I had such a good time at the Clearwater Festival that I’m repeating some of the pleasure, and seeing guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson twice in one week, this time indoors.   Thompson, awarded an OBE, prizes for electric and acoustic guitar playing and songwriting, and who appears on many lists—including my own—as one of the best guitarists of all time, will play Saturday June 28, at the sonically-gifted Bearsville Theatre. Thompson’s songs rank among the most intelligent and passionate I know, including “1952 Vincent Black Lightning,” “Saving the Good Stuff For You” and “Wall of Death” (which R.E.M. covered well) and his classic “Dimming of the Day.”

For those New York metro-area souls who head to the beach for the weekend and will miss the opportunity to see Thompson in the Hudson Valley, try the Iridium in Times Square, on Monday, June 30, another intimate venue with a sound system worthy of this tremendous talent.

– Suzanne Cadgene