Richard Thompson, Bristol

Continuing the theme of birthday gift experiences, Claire had given me a ticket to see Richard Thompson in concert at the Colston Hall in Bristol.  This year he is touring the UK to promote his new Electric album, which is apparently his 40th!  Quite a prolific musician then.  I had not got around to previewing the album properly before the concert, but we had just enough time for a quick Spotify download and listen before heading off to the Colston Hall.  My birthday present from Claire included a pre-gig dinner, which we had in the Bistro at the Colston Hall itself.  I can confirm that they do a very acceptable theater menu.
Richard Thompson was playing as a trio, and in keeping with the title of the album, most of the songs featured him playing on electric guitar, with only a couple of diversions to acoustic.
It is said that Thompson is one of the top 10 guitarists in the world, and I would not disagree with that view based on this performance.  Not only that, but his voice, which used to be rather weedy, has improved with age and now has considerable depth and character.  We were treated to several songs from the Electric album, interspersed with other more or less memorable items from his extensive back catalogue.  There was a fair bit of interaction with the crowd, who treated Thompson as a long lost friend. So when it came to the inevitable encores, he picked up on a shouted suggestion to play Hey Joe and the trio launched into a pretty decent rendition of the Hendrix classic.
All in all, an excellent evening's entertainment.  Thank you Claire.

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