[Judson]

Last weekend, I attended a concert in which Richard Thompson "opened" for Jason Isbell & 400 Unit.

Honestly, I found myself wishing that Jason Isbell's tour bus had gotten lost and Richard Thompson could have played all night.

What a virtuoso! He's 69 years old and he still dominates the stage as an amazing solo act. Whether he was rocking the house with "Valerie", telling his timeless story on "1952 Vincent Black Lightening", or bringing a tear to your eye with his touching tribute to Sandy Denny on "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" ... he was perfect in every regard.

I love Jason Isbell ... he's also amazing guitarist and singer/songwriter. But, I love what I'd seen of him solo acoustic on youtube videos. As a loud, electrified front man for his band ... not so much. Just not the experience I was expecting (or hoping for). My fault for not doing a little research.

You could tell a lot about the audience when fully 75-80% of them skipped the opening act and filed in as Richard Thompson was leaving. That's just nuts! But, it was a blessing! That bunch immediately got rowdy and stood for the entire 2 hours of the Isbell show. So I stood too, but my feet and legs were killing me the next day.

Anyway ... I will be on the lookout for the next time Richard Thompson tours alone.