bad People
Valerie	Johnny’s Far Away
Josephine	Valerie
Johnny’s Far Away	Oops I Did It Again
Beatnik Walking	Stumble On
1952 Vincent Black Lightning	1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Dry My Tears and Move On	Sunset Song
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight	Saving The Good Stuff For You
Genesis Hall	Pharaoh
Good Things Happen to Bad People	Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Woods of Darney	Hamlet (Dog Eat Dog in Denmark)
Read About Love	My Enemy
Persuasion	Shoot Out the Lights
Fergus Laing	If Love Whispers Your Name
Wall of Death	Crawl Back
I Misunderstood	Hot for the Smarts
encore	encore
Beeswing	Walking on a Wire
encore 2	Down Where the Drunkards Roll
Down Where the Drunkards Roll	Persuasion
One Door Opens	Feel So Good
Shoot Out the Lights	Beeswing
	encore 2
	Sydney Wells
	Dimming of the Day