I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: January 18, 2020] Richard Thompson

After seeing Richard Thompson back in 2016 (three times in a short span) I decided I could take a break from seeing him a bit.  Although when he announced an electric trio tour I was really excited to check it out.  Sadly, I couldn’t make that show.  But when he announced another show at McCarter (I believe his 20th show there?) I figured it had been four years and was time to see him again.

This was my tenth time seeing Richard Thompson (first time in 1997).  I tend to focus a lot on the songs that Richard plays at every show.  I’m sure I’ve seen “Beeswing” and “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” ten times.  But in this set he played 13 songs that I hadn’t seen in at least the previous two shows and that’s pretty awesome.

We had some amazing seats (center stage about eight rows back) and we could see his fretwork absolutely clearly.

It’s funny to look back and see that he opened the set exactly the same way he did at the same venue four years earlier.

The first two songs, “The Sun Never Shines on the Poor,” and “The Ghost of You Walks” are slow and pretty (S. told me that she really liked “Ghost.”).  He joked that it was  pretty depressing way to start the show so he was going to play something more upbeat.  Well, it was still depressing, but it was faster.  I do love hearing him play “Valerie” a scorching rocker which had a nice long guitar solo.

I really need to see him playing the electric guitar again.  He plays amazing solos on the acoustic, but he gets really carried away on the electric.

Up next was the first song I didn’t know.  I assume “Crocodile Tears” is a new song.  It was a funny twisted breakup song, the kind he does so well.

Then it was the beautiful “Beeswing.”  We were surprised it came so early.  But I was thrilled to be sitting where I was to really watch him play.  I never realized that he is playing the low note with his thumb while he is playing the high soloing notes with basically his first and second fingers plucking the strings all while his left hand is all over the fretboard.

“Walking on a Wire” is a favorite song from the Richard & Linda Thompson days.  He followed it with another walking song, “Walking the Long Miles Home.”  This comes from Mock Tudor, possibly my favorite album from him, and I just love this song.  I love the way the bass notes sound just like someone walking–perfect pacing.  He told us that this song was about when he was young and his family moved to the suburbs.  If he went to a show, maybe to see The Who, if he missed the last bus (which was worth it to see Pete smash his guitar) he would have to walk the 13 miles home.

After two walking songs, he sang one about another mode of transportation, the never-get-tired-of-it-honestly “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.”  He returned to Tudor for “Cooksferry Queen” (I would love to hear him play this whole album).

Then he dedicated a song to Sandy Denny and played “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” the Fairport Convention song that she sang so beautifully all those years ago.

Up next was another song from Tudor, “Hope You Like the New Me.”  It’s the last song on the record and I actually don’t know it a well as the others, I’m embarrassed to say.

Then someone politely asked if we were going to meet on the ledge.  Richard joked, I don’t know, are we?  He then proceeded to play this song which was wonderful to hear.  He told us that he wrote the song when he was 19 and it was a bit of juvenalia that he didn’t mind singing still.

Up next was perhaps another new song, “If I could Live My Life Again.”  Then he called up a woman on stage.  Her name was Zara Phillips.  I don’t know anything about her (although she sang backing vocals on his last album 13 Rivers).  She sang backing vocals and duets on the next few songs, two of which were from Rivers.

But first was a Richard & Linda song. “Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair” is one that I didn’t recognize but it was beautiful.  It comes from Pour Down Like Silver and it was great to hear one of the lesser-played Richard & Linda songs.

Then came a plug for his new album (there was a merch table which I totally missed–wonder if he was selling anything interesting).  He and Zara sang “The Storm Won’t Come” a great song that should have gotten more airplay.

Up next was “She Never Could Resit a Winding Road” a beautiful song from his 2015 album Still which I can’t believe I hadn’t heard live during three shows in 2016.

Then it was back to the new album for the terrifically nasty sounding “Rattle Within.”  They ended the set with the beautifully mournful “My Enemy” from his 2013 album Electric.

He left for an encore break and came back to play “Persuasion” which always sounds amazing and then tied back to the Pour Down Like Sugar album by playing “The Dimming of the Day” which I haven’t head him play for probably a decade.

He came back for a second encore (if he leaves his guitar on stage it means he’s coming back) and brought Zara with him.  They ended the show with two more songs.  First was the terrific Richard & Linda showcase “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” which she sounded great on.  And they ended the show with a song that he said nobody knew.  Well, he and Zara knew it a little, just enough to be able to play it.

The song was a stomper called “When the Saints Rise Out of Their Graves.”  It seemed like Zara was trying to get people to clap along but I’m not sure that anyone did.  It’s not clear that a Richard Thompson crowd is full of clappers, actually.

After a four year absence it was to see Richard again.  Amazingly he’s playing a whole lot of shows in this area.  I could easily see him about five times without travelling all that far.  But since most of his tours are more or less the same setlist, I won’t bother.

It sounds like he’s working on new material and he is due for a new album next year.  So when he comes back around with new material (and hopefully an electric guitar) I will be there once again.

 

January 18, 2020 McCarter	October 9, 2016 Sellersville
The Sun Never Shines on the Poor [Richard & Linda song]	When the Spell is Broken
The Ghost of You Walks	Walking on a Wire [Richard & Linda song]
Valerie	Josephine
Crocodile Tears	Valerie
Beeswing	Beatnik Walking
Walking on a Wire  [Richard & Linda song]	1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Walking the Long Miles Home	Dry My Tears and Move On
1952 Vincent Black Lightning	I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight [Richard & Linda song]
Cooksferry Queen	Who Knows Where the Time Goes? [Fairport Convention song]
Who Knows Where the Time Goes? [Fairport Convention song]	Good Things Happen to Bad People
Hope You Like the New Me	Hots for the Smarts
Meet on the Ledge [Fairport Convention song]	Wall of Death
If I Could Live My Life Again	Woods of Darney
Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair [Richard & Linda song]*	Fergus Laing
The Storm Won’t Come*	I Misunderstood
She Never Could Resist a Winding Road*	encore
The Rattle Within*	Persuasion
My Enemy*	Read About Love
encore	encore 2
Persuasion	Beeswing
Dimming of the Day  [Richard & Linda song]
encore 2
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight [Richard & Linda song]*
When the Saints Rise Out of Their Graves*

• with Zara Phillips on backing vocals

June 4, 2016 Mann Center (opening for Wilco)	February 9, 2016 McCarter
When the Spell Is Broken	The Sun Never Shines on the Poor [Richard & Linda song]
The Ghost of You Walks	The Ghost of You Walks
Valerie	Valerie
Dry My Tears and Move On	Josephine
1952 Vincent Black Lightning	Johnny’s Far Away
Walking on a Wire	Beatnik Walking
Persuasion	1952 Vincent Black Lightning
One Door Opens	Dry My Tears and Move On
I Misunderstood	I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight [Richard & Linda song]
	Genesis Hall [Fairport Convention song]
	Good Things Happen to Bad People
	Woods of Darney
	Read About Love
	Persuasion
	Fergus Laing
	Wall of Death [Richard & Linda song]
	I Misunderstood
	encore
	Beeswing
	encore 2
	Down Where the Drunkards Roll [Richard & Linda song]
	One Door Opens
	Shoot Out the Lights [Richard & Linda song]

 

October 4, 2013 McCarter [with Teddy Thompson tour]**	February 17, 2012 McCarter**
One Door Opens	A Man in Need
Hope You Like the New Me	Sally B
Valerie	Haul Me Up
Saving the Good Stuff for You	Hard on Me
Johnny’s Far Away	Good Things Happen to Bad People
Pharaoh	Easy There, Steady Now
1952 Vincent Black Lightning	Al Bowlly’s in Heaven
Sunset Song	I’ll Never Give It Up
Good Things Happen to Bad People	Did She Jump or Was She Pushed?
Walking on a Wire [Richard & Linda song]	Sidney Wells
Hamlet (Dog Eat Dog in Denmark)	Dry My Tears and Move On
Genesis Hall [Fairport Convention song]	She Twists the Knife Again
Beeswing	If Love Whispers Your Name
Crawl Back (Under My Stone)	encore
My Enemy	1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Wall of Death [Richard & Linda song]	Little Sally Rackett
Down Where the Drunkards Roll [Richard & Linda song]	Demons in Her Dancing Shoes
I Feel So Good
encore
Persuasion [with Teddy Thompson]
The Price of Love [with Teddy Thompson]
encore 2
Grey Funnel Love [with Teddy Thompson]

** set list approximated from shows near our show.

November 3, 2004 McCarter [1,000 years of music tour] **	April 20, 2001 Town Hall (NYC)**
Sumer is Icumen In	Crawl Back (Under My Stone)
King Henry Fifth”s Conquest of France	When the Spell Is Broken
So Ben Mi Ch’a Bon Tempo	Don’t Let a Thief Steal Into Your Heart [Richard & Linda song]
Bonnie St. Johnstone	King of Bohemia
O Sleep, Fond Fancy	Turning of the Tide
Dido’s Lament	Walking on a Wire [Richard & Linda song]
Remember O Thou Man	I Misunderstood
Shenandoah	My Daddy Is a Mummy
Blackleg Miner	Dry My Tears and Move On
Trafalgar Square	1952 Vincent Black Lightning
There Is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast	Why Must I Plead
The Sally Gardens	I Feel So Good
Java Jive	The Ghost of You Walks
Night and Day	I Agree with Pat Metheny
London Pride	Persuasion
Orange Colored Sky	Beeswing
Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee	Uninhabited Man
A-11	Valerie
See My Friends	encore
Friday on My Mind (The Kinks cover)	Bathsheba Smiles
Tempted (Squeeze cover)	Al Bowlly’s in Heaven
Kiss (Prince cover)	Cooksferry Queen
Oops!… I Did It Again / Marry, Ageyn Hic Hev Donne Yt	encore 2
encore	Word Unspoken Sight Unseen
I Am a Man in Prison	Dimming of the Day  [Richard & Linda song]
Money, Money, Money (Abba cover)
It Won’t Be Long (The Beatles cover)
encore 2
Sam Hall
Cry Me A River
1985

** set list approximated from shows near our show.

April 17, 1998 Harborlights (Boston) Thompson/Bruce Cockburn/Dar Williams **	June 15, 1997 (Guinness Fleadh)
Turning of the Tide	Turning of the Tide
Bathsheba Smiles	The Ghost of You Walks
How Will I Ever Be Simple Again	I Feel So Good
I Feel So Good	From Galway to Graceland
The Ghost of You Walks	1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Story of Hamlet [Frank Loesser cover]	Lotteryland
1952 Vincent Black Lightning	Razor Dance
Pharoah	Beeswing
Keep Your Distance	Story of Hamlet [Frank Loesser cover]
Walking on a Wire	Wall of Death [Richard & Linda song]
Beeswing	Dimming of the Day [Richard & Linda song]
Two Left Feet or Jimmy Shands	encore
If You Don’t Want Me	Keep That Wheel A-Turnin’

** set list approximated from shows near our show.