On the road after a five-year hiatus, Richard Thompson brought his Ship to Shore tour to the Boulder Theater on October 29. In tow were bassist Taras Prodaniuk and drummer Michael Jerome, who performed with Thompson in a trio format the last time around in 2019. Also in the current band is harmony vocalist- and Thompson’s wife- Zara Phillips and guitarist Zak Hobbs, Thompson’s grandson.

There was plenty of electricity on stage in Boulder, Thompson trading solo time with Hobbs throughout the evening. You could even say that Hobbs has developed a style similar to his grandfather’s, though perhaps a little more fluid, but, of course, no one really plays guitar like Thompson. He wrings a unique intensity out of the bending strings and fleet movement of his fingers that just drops the jaw.

A lot of the set included songs from the new Ship to Shore album, as well as favorites such as a revved up “Tear Stained Letter” and “The Turning of the Tide,” as well as a half-century old Sandy Denny song. The disappointing thing was that the sound on the more electric stuff was muddy, burying Thompson’s vocals and even some of his guitar work underneath a mix that was bass-heavy and sludgy.

The good news is that when Thompson toned things down during some solo acoustic spots- performing “Bee’s Wing” and “Vincent Black Lightning”- and a simmering version of “Al Bowlly’s In Heaven,” you could hear every note and vocal nuance. These were the golden moments Thompson fans are always waiting to hear- and his flaming guitar work also, of course.