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Most shows are purely about entertainment, and audiences rarely expect more. If we come away feeling exhilarated by a performance, then we are usually quite satisfied with the experience. On a cold Saturday night at the IMAC Theater in Huntington, Richard Thompson gave his audience a stunning performance, and also a bit more to chew on.
Rather than focus on his own wealth of material from the past four decades, Thompson drew from material that represented the past 1,000 years of popular music. No, that isn’t a misprint. Thompson performed madrigals, ancient ‘folk’ songs, vocal ‘rounds’, religious music, Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”, and even a Beatles tune as a means to represent a full millennium of musical styles. In execution, Thompson performed the minor miracle of entertaining his audience while educating most of us in a musical history that goes far beyond what most of us would otherwise choose to hear. On paper, it may sound tedious or difficult, but the standing ovation received by Thompson and his two-piece band indicated that his audience was more than grateful for the entertainment and the education.
As the story goes, Thompson came to the idea for this show when Playboy magazine invited a host of famous musicians to supply their list of ‘the ten greatest songs of the millennium.’ While most lists compiled songs from the latter half of the 20th century, Thompson decided to take the task literally and compiled his own list, with selections dating back as far as 1068. Needless to say, Playboy magazine had no use for such eclecticism, but the seeds for this show were planted.
Longtime fans of Thompson would not be too surprised by the content of this show. As a founding member of Fairport Convention, Thompson and his mates revitalized many folk tunes that had previously languished in obscurity, or in the libraries of scholarly institutions. ‘1,000 Years of Popular Music’ is a not-so-simple extension of Fairport’s original raison d’etre, with Thompson providing some witty and self-aware wry commentary, as befits a show with such an ambitious platform. Bandmates Judith Owen and Debra Dobkin were perfect foils for Thompson, providing luminescent vocals and sympathetic support that lent the songs a distinct air of authenticity. To some, downing ‘1,000 Years of Popular Music’ in one night might suggest a dose of castor oil, but Richard Thompson made it seem like a spoonful of sugar.
 
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