Chris Thile solo

[mandocaster]

My wife and I went to see “An evening with Chris Thile” last night in Houston’s Cullen theater at the Wortham center. A swanky venue. The place was pretty packed. I knew it would be good, but holy moly. He is the guy whose name will be remembered a century from now, not just for playing mandolin, but for transforming the mandolin.
I know I’m gushing, but it was quite a show.

[jaycat]

I think I did hear that he's pretty good.

[Bill McCall]

I think I did hear that he's pretty good.

I’ve heard that too.

[BradKlein]

Even after seeing Thile a bunch of times in a bunch of settings, I was skeptical about a solo show. But he does it with such style and substance! Just because it's familiar to those of us at the Cafe, doesn't make it any less astonishing to see. :-)

[CTH Man]

First time I heard Thile was 1998 Merlefest mandolin workshop. Chris Thile,Sam Bush,Dave Grisman & Mike Compton together on the workshop stage. Thile was outstanding!! as they all were....but for me Sam is the Man

[CWRoyds]

I saw him play solo in a small theater in Santa Barbara, and was surprised what one guy and a microphone can do with that little instrument.
He played a wide range of stuff, from Classical to bluegrass.
Im not a big fan of his own songs, as they are a bit angular and strange to my ear, but he is definitely one of the best musicians I have seen live.
What surprised me the most was at the end, when he stepped up the the edge of the stage, away from the microphone and played one last tune.
That Loar filled the whole room with sound. It was quite remarkable (which I guess is why I am remarking now...).
Great musician.

[nlopez]

I was there! I knew he was a great player, but I had no idea he was a great singer/songwriter and a perfect entertainer.

[mandocaster]

I’ve seen him with the Punch Brothers, GOAT Rodeo, and a Live From Here show. Whether he was surrounded by great musicians or by himself, he blows me away. At the solo show he was able to get a variety of beautiful tones that might get lost in a band. Particularly nice was his very subtle palm muting that gave a delicate sound that I’ve never heard, and I have no idea how he did it.

[Devlin]

I was there as well and thought it was fantastic. He did a great job transitioning from delicate to intense on his mandolin/singing and from being serious to humorous during and between songs. Very entertaining night. At some points I couldn't believe my eyes on how fast and clean he was playing. I know the term gets thrown around a lot, but I truly think he is a genius on the mandolin.

[jefflester]

I saw him solo a handful times at Largo back ~10 years ago, always enjoyed his solo outings.

There's a full solo show on youtube from Portland in 2013, broken up in to individual songs, though.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...FswHFnmOrx4Iyq

[jefflester]

I saw him solo a handful times at Largo back ~10 years ago, always enjoyed his solo outings.

There's a full solo show on youtube from Portland in 2013, broken up in to individual songs, though.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...FswHFnmOrx4Iyq

[John Hill]

I’ve seen Chris many times: as a solo act, with Mike Marshall (I was at the front row at the Ky Woodsongs YouTube show), as a part of Nickel Creek and with Punch Brothers (in a church basement in Louisville to a main stage act at ROMP).

He’s a stupendously entertaining musician. Even if you don’t think you like his current recording output go see him live. You will not regret it. INSPIRING.

[Marcus CA]

At Thile's solo shows, as the other writers have mentioned, you're not getting a bluegrass or new acoustic or classical or jazz concert. You're getting all of those. Most of all, you're getting a mandolin concert unlike any other. With or without the instrumental pyrotechnics, Thile's playing and singing are incredibly complex and expressive.

[JEStanek]

Not only is he an excellent player and performer, he's got great stage presence and is a great entertainer. I really enjoyed his solo show I attended a few years back.

Jamie