Squeeze's Difford & Tilbrook Bring Their "At Odds Couple" Tour To Ridgefield

Chris Difford & Glenn Tilbrook have been delighting fans with their wry lyrics & hook-laden songs since the late 1970s, as the driving forces behind Squeeze, and as solo performers. The artists stopped by The Ridgefield Playhouse on December 11 as part of their “At Odds Couple” acoustic tour. The show featured Squeeze favorites such as “Black Coffee In Bed” and “Slap & Tickle” as well as solo material like Difford’s “Wrecked” and Tilbrook’s “Still.” They also performed material from the band’s new album, Cradle To The Grave. Both men left the stage at various points during the show to allow the other to take the spotlight. There were also a few stories about their careers when the duo took time to answer audience questions in two brief question & answer segments. It helped give the evening a unique spin on the "Unplugged" setting.

Tilbrook’s guitar work was excellent; he truly tore it up with some stinging solos. Difford’s quiet sense of humor was evident throughout the evening, especially on his introductions to the witty solo tunes “Fat As A Fiddle” and “Cowboys Are My Weakness.” The new music from Cradle To The Grave, especially the title cut, sounded fantastic, and was well received. But the songs that got the biggest responses of the night were the Squeeze classics, such as the energetic “Annie Get Your Gun,” the soul-influenced “Tempted” and one of my personal favorites “Up The Junction.” They’ve lost none of their power over the years, and it’s easy to see why Difford & Tilbrook were often compared to Lennon & McCartney at the height of their fame.

The two-set show was followed by an amazing three-song encore consisting of “Another Nail From My Heart," "If I Didn’t Love You" & "Goodbye Girl.” This terrific twosome obviously still enjoy performing together, and playing off of each other as well. A nice bonus at concert’s end was that you could immediately purchase a CD copy of the night’s performance, burned while you waited, and then the guys came out to sign the discs and meet briefly with fans. It was a fabulous evening of great music. Difford & Tilbrook are currently wrapping up the “At Odds Couple” tour, but promised during the show that plans are afoot for Squeeze to do a full band tour sometime next year. Check them out if you get the chance. Here’s a link to a performance (audience participation included) of “Goodbye Girl” from an earlier concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnwbE9gz8ho.