Richard Thompson Band Tour

[ronnie]

What a brilliant gig in Glasgow last night!

The band are on great form and were on stage for 2 hours 15 minutes.

The set was pretty much the same as Cropredy, plus Sunset Song, Mr Stupid, VBL1952, Persuasion and a few others. Highlights included a disguised intro to Bright Lights, unbelievable soloing on Hard on Me, finishing on a high with fantastic guitar work on Tear Stained Letter.

The band were restricted to fairly short solos but their quality was well evident. Michael Jerome was really inventive with that minimal kit. Pete Zorn is great to watch, a really enthusiastic performer. Danny Thompson was fairly restrained by his standards. I love watching his face when he’s soloing, he’s really funny!

I’m sorry to report the first signs of dementia setting in. He managed the first 2 verses of VBL and then did a long solo looking rather confused and eventually asked the folk down the front where he’d got to. He then continued with a long solo and (I think) quickly ran through the words in his head before picking up again at the right point.

I’m continually amazed at Richard’s playing. The solos are really inventive, his range of styles from straight fingerpicking on VBL to his cool jazz phrasing on Al Bowly and some real thrashing on Hard on Me makes for a fascinating lesson on playing guitar.

Keep the reviews coming for the rest of the tour. I’m keen to heart how it progresses

ronnie

[Staffan]

What a brilliant gig in Glasgow last night!




I’m sorry to report the first signs of dementia setting in. He managed the first 2 verses of VBL and then did a long solo looking rather confused and eventually asked the folk down the front where he’d got to. He then continued with a long solo and (I think) quickly ran through the words in his head before picking up again at the right point.



ronnie

Not Amnesia, then?  

[GS (Graham)]

Not Amnesia, then?

That's just a rumor (sigh!)  

Moving along swiftly - the gig in Glasgow was brilliant & the venue, with everyone standing, was great.  Richard's playing & singing just get better & better.  The whole band is great.  Special mention, though, for Michael Jerome - first time I've seen him in the flesh & what a player he is.  Absolutely spot on.

The new songs from Sweet Warrior are coming across even better in a live setting as they've been played in over a few months.  

If you get a chance to see the RT Band on this tour go - you won't regret it.

[ronnie]

Review from the (Glasgow) Herald

Never mind the occasional senior moments that cause conferences with fans on how the third verse of one of his own classic songs starts or the name of his third last album, Richard Thompson's music is as vital as it's ever been and actually seems to be growing stronger. It is not just that the opening salvo of songs, from Thompson's latest album, Sweet Warrior, began proceedings brimming with confidence but also the sheer brio and muscular purpose that Thompson brought to the golden oldies section defied his typically self-depracating description of it as "the hit".

He's helped, of course, by a band of trusty accomplices who can morph from the tough rockin' that now guides the previously jaunty Bright Lights into a fair approximation of a 1940s jazz band, complete with solos all round, on the swinging nostalgia of Al Bowlly's in Heaven. Later, they'll switch with similar ease from the Middle Eastern vibe of One Door Opens to Hebridean folk-rockers on The Mingulay Boat Song. The last named sounds such a part of Thompson's musical DNA that he almost didn't need to mention that his granny used to sing it to him.

Three things above all, though, speak for Thompson's rude artistic health. There's the acute observation of new songs such as Dad's Gonna Kill Me, sung from a GI in Iraq's point of view, and the absolute command - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning's third verse apart - of his voice and acoustic guitar spot. And lastly, there's his electric guitar playing, idiosyncratic, a living amalgam of blues, modes, bagpipes, rockabilly and pedal steel and, on Hard on Me, truly epic.

[ronnie]

and the Scotsman

IF RICHARD Thompson is assigned to any genre, it tends to be somewhere under the broad umbrella of folk. His pedigree in rock, though, is at least as long and distinguished - leading all the way back to Fairport Convention's debut gig in 1967, and all the way up to his latest release, Sweet Warrior. As on the album, the live versions of the new songs featured him mostly on electric guitar, and he was joined onstage by double bass legend Danny Thompson, multi-instrumentalist Pete Zorn and drummer Michael Jerome.

With Zorn on mandolin, the spiky, country-rock opener Needle and Thread recalled Steve Earle's Copperhead Road, and was followed by the sharply splenetic Bad Monkey, a vintage Thompson vignette of a destructive relationship. The rock template thus established, things continued largely in that vein, the force of the onslaught tempered by some of the classiest playing in the business, with the two Thompsons inspiring each other to breathtaking heights.

Standouts from Sweet Warrior included Dad's Gonna Kill Me, written in the voice of a US soldier in Iraq, and the cautionary ballad Take Care of the Road You Choose. The latter, together with a solo-acoustic interlude of back-catalogue favourites, represented scant mellow contrast to the all-out assault, which after two hours came to feel relentless.

[Em]

Have to agree it was a fabulous gig. The venue was great - i'd never been in the old fruitmarket before, and found it a lovely setting. Diana Jones provided a good support act and had it not been a choice between her cd and sweet warrior, i most certainly would have bought it. That said though, i do feel she was better live than the recorded snippets i've heard on her website.

RT and band played a wonderful set. They started off on the new stuff (a lot of which i hadn't heard before) and then moved onto the crowd pleasers. It was nice to see him listening to the audience and taking on board their suggestions - Persuasion was only played because someone requested it and because it was a request, no one minded when he forgot the words to VBL. The rest of the band were as fabulous as usual, with some fantastic solos coming from all over them. I really enjoyed seeing Michael Jerome with them - he looked so happy for the entire set and was just brimming over with enthusiasm.

Other highlights for me were the solos in Al Bowlly, Sunset Song (which again i'd never heard before, but thought was spectacular) and Pete Zorn with his bass flute (which is an instrument i've loved and wanted since about the age of six.) I was with my dad, and he certainly enjoyed it just as much as me, if not more as he had never heard any of the new stuff before.

I'd quite happily watch it all over again if i could!

[Chris]

Saw the gig in the Roundhouse last night - all I can do is to echo the sentiments above - these guys are on fire!
Second helping in Birmingham tomorrow....

[Breezestar]

Managed to book the Liverpool gig next fri, looking forward too it now (not that I wasn't before )

[Snowy Owl]

I happen to have a spare ticket for the Birmingham gig tonight - any one interested? It's in the front stalls and the cost is the face value of £25.00.

[Professor Bob]

Saw him at Bristol last night. Great. I think the 6 tracks from the new album (I think it was six) stood up really well. I also loved Hard On Me, what great solo work, ten minutes of pure joy. And of course the "classics" wall of death, VBL, Al B, bright lights, tear stained letter. Just fantastic and yes the whole band seemed to be really enjoying themselves and that communicates itself to the audience and makes all the difference in my view.

The "Bone through her nose" track, just before the encores, not sure of exact title, was a new one on me but great playing from Pete Zorn on that.

Great fun

[Ollie]

Should this thread be changed to the one above?

[Chris]

Good idea, batman!

[Bryan]

Saw the gig in the Roundhouse last night - all I can do is to echo the sentiments above - these guys are on fire!
Second helping in Birmingham tomorrow....

Yes Yes Yes Chris absolutely agree a blistering set at the Roundhouse. A couple of songs I haven't
seen mentioned which were favorites of mine were 'I Still Dream' from Amnesia and a great Sandy
tribute in the acoustic section with WKWTTG. I'm still a bit hoarse from singing Tear Stained Letter
to end it. Anyone still with a chance to go just don't miss it.

[simon frisby]

Thanks to the generosity of the Metro newspaper i have won two tickets to see RT in Brum tonight. As my better half is full of cold and doesnt want to go, any one out there who wants a free ticket for tonights concert. First come first serve.

[simon frisby]

gone

[Chris]

So who did you take? How about a review?

Bloody good show, possibly better than London! Wish it had been another standing show though - dancing is difficult in those seats!

btw - the band are in London today filming for a future Jools Holland 'Later with....' show!

[davidmjs]

A recording of the Bristol show (sans final 4 songs - seemingly same setlist as night before) is now up at Dime..

[Delfini (Diane)]

Anyone going to Cambridge on Thursday???

[Angela]

No, but we are going to Basingstoke tomorrow as a birthday surprise for Dennis, so if anyone else is going hope to see you there.  

[Shane (Skirky)]

Jools Holland - LATER.
4 main acts including the Richard Thompson Band and Crowded House.
Tentative broadcast date 9 November.
RTB play Never Going to Give It Up and Dad.