Chris Thile

The mandolin is a beautiful instrument that is, in my opinion, severely underplayed in the music industry, but Christ Thile’s incredibly use of the instrument to support his solo performances absolutely blew me away at the recent concert. He made his was to centre stage and stood in front of the microphone before tuning the mandolin before introducing himself and then launching into his set.

He opened with an instrumental piece that was written in an experimental folk style. I hadn’t heard it on any of his recordings, and it didn’t look like anyone in the audience had either, but the crowd erupted into applause when he finished. With so many records under his belt, I wasn’t sure how he was going to select a set list, but he did so magnificently. When he played the title track from his Grammy Award winning album, True Live Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe, he got everyone singing along, and invited us to stand up to dance along.

As well as his instrumental skills, his distinctive voice contrasts beautifully with his mandolin, and the sound that they create together is exciting and original.

I am a retired physician, of an age which may not represent your average fan, but I am also someone whose early years were dominated by dreams of becoming a classical pianist. As a musician, Chris Thile is such a unique and extraordinary talent that it is a rare privilege to witness one of his performances. He is a force of nature, akin to an Olympic athlete. His ability to convey deep emotion ranging from delicate tenderness and longing to explosive joy and optimism reminds me of Beethoven as much as Bach, obviously one of his musical inspirations. His body is completely inhabited by the music in his brain. At the same time, he has an accessible stage presence with his conversational style, even inviting the audience to title one of his creations. The music he composes is as varied and daringly experimental as one would expect from a true genius. The audience was spellbound and he rewarded us with an encore as virtuoso as before, even after almost 2 hours of technical fireworks. Bravo!!

One of the best concerts I've ever been to! This man is truly talented and a genius. The music and singing was brilliant and what makes you love him even more, he apologised on behalf of the United States (for Trump). He even wrote a song about him. There was so much applause after each song, with standing ovations at the end and two(!) encores. It was also the best accoustics I've ever experienced, since the concert took place in the recenty opened Elbphilarmonie in Hamrbug. So worth it!!!

Just saw Thile in concert yesterday at a gorgeous, intimate venue in Los Angeles. He was probably the best musical artist I have ever seen live (and this includes classical virtuosos at concert halls). He's an incredibly animated and expressive player and very charming and funny. It was clear that the entire audience loved him and all the guests that he brought in. One of the best concerts I've seen -- definitely will be looking out for the next time he plays in the LA area!!