Richard Thompson is looking forward to his return to Park City this week.
The last time the award-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter played in town was 2018 at the Egyptian Theatre. And he hasn’t been back since, due to various reasons, the pandemic being the biggest.
“We weren’t able to get out on the road for 2 ½ years, and for someone like me, who has basically been touring since I was 18, that was a massive change,” he said. “So, it’s been good to be back, and it will be great to come back to Park City.”
The Park City concerts, scheduled for Feb. 16-19 at the Egyptian Theatre, will be solo acoustic performances, something Thompson enjoys.
“There is the sense that you’re conveying something to the audience, and reaching almost heart-to-heart that doesn’t always happen during rock concerts, which are more bombastic and tend to wash over the audience,” he said, “By playing acoustically, you feel as if you’re pulling something out of you that gets transferred to the listeners. You achieve a kind of stillness in the room. And I think it’s a wonderful thing, and something miraculous will happen.”
While some songs in the repertoire that Thompson has selected for these acoustic shows do well as rock songs, he tries to find the ones that feature more intimate lyrics, including songs he wrote and recorded while married to singer and songwriter Linda Thompson and while he was in the band, Fairport Convention.
“As of late, I’ve been playing the first songs I’ve written from 1967-1968, and then I add things from the decades,’70s, ’80s, ’90s and Zeros,” he said.
The set lists will also include new songs, Thompson said.
“I was in the studio with a band last November, and we cut a new album, so I’ll certainly be playing things from that record that I can play acoustically,” he said. “I’m hoping to release it in the summer. I was hoping for spring, but there is a vinyl shortage that is holding everything up. So I think it will be in the summer.”
With more than 50 years in the music business under his belt, Thompson still feels lucky to record music and tour.
“I really appreciate the fact that I’m healthy enough to do this, because it’s what I love to do,” he said. “You got to have your fingers working. You’ve got to have your voice working. You have to be able to travel and all that kind of stuff. So, I would certainly like to do this as long as I am able — as long as there’s an audience — and as long as I don’t think I’m playing (crap).”
Within that five-decade career, Thompson has had the opportunity to collaborate with other recording artists such as Crowded House, Bonnie Raitt, Loudon Wainwright III and Carthall McConnell from Boys of the Lough.
Thompson says collaborations such as these and more have taught him new ways of approaching his own music.
“I think you’re always learning as a musician, or should be, anyway, so when you play with other people, it opens up new avenues for you,” he said. “As a solo artist, you can become fixed in your own way of doing things, but when you collaborate you can see the other possibilities and aspects of music that you have never thought about.”
That said, Thompson doesn’t think he’s a good collaborator.
“I’m a bit scared of it, and I avoid it,” he said with a laugh. “But inevitably it does happen, and I’m glad when it does.”
Throughout his career, Thompson has also heard some of his songs recorded by other artists, including Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Raitt and Los Lobos, to name a few.
“I think the best covers of your songs are the ones that do surprise you, because they are the ones that aren’t just copying what you do,” he said. “They add something.”
Thompson said Bob Mould’s cover of “Shoot Out the Lights” and Dinosaur Jr.’s version of “I Misunderstood” are two that he’s really liked.
I saw these songs in a different light after hearing their versions,” he said.
Another cover Thompson enjoyed was Mary Fahl’s version of “The Great Valerio.”
“It was similar to what I did with my ex-wife Linda back in 1974, but Mary added some different arrangement elements that I thought were very exciting and wonderful,” he said. “I like it when an artist has a different sense of a song.”
Another perk for Thompson being in the music business for half a century is the accolades. He landed in Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Guitarists list,Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Americana Music Association in Nashville, and the BBC Awards. In addition, he was bestowed the title of OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.
While Thompson is honored by the recognition, he takes the praises in stride.
“I think if you’re playing music to be awarded, then you’re doing something wrong,” he said. “I think you should play music because you love it, and because it gives you satisfaction. But I also think knowing that someone is listening can keep you going. But I do think you can be over-awarded.”
To keep himself grounded, Thompson becomes his own critic.
“You have to be on an even keel and know you’re doing your best as a musician and a creative artist,” he said. “You have to know that you’re trying to convey and explore, and never rest on your laurels as a musician.”