Chris Thompson 2023
In front of appreciative crowd, one of the most recognizable voices on rock scene dissolves into roaring silence.
The Final Round – Live
Retirement has become a running joke for many a musician, but some of them take their age seriously and, loath to present less than stellar act to the listener, quit the stage while they’re ahead. Among such veterans is Chris Thompson, a husky-throated singer mostly associated with MANFRED MANN‘S EARTH BAND – with whom he recorded a string of hits-comprising albums, from 1976’s "The Roaring Silence" onwards, – the international smash “You’re The Voice” that he cowrote, and delivering “The Phantom Of The Opera” in duet with Sarah Brightman. Of course, there’s much more to his career – yet Chris seems to stop producing fresh works and follows his latest full-length platter, "Toys & Dishes" from 2014, with this concert offering. Its title saying all, “The Final Round – Live” finds the 75-year-old belting out his best numbers in front of the audience Chris is ready to say goodbye to.
Focusing on his former ensemble’s classics and adding brilliant solo cuts “Whole Lot To Give” and “Woe Is Me” to the set, Thompson doesn’t disappoint, and the warbler’s farewell numbers demonstrate he still can turn out a series of stunning performances. And though "Berlin Live" had a greater quotient of the pieces from the albums Chris issued under his own name, he still can surprise an aficionado as, rubbing shoulders with “Martha’s Madman” and the inescapable “Blinded By The Light” are long-forgotten, and equally expansive, “Buddha” and “Messin'” – which the singer hardly ever did before – and most of what’s going here is not only about him but also about his group. From opener “Waiter There’s A Yawn In My Ear” onwards, the Brit’s Norwegian accompanists, especially guitarist Mads Eriksen, serve up a robust instrumental backing to his strong, if sometimes faltering, vocals that sound tremulous and fragile on the stormy “Don’t Kill It Carol” and “You Angel You” – with the jazzily elegant “Angels At My Gate” rendering the repertoire on display favor “Angel Station” over other perennials – and transform the piano-supported “For You” and the electrifying “Chicago Institute” into something astounding.
Surely, a drum solo is something fans could live without, yet it provided Thompson with a break to rest and then attack “The Mighty Quinn” with a new vigor and move on to encores where “Davy’s On The Road Again” bring the two-hour show to a close. Or a closure: it’s been fantastic to see Chris out there for all these years.
****4/5
