Inside Princeton, NJ’s McCarter Theatre Center this Saturday, February 22, 2025 evening, fans of folk rock music are all on board for a Ship to Shore Tour performance by singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson.
Thompson was born in England to a father who was a Scotland Yard detective and a pair of grandparents who played together in a dance band. Growing up, Thompson listened to his father’s jazz guitar recordings in addition to his sister’s rock and roll records and traditional Scottish music.
As a teen, Thompson joined the band, Fairport Convention, where he developed into an outstanding guitarist and budding songwriter. Later, he performed as one half of the British folk rock duo, Richard and Linda Thompson.
A Grammy Award-nominee, Thompson holds a coveted spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” As a songwriter, his compositions have been covered by artists as diverse as The Blind Boys of Alabama, David Byrne, Elvis Costello, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Don Henley, Robert Plant, The Neville Brothers, and REM.
Time magazine included Thompson’s anthem, “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” on its list of the “100 Greatest Songs Since 1923,” and Glide magazine said about his guitar skills, “Like Hendrix, he’s his own genre, one of the major virtuosos of our time.”
Inside McCarter’s historic Matthews Theatre the lights dim and the packed house cheers as Richard Thompson enters the stage.
After vamping a rock and roll rhythm on his acoustic guitar, Thompson launches into “If I Could Live My Life Again,” singing in his strong and powerful voice, “Well you know I can’t do nothing for you/And you know I say my piece and then/I pound the pavement always wishing/Whether I would live my life again,” on this bluesy story song.
The crowd cheers and Thompson exclaims, “It’s always good to be back here at McCarter,” joking that he’s been performing here for so long that at his first show he jammed “with Albert Einstein.” On his next number, “Walking on a Wire,” Thompson’s intricate guitar part contrasts with his distinctive vocal as he sings “I’m walking on a wire/And I’m falling” on this Richard and Linda Thompson folk rocker.
The crowd applauds when they recognize the introduction to “Beeswing.” Communicating with emotion, Thompson expertly bends and turns his guitar phrases to echo the sound of bagpipes on this appealing story song where he croons, “She was a rare thing/Fine as a beeswing.”
Following an unplugged rendition of his power rocker, “I Feel So Good,” Thompson says, “This is a traditional song we recorded with my old band, Fairport Convention.” Here, Thompson deftly fingerpicks the introduction to “Matty Groves” where he sings, ”Come home with me, little Matty Groves/Come home with me tonight,” on this folk ballad from the 1500s. At the end, a fan calls out, “You’re a freak of nature!” to which Thompson jokingly deadpans, “I’m selectively deaf.”
After revealing, “Here’s a song I wrote, like, yesterday,” Thompson performs his clever new tune, “You Love Me Like it’s 1969,” and follows up with a country-rock song about walking home late at night as a young man after seeing such up-and-coming artists as The Who, The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck, and The Spencer Davis Group entitled “Walking the Long Miles Home.”
Concertgoers hoot and holler and Thompson responds with a live rendition of his classic composition, “1952 St. Vincent Black Lightning.” Picking fast and furiously, Thompson croons, “Said Red Molly to James that’s a fine motorbike/A girl could feel special on any such like/Said James to Red Molly, my hat’s off to you/It’s a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952” on this captivating story song.
After a moody rendition of the slow rocker, “I Misunderstood,” where Thompson vigorously strums his guitar while singing, “I thought she was saying good luck/She was saying goodbye/I misunderstood,” he’s joined on stage by singer Zara Phillips for a selection of songs starting with the dissonant “Pipe Dreams” and the fast-paced and naughty Richard and Linda Thompson rocker, “Hokey Pokey (The Ice Cream Song).”
Sailing into a number from Thompson’s latest recording, Ship to Shore, Phillips sings harmony to Thompson’s lead on the “But her love is a mystical thing/I swear I hear choirs celestial sing” chorus of the 6/8 ballad, “Singapore Sadie.” Then, Thompson picks out a descending guitar part as staccato vocals punctuate the rhythmic rocker, “She Twists the Knife Again.” Following the folk waltz, “If Love Whispers Your Name,” Thompson and Phillips perform another cut from Ship to Shore entitled “The Old Pack Mule” where the rhythm shifts from the verse to the chorus on this Middle Eastern-sounding composition.
Thompson concludes tonight’s show with a pair of Richard and Linda Thompson selections including the folk ballad, “Withered and Died,” and the anthem-like folk rocker, “Wall of Death,” where he and Phillips sing, “You can waste your time on the other rides/This is the nearest to being alive/Oh let me take my chances on the Wall of Death.”
The audience responds with a standing ovation and Thompson and Phillips exit the stage before Thompson returns for an encore of the moody folk song, “The Ghost of You Walks,” where his guitar work impresses.
Then, Thompson masterfully plays up and down the neck of his acoustic as his powerful and focused vocal is accompanied by Phillips’ harmony line on the dark and rhythmic “The Rattle Within.”
The crowd cheers and Thompson says, “We’ll squeeze in one more,” as his drone-like guitar part accompanies “Tinker’s Rhapsody” where he and Phillips harmonize, “I wish that a river could wash me forever/Wash all the miles and the bad times away,” on this waltz-like story song.
The audience stands and Thompson says, “Thank you, Princeton!” before he and Phillips exit the stage to sustained cheers and applause.
As concertgoers make their way out of the theater, several comment on tonight’s performance. Remarks Tara from Newtown Borough, PA, “Richard was fantastic! I’ve loved him for years and he’s still going strong. I’m so glad he’s touring and I’m so glad he came to Princeton. He’s a top-notch guitar player who can create levels of perfection that will blow your mind away.” Robin from Lawrenceville agrees, adding, “It was a fabulous show — his guitar playing was incredible.”
Laura from Lansdale, PA contends, “Richard Thompson was incredible! I can’t remember how many times I’ve seen him, but he never disappoints. His voice, his guitar playing, and his songs make him great, and I loved the duets he did with Zara Phillips.” Tim from Lansdale concurs, explaining, “We’ve seen him many times over the years and he’s always fantastic.”
Joe from Franklin Park explains, “The last time I saw Richard Thompson, he was in Fairport Convention and he still sounds great. He’s got such a strong voice, he put on a great show, and his guitar playing just filled up the room — it was absolutely phenomenal!” Michael from Basking Ridge agrees, explaining, “I could not believe he got that much sound out of his guitar, and his voice was spot-on, too. I haven’t seen him in 20 years, but he’s still got it; he put on an excellent show!”
Lastly, Hie from Rutherford, NJ, concludes by exclaiming, “Richard Thompson was just fantastic tonight! He’s a great singer and storyteller and his guitar playing just transports you to another world!”
To learn more about Richard Thompson, please go to richardthompson-music.com. For info on great upcoming programming at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre Center — including An Evening with Dawes on April 13, The Béla Fleck/Antonio Sánchez/Edmar Castañeda Trio on May 13, Stanley Clarke on June 1, and Mary Chapin Carpenter/Brandy Clark on September 28 — please go to mccarter.org.
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