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What are Fans saying about the current US Band tour?
New Haven, Connecticut
06/16/04
 The show at Toad's last night (June 16th) was out of this world. Everyone in the band seemed to be enjoying themselves so much. I was particularly thrilled to be able to stand ten feet away from Danny Thompson; with the lighting from above, he was like God, throwing massive bass notes down from the firmament. Yow!
That show in New Haven...this is the RT band...I wish there were more shows on this tour. I can't wait for tonight in NYC! What a fantastic force this music is.
I saw your band in New Haven ,CT. It's always a pleasure to discover great artists and enjoy new experiences. I only wish I listened to you prior to 2004. No regrets though, my grandfather survived to 80 yrs old living and learning every day. I have half of my life left to enjoy your band!
I saw Richard and band at Toad's Place in New Haven a few nights ago. Very, very impressed. It's been a long time since I've seen musicians entertain by the strength of the craft rather than with gimmickry stage antics. I hope to see them again. Special kudos to Danny and Dave, superb brush work, and one of the best bass solo's I've heard live in quite some time. Cheers
Wonderful show at The Keswick on June 17th. It just gets better and better! Thank you, Richard, for "Crazy Man Michael." I have loved this song for 35 years but this was the first time I heard you sing it! It brought tears to my eyes. Richard, you are my idol! Looking forward to seeing you again in Princeton in the fall!
I saw the recent show at Toad's in New Haven CT. June 16, 2004. Great band, great concert. Come back soon Richard!
Saw the band at Toad's place, (New Haven, CT,USA) wonderful! Wow, Dave Mattocks too! Never been to Toads before, loved it. You guys were terrific!!!!
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
06/17/04
 Last night's concert at Toad's Place was superlative! My first time seeing Richard and the band; I'm already looking forward to the next. Thanks, Richard and band!
Keswick show 04, outstanding.Took my wife, she loved it, first time she saw you.
Wonderful show at the Keswick, Richard! I enjoyed saying salaam to you and Danny afterwards. Thank you for your beautiful music.
Truly great concert in Philadelphia. Best RT show I've seen, and that's saying something! Loved The Israelites with Crawl Back.
KESWICK THEATRE GLENSIDE PA. - JUST WANTED TO THANK RICHARD PETE DANNY AND DM FOR A GREAT SHOW. IT WAS A GREAT JOY TO SEE RICHARD OUT WITH THE BAND AGAIN AND SO GOOD TO HEAR HIM WITH DM. SOME GREAT RIPPING TUNES AND SOME BEAUTIFUL QUIET SONGS A GREAT NIGHT OUT THANKS GUYS.
I just saw RT at the Keswick Theatre near Phila. and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen!
Late commenting on his Philadelphia area concert.Beyond great, but what would you expect from the greatest singer/song-writer/musician of all time. RT's blessing as well as his curse is that having written well over 100 classic songs no one is ever happy because he can't play them all. Nonetheless the greatest show I've seen to date by the greatest artist around. How his singing voice gets better and better
each time I see him is beyond belief.
New York, New York
06/18/04 and 06/19/04
 I'm a huge fan and have seen RT twenty or more times, most recently June 18th at Irving Plaza in NYC. What a show.
My husband and I had the pleasure of your company at the Irving Plaza in New York City this past Saturday night. Personally, I was completely and totally blown away by the fabulous performance of each performer in the ensemble. I have to say, you Richard Thompson are at the very very top of my list of best guitarists. Cheers to you and your partners. Oh, I almost forgot! Your son Ted is destined for greatness. I wish him GodSpeed.
Just had to say again how much I enjoy Richard's music. I saw the show at Toad's and in NYC on the 19th and I can't remember when I've had more fun. The band was so tight and obviously enjoying themselves. Richard's and Danny's playing especially took me to that "other place" again. Thanks for all the great music, It just keeps getting better and better! Amazing.
My husband and I were fortunate enough to be in the center of the third row at Irving Plaza on Saturday night. I?ve described our experience to numerous friends since we got back to Maine. Reactions have ranged from quiet awe to squealing and requests to touch the hem of my garment. The common thread has been a universal lament that Richard hasn?t made it to Maine in some time. Can anything be done about this? Can we bribe him with lobster? Wild blueberries? A cuddly pet moose? The people of Maine stand at the ready to provide Mr. Thompson with whatever inducements are necessary to hasten his return.
I saw the show at Irving Plaza last week. It was my first RT concert and it was great.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
06/20/04
 Thank you for a fabulous performance at Three Rivers Art Festival in Pittsburgh! What a thrill to see you live!
Buffalo, New York
6/22/04
 I saw Richard last night. Wow!It was a night i'll not soon forget. Great job guys. Come back soon!!!!!!
I attended Richard's performance at the Tralf in Buffalo 3 years ago. It was one of the best shows I'd ever seen. Last night's Tralf show was even better.
Just saw RT in Buffalo last night. 1st time. WOW! Great Show. Hope he comes back soon.
My wife and I were at the Tralf in Buffalo last night the show was incredible.
Richard, another great show at the Tralf. Love the new song, "Johnny on the Rolling Sea." Sorry we didn't have any old ladies at the show this time. You'll have to bring the Big Band back.
Great show in Buffalo. High energy. Great songs. Great playing by all.
Really enjoyed The Old Kit Bag & Mock Tudor songs. The old timeless songs, such as Wall of Death, were also great. Time to dig out all the RT live cds & studio albums for another listen. Better yet, a road trip to another show might work even better.
Richard & mates, I remember your 1984 show at the Tralf, it may have been the first of at least 100 shows. Sadly the Tralf is closing its doors at the end of June. Thanks for making my final memories burn so bright.
The RT Band show at the Tralf the other night was beyond good. As an RT evangelist, I'd brought along a friend who'd never heard of RT - count a new convert! Thank you for such an exhilarating evening with the BEST RT Band.
Chicago, Illinois 6/24/04
 Richard and company's House of Blues show ended just two hours ago and I have yet to calm down. The show commenced with "Mr. Stupid's Back in Town" - a terrific new tune - and kept getting better as the night progressed. Richard, Danny, Pete, and Dave went deep into the archives, pulling out "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight," "Wall of Death," and "Wrong Heartbeat," to name three gems. Drop dead highlights for me were his beyond description phrasing on "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" and "I Misunderstood." For a while it seemed they would play on all night, with new peaks reached, then, incredibly, topped in the next number. I've loved this man's music since Fairport, and he is just as vibrant, creative, and impassioned as he was then. Bravo, Richard!
lovely show as always last night at Chicago house o blues..thanks
Just saw you last night in Chicago; only the second time. I basically will see you any time, anywhere because there is no better. THANK YOU SO MUCH for playing "I Misunderstood"--what a joy! I'm still happy!!
The show at the HOB Chicago was like watching a group of close friends at a private party having the time of their lives. The playing was terrific and atmosphere between bandmates and audience was twofold. Thank you so much for a wonderful evening. We drove four plus hours and although my wife is not normally a fan of "guitar wankery" she also enjoyed it immensely.
St. Louis, Missouri 6/25/04
 Caught the 6/25/04 concert, I'd be hard pressed to find better guitar playing anywhere. RT's better than I remembered. What a great concert.
I live in NJ and by a weird coincidence I missed the NYC shows but happened to be in St. Louis for 2 days and was able to catch the show last night. I have to tell you it was one of my favorites shows ever! It also was great to see Danny again! Thanks for the wonderful evening, see you next time around....... the curly haired moptop in front of the old people moshpit.
We saw Richard last night here in St.Louis and it was
spectacular. As usual. What a treat to have Dave and Danny in the band again. I think Mattacks is probably my favorite living drummer.
What a wonderful show! Richard Thompson and the band were wonderful, as usual. A few of the songs left lumps in the throat. And they returned for an beautiful, unplanned second encore!
Just got back from R-T Band's St. Louis show. This has to be the definitive band lineup. Great to see Danny back and on top form. Dave Mattacks is, along with Jim Keltner, my favourite R-T drummer, so what a pleasure to see him here. A great evening of music, with some very strong new nautical material (or at least new to me!) featuring sublime interplay between Richard and the outrageously talented Pete Zorn on penny whistle. Considering the concrete cattle barn acoustic, Simon did a great job with the sound, although it certainly helped to know many of the words. Great, show and, as always, Richard just gets better and better...his playing is always full of surprises, going so far beyond the realms of the normal that it defies definition. Many thanks, Richard!
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 6/27/04 It was worth sitting in the rain on my b-day at Milwaukee's Summerfest.Great show! (as always)
Saw Richard and the lads at a rather sodden Summerfest appearance last night (6/27). Although the "noise" from neighboring venues was annoying and the sound system a bit fuzzy, the band was in top form. The trio of Danny, Dave and Pete backing Our Hero was impeccable, of course, and I really enjoyed the new material. Opening with "Tear Stained Letter" was fun, and old favorites like "Wall of Death," "Valerie" and "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" are always a pleasure. My only complaint is that RTB was only allocated a one-hour slot ... but it did let us hurry over to see my 12-year-old daughter's favorite band, Fountains of Wayne, for a truly rain-soaked finale. Everybody went home happy, and the daughter's a big RT fan, too. Love always.
The Milwaukee show was a perfect example of Conquering the environment via music.  While our "big gig" is called Summerfest, the weather was more like Novemberfest - a drizzly, chilly day on the shores of Lake Michigan.  When Richard came on stage he commented about our "good British weather".  But things warmed up quickly with a rendition of "Tear Stained Letter" in which we audience members were immediately put to the test (at the first opportunity RT allowed us to sing the refrain; we were quite lame at first but caught on rather quickly!) I've heard "Gethsemane" quite a few times in concert, but it always pulls me into its world, and this night was no exception.  A couple of songs later, Richard told the "Al Bowly" story but was in competition with the music from another stage (both the strength and weakness of Summerfest is there are several stages going on simultaneously so bleeding sound becomes a problem).  After Al Bowly, he seemed determined to play upbeat rockers, and we were treated to the hottest "Hard on Me" i've seen, plus "Valerie", "Wall of Death" and others. The show was scheduled tightly and was too short.  But neither this nor the weather caused us to be any less enthusiastic about this fun concert. As a sidelight, the Milwaukee newspaper had a favorable review of the show on Monday morning, including a (quite large) color photo which showed Richard and Danny.  The caption read, in part:  "...Thompson's son Danny (left) plays double bass in the band."  Needless to say, this one is scrapbook material for Danny, if not Richard himself!
Saw Richard and the lads at a rather sodden Summerfest appearance last night (6/27). Although the "noise" from neighboring venues was annoying and the sound system a bit fuzzy, the band was in top form. The trio of Danny, Dave and Pete backing Our Hero was impeccable, of course, and I really enjoyed the new material. Opening with "Tear Stained Letter" was fun, and old favorites like "Wall of Death," "Valerie" and "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" are always a pleasure. My only complaint is that RTB was only allocated a one-hour slot ... but it did let us hurry over to see my 12-year-old daughter's favorite band, Fountains of Wayne, for a truly rain-soaked finale. Everybody went home happy, and the daughter's a big RT fan, too. Love always.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 6/28/04 Attended the Minneapolis show last night. Absolutely scorching! Great set list and the band's never been better. Thanks very much. Next time in town could you play Little Blue Number?
I heard Richard for the first time at 1st Avenue while I was helping with an informational table for Amnesty International. Thanks for a full evening of wonderful music...and, of course, for inviting AI to be participate as well.
A heavenly concert at First Ave. last week. Richard is a universal treasure.
I just wanted to send you a short “thank you” for many, many things.  My boyfriend of twelve years and I saw you (again) at 1st Avenue in Minneapolis, Mn. on June 28th.  You were, as always, an inspiration to artists, and I left feeling beautiful, exciting, and ready to conquer the ills of the world!  We waited to ask you to autograph a cd after the show and you were so very kind, even though you must have been exhausted after such a fantastic show.  Thank you, for all you are and all you do- you make the world a little sweeter and a more humane place for all of us!!
Boulder, Colorado 6/30/04 Just saw you play last night in Boulder. What a show! It was my first time seeing you, and I pray it won't be my last!
The Chautauqua show was the perhaps the best Richard show I've ever attended since my first back in 1992. The band was tight, scorching and the energy was high both on stage and in the audience. the "acoustic sound box" that is Chautauqua never fails to provide an excellent venue. Thank you Richard! Welcome back to Colorado!!
Los Angeles, California 7/02/04 Saw Richard at the Hollywood HOB last night. Just want to say thank you for a great show. Quite the troubadour!
Hello! I just went,with my friend,to your concert at the House of Blues in LA.I had a blast and was so impressed! Richard is a phonomenal musician as are his band members. I haven't had so much fun since the 60's! My friend has been a fan of Richard's since the Fairport Convention times. I listened to her albums and recognized a couple of the songs you played at the concert, but of course they did not include the improv playing that you all did that was out of this world so I'll just have to attend more concerts! By the way,several people in the audience have been attending as many as over 20 concerts of yours. Thank you for the outstanding show!
What a great show you and your band performed at the Los Angeles House of Blues last night!  Any chance of getting a copy of the set list?  Thank you very much!
Loved the House of Blues show last Friday.
I was blown away by the show at the House of Blues on Friday. I'd heard of Richard and Fairport Convention, but never got into his music until I heard "I'll Tag Along" from the Old Kit Bag CD. Now I can't stop kicking myself for not discovering him earlier in life. Loved "Mr. Stupid's Back in Town" and the tribute to Brando. Where can I get a copy of "Mr. Stupid?"
San Francisco, California 7/03/04 I just saw RT last night at The Fillmore here in SF--the show, as usual was heartbreakingly great--the Donovan came out for the 2nd encore of Season of the Witch, Hurdy Gurdy Man, & Mellow Yellow and total levitation was acheived!
After hearing enthusiastic reviews of RT's live shows for years, I finally saw him at an arts festival several years ago.  The band and he were good that afternoon, but they didn't match the raves I had heard.  At the Fillmore last night, I understood.  I only knew about half of the songs, but each one of those matched or surpassed its recorded version.  His guitar playing as well as his singing were absolutely engaging, and the band matched his level.
Donovan's guest appearance degenerated from fun to amusing.  Richard clearly sees himself as a musician, but Donovan sees himself as a star.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  At least Donovan made me appreciate even more an artist like Richard Thompson, who has improved with age.
Thanks for so much consistently great music. Really enjoyed the recent Jul. 3 show in San Francisco.
Saw Richard at The fillmore on July 3rd. Very good as usually, but was shocked when Donovan appeared. If my husband hadn't been with me he would not have believed it. All and all a smashing good show!
Thanks for another superb show.  Excellent set list, brilliant musicianship, and wonderful company for over two hours.  The second encore was, literally, stunning.  I had no idea Donovan was in town, and it was clear that everyone in the building was having a blast. 
I just saw him perform at the Fillmore on July 3rd. He is one of the guitar greats!
I was very happy to catch the show at the Fillmore. BTW, the sound there that night was the best I've ever heard in that hall, props galore to Simon. I don't know if its an in-house system but even if it is, he did a masterful job of the mix.
Quincy, California 7/04/04 Heard Richard at the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy Ca. It was my favorite show of the event. Thanks, Richard. You rock!
Portland, Oregon 7/06/04 Richard, just saw you in Portland. As always, thank you for a GREAT show!
Another fanastic show at the Aladdin, two and a half hours in line to get the good seats and worth every minute. This was the last time with my son here in Portland since he's heading off to college in the Berkshires. But I'm sure he'll make the trip to Northampton, weather notwithstanding. My daughter saw you in St.Louis this time and gave us fair warning. You're a tradition with our family.
Seattle, Washington 7/07/04 I saw the Richard Thompson band last night at the Showbox here in Seattle, and I have to say that he's better than ever. Energy, vibrancy, sheer delight (even after the show was delayed by some problems with the PA at the venue). Great show, guys! Thank you for a wonderful time.
Saw you at the Showbox last night. Your amazing show more than made up for the technical delays! My non-folkie fiancée is now a RT fan, thanks to the great concert and amazing live band! (Thanks Pete, Danny and DM!) And a special thank-you from a Fairport fan for the beautiful version of "Crazy Man Michael." It was superb--as was the whole show.
Great show as always. Love to hear the old ones especially "Crazy Man Michael". And see/hearing an old one, Dave, for the first time. Missed No Relation the last time you were through. I guess we'll never see Judy up here. Got no right to have it all I suppose.
Really too bad about the hour delay. The opening act was good and energetic, would have liked to heard more. The lack of seating was bad but good. Both of my companions with borderline disabilities found it hard going toward the end. They loved your show though. One, an old biker and first timer appreciated "Vincent 52", the song was his introduction to you. I took the advantage by dancing in place.
Hoping to show my new recruits you solo or with Danny some time.