{"id":50071,"date":"2017-04-08T13:20:54","date_gmt":"2017-04-08T17:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mattsteffen.com\/?p=50071"},"modified":"2017-09-02T13:22:03","modified_gmt":"2017-09-02T17:22:03","slug":"richard-thompson-memorial-hall-cincinnati","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mattsteffen.com\/richard-thompson-memorial-hall-cincinnati\/","title":{"rendered":"richard thompson @ memorial hall – cincinnati"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Thompson is a musician\u2019s musician. \u00a0That\u2019s not to say that he doesn\u2019t have a legion of loyal fans, I\u2019ve never seen him play a hall with an empty seat. \u00a0He likely won\u2019t break into the periphery of the casual music listener, but you ask a fan, a true fanatic of music and its historical perspective, you\u2019re bound to hear his name pop up. \u00a0Thompson graces everyone\u2019s \u201cbest guitarists\u201d list.<\/p>\n

Richard Thompson is a maverick. \u00a0Coming out of London\u2019s 70\u2019s folk scene, he blends into any style of music yet remain identifiably himself. \u00a0Blues, rock, folk, electric, acoustic, he\u2019s able to bridge genres and centuries of music with his playing. \u00a0Thompson has created his own modern take of the hybrid picking that Merle Travis made famous so long ago. \u00a0He can\u00a0fit so much sound into one track that you\u2019d swear there were multiple players in the room.<\/p>\n

\"\"Richard Thompson is a magician. \u00a0Alone with an acoustic guitar, he mesmerizes the crowd with feats that seem to defy physics. \u00a0When 550 people sit so still that you can hear his foot tapping the tempo on the bare stage, there\u2019s electric in the air. \u00a0A palpable awareness that it could pop at any moment and all rush out. \u00a0And he knows he has us all right where he wants us, throwing in a few extra bars of the shuffling locomotive bridge of \u201cValerie<\/i>\u201c, making eye contact with a grin. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s easy,\u201d he says with a nonchalant shrug to a burst of applause, snapping us out of our trance.<\/p>\n

Richard Thompson is a storyteller. \u00a0Drawing from the folk, everyman tradition of pulling in a crowd, the banter while tuning feels natural. \u00a0The bickering with the man in the front row, we\u2019re all in on the joke. \u00a0The flubbed lines of \u201cCrocodile Tears<\/i>\u201d seam somehow endearing. \u00a0Thompson demands your acknowledgement of his ability while making you feel comfortable in his parlor for the evening.<\/p>\n

Tonight\u2019s parlor is the once forgotten gem of a room at Memorial Hall, hiding in the shadow of the grand Music Hall on Elm Street. \u00a0Having recently completed an $11 million restoration, the 1908 Beaux-Arts beauty will be forgotten no more. \u00a0With announcements of renovations and facelifts comes that dreaded feeling that the original beauty and charm will be lost to the ages, but no such trepidation is needed here. \u00a0Spearheaded by 3CDC, this faithful restoration keeps most of the added modern amenities hidden. \u00a0Now with climate control, state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment, and a backstage area, use of the elegant space can attract a larger pool of talent and do so year-round.<\/p>\n

Tasked with filling the space, The Memorial Hall Society has created the Longworth-Anderson Series, a contemporary music series bringing Grammy Award level talent to their intimate listening room. \u00a0Opening the series with Rosanne Cash and continuing next with Sarah Jarosz, they are almost ready to let the lid off their anticipated sophomore season. \u00a0The Society makes an evening of it, inviting patrons to come early for mingling over hors d\u2019oeuvres and cocktails, and enticing you with deserts at the post-concert reception.<\/p>\n

To see such high caliber musicians, at their peak, in a room of this size and refinement is a real gift. \u00a0You won\u2019t get this chance very often.<\/p>\n

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Richard Thompson<\/a>\u00a0performed at\u00a0Memorial Hall<\/a>\u00a0in Cincinnati, OH on 04.07.17. \u00a0Joan Shelley<\/a>\u00a0was the\u00a0opening act.<\/p>\n

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