Richard Thompson brings 1000 years of music to Kent tonight.
Richard Thompson is one of those music legends that rock critics drool over, record collectors spend tons of cash on, and hipster musicians cover. But most people have no clue who the guy is. Too bad, because in the four decades Thompson has been making music, he’s given us at least a handful of classics. We recommend you start with Shoot Out the Lights, the 1982 album he made with then-wife Linda. It ranks as one of the best-ever breakup albums.
Over the years, Thompson has played with and has been covered by everybody from R.E.M. to Zooey Deschanel. For most of the ’00s, he’s been performing a show called “1000 Years of Music,” in which he and a pair of collaborators run through a history of music through the ages. That means you’re likely to hear everything from 16th-century madrigals to Britney Spears’ “Oops! . . . I Did It Again” in concert. Like most of Thompson’s music, the show is funny, informative, and highly entertaining, very much worth the drive to Kent. --
Michael Gallucci
Richard Thompson performs at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 4, at the Kent Stage, 175 East Main Street in Kent. Tickets are $30 and $35, available by calling 330-677-2356. For a preview, listen to “Oops! . . . I Did It Again” below.