OKAY FINALLY!
Yesterday was just. ...Blugh. BUT ANYWAY, RICHARD THOMPSON.
He's one of those people who's famous in very select circles--the...folk/rock/blues circle maybe? And on top of being an excellent singer/songwriter, guy can PLAY.
Here's him playing one of my favorites (which he did during the concert!) It has some really great close-ups of his finger-picking skills.
For the concert I wound up in the second freaking row, because they didn't have four seats together and I said I didn't mind sitting alone (we didn't know at the time that I'd get 2nd row while they got, say, 10th, not that it matters hugely but I was having fun--don't think i've ever been that close to the stage for an act like this.) He's kind of a small dude, or maybe I just assumed he was taller.
Here's another of my favorites of his:
I was a little worried when he started the concert that he would be one of Those Acts, where he'd literally just stand there and play music and not talk--Please, if any of you go into performing music, pleeeeeease talk to your audience, tell us stories, just let us get to know you a little. Because otherwise we might as well sit in the dark with a CD player.
But he loosened up a little after the first few songs, and he listened to requests and was just generally a real sweetheart. (It's always especially awesome when performers realize what a great crowd Alaskans usually are, we realize how lucky we are to be listening to you and we'll clap like a mad thing.
Just. It was a great evening. Had fancy drinks and excellent dinner with the parents beforehand, good music, good people.
When the concert was over the guy who'd been sitting next to me turned to his friend and said, "Welp. I don't know about you but I'm going home to cut off my left hand and burn all my guitars."
He's one of those people who's famous in very select circles--the...folk/rock/blues circle maybe? And on top of being an excellent singer/songwriter, guy can PLAY.
Here's him playing one of my favorites (which he did during the concert!) It has some really great close-ups of his finger-picking skills.
Click to viewFor the concert I wound up in the second freaking row, because they didn't have four seats together and I said I didn't mind sitting alone (we didn't know at the time that I'd get 2nd row while they got, say, 10th, not that it matters hugely but I was having fun--don't think i've ever been that close to the stage for an act like this.) He's kind of a small dude, or maybe I just assumed he was taller.
Here's another of my favorites of his:
I was a little worried when he started the concert that he would be one of Those Acts, where he'd literally just stand there and play music and not talk--Please, if any of you go into performing music, pleeeeeease talk to your audience, tell us stories, just let us get to know you a little. Because otherwise we might as well sit in the dark with a CD player.
But he loosened up a little after the first few songs, and he listened to requests and was just generally a real sweetheart. (It's always especially awesome when performers realize what a great crowd Alaskans usually are, we realize how lucky we are to be listening to you and we'll clap like a mad thing.
Just. It was a great evening. Had fancy drinks and excellent dinner with the parents beforehand, good music, good people.
When the concert was over the guy who'd been sitting next to me turned to his friend and said, "Welp. I don't know about you but I'm going home to cut off my left hand and burn all my guitars."