charlene
07-09-2007, 05:35 PM
Oh my it was wild!
Another birthday celebrated with The Man and friends at Mariposa in quite a memorable fashion! First time was 2000 when Mariposa returned to Orillia from the Toronto Islands, then again in 2005 and now this year!
An early morning call from Brian and the news that he wasn't going to be able to make it to Orillia as planned started a long eventful day..darn – we always have a good time with him! A call from my glass instructor/friend then came in and she filled in for Brian!
My dear buddy/brother Dan came up from Hamburg NY around noon bearing gifts. A beautiful cake, a six pack of Edmund Fitzgerald beer and pizza from my fave place in Hamburg NY! A great start to the day..LOL I only wish his wife and dear friend Nanci could have joined in the festivities..
Dan, Lisa and I lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday and had pizza and cake. The candles did not melt the wording and icing on the cake as they did two years ago...Dan brought a '2' and '5' candle instead of 52 singles!
Smart man!! Must have been Nanci's idea.. ;)
We headed up Hwy.#12 which is the main street of Whitby where I live and we picked up Shirley along the way and about an hour later at 2:30 we were parking in Tudhope Park, Orillia on the shores of Lake Couchiching. It was quite hot and humid and running around 33C (93F) but feeling like 40..A bit overcast and a slight hot breeze.
We headed to the beer tent after setting up our chairs..
We walked thru the artisans area after eating our way thru the food pavilions..lol
We talked with Barry Harvey and Rick Haynes for a bit and then Barry Keane but The Man wasn't scheduled to show until around 8:30 or so..Barry Keane had been playing ball with his ‘oldies’ team and told me they'd be in some competitions across the country in the next few months. He should try out for the Blue Jays! Good luck to him and his team!
We spent some time with Mike Heffernan and Patti as well. It’s always a treat and fun with them. They gave me a lovely birthday card! We made another trip to the beer tent and to listen to some other performances onstage in that area..oh yeah and to have something else to eat..good grief.
It seemed at times that the skies would open up and there would be a deluge but the clouds would pass and we'd breathe a sigh of relief. But it was still very hot! About 90F+ and feeling hotter because of the high humidity.
I spoke with stage manager Chuck for a while and he was readying himself with bug spray for the predicted onslaught of flying bugs that are drawn to the performers by the stage lights. In 2005 and 2000 they threatened to take over the show..they were huge! Chuck flew in the night before and was going home today..he does a superb job for the Lightfoot folks.
And we had no idea earlier in the day just how his expertise would be tested. It was nice to see him again.
The crowd was getting larger and the mainstage had performers on all afternoon. It's a great festival with lots to do and see, several stages with various performers, song circles and singing/guitar workshops going on all day. The artisans area featured luthiers, glass, clothes, jewellery, crafted wood items etc. And as I may have mentioned there was a beer tent. ;)
But this being Ontario, home of high taxes and some silly laws we were not allowed to leave the beer tent area with our beer and enjoy them whilst enjoying the talent at the various stages. We are not allowed to walk around with alcoholic beverages or leave the designated drinking area….ever…
crikey.
Anyway..it was getting time to settle in and get ready for The Man..
We said our good-byes to Mike, Terry et al and that's right when Mr. Lightfoot pulled up in a black sedan with heavily tinted windows..It was about 40 minutes or less until his stage time. He pulled into a spot right in front of us! After a few moments Barry opened the back door and carried off a geetar..he came back and The Man and another geetar emerged to cheering and applause and "Gord rocks","we love you Gord"..he looked around, turned our way and smiled, waved and was off to tune up with Mike, get changed and get onstage. It was almost completely dark out at this time of 9:15 or so..
The Man and the band took the stage just as the thunder started rumbling, lightning was seen off in the distance and a few drops of rain were felt.
oh dear...then all hell broke loose...
Some of the less hearty and adventurous types folded up their chairs and hustled their dry butts out of town..the rest of us remained for whatever was coming.
And it didn't take long to find out just exactly what the weather gods had in store for THE most wild (and wet) concert I've ever attended.
I had packed ponchos and raincoats, large plastic bags and umbrellas JUST in case..I shoulda been a Boy Scout!
The four of us donned our most becoming apparel and hunkered down as Lightfoot started right off with Cotton Jenney..folks were singing along and clapping, the rains weren't too hard but oh my the lightning was everywhere..There were huge bolts crossing the skies all around us going both horizontally and vertically and the lightning behind the clouds lit them up like stage lights. We were in for two major events..a man made one and an all natural one.
Lightfoot sounded a bit raspy at first and the sound was low but it sorted itself out and the next tune up was Carefree Highway. At one point early on Lightfoot shook his head and had a big smile as he said to the thousands of crazy folks in front of him "We'll understand if you scatter...if you scatter..we'll understand." The rain had gotten harder and despite our best efforts and our rain gear we were getting quite damp..rain was trickling everywhere..lol.
He sang 14 Karat Gold, A Painter Passing Through and then that oh so sad song, "Clouds of Loneliness." Next up was another self revelatory song - "In My Fashion."
Then because of where he was he sang "Couchiching."
Those lyrics of "When I get my final slumber, when I pawn my diamond ring
I will do my final number, by Lake Couchiching" were accompanied at that moment by huge rumblings in the dark sky and lightning making everyone ooh and aah..It spooked me and sent shivers down my very wet back.
Earlier in the day I was talking with Mike and we were laughing about Orillia not being too good a place for Lightfoot and the band in the last several years..back in '96 I believe, he was ill and couldn't play so Pee Wee stepped in..then in 2002 Gord fell ill, in 2004 at the 'make-up' concert Barry Harvey fell off the equipment truck and lo and behold tonight the weather had turned on us!
But being the consummate pro that he is Lightfoot just kept on playing. Surely to gawd he noticed the lightning? Or that he was standing amongst a lot of electrical stuff? Or that Barry Harvey came right up on stage several times, once with a geetar case, totally visible to Gord as if to say, "ok boss, let's wrap it up and get the hell out of town!.”
Nope, he just kept on playing and we went crazy every time a song ended and he began another..
It was amazing to see people dancing and clapping in the now torrential rains, lit up from above by natures’ billion kilowatt bulbs..!
They did The Watchman's Gone and then Sundown with all of us singing along and despite the sound of rain pounding on the hood of my poncho I could hear everyone clearly over it, the thunder and cracks of lightning.
What a blast!
We were now soaked top to bottom and places we didn't know we had but who cared? Who cared that we still had to get to our car, wait out the huge line-ups out of the parking lot and drive an hour home? Not one person cared!
And Lightfoot just kept on singing...
Up next was The Wreck and the gales of July were the perfect backdrop for the song. I had thought that perhaps he'd call it a night and leave after Couchiching...then I thought maybe after The Wreck because it was raining even harder by then!!
But then he launched into If You Could Read My Mind and every drenched soul stood there mesmerized as he nailed it and we let him know how perfect it was with a huge ovation. I think soaking wet hands clap louder than dry ones...lol
Ohmygoodness he wasn't finished and he trotted out the epic Canadian Railroad Trilogy - more singing, clapping, hooting and hollering and I was ready to head out because The Man must be ready to leave now….wasn't he?
Nope.
He still had the toe-tappers left!
I had to laugh out loud at his resolve..he had said "we came here to do a job and we're not leaving until we do it!" and damned if he wasn't true to his ever lovin' word. At one point he put his hand to his head and rubbed it, saying "I've been working all week for this! and now it's raining!" He backed away from the mic shrugging his shoulders and laughing.
Around the time he was doing Sundown they started lowering the roof because the wind had picked up a bit and worry about the equipment getting wet and the band and Lightfoot being in danger was a paramount concern. Chuck had told me this could be done when I spoke to him earlier..it wasn't apparent to the band that it was being lowered but at one point Mike noticed the large Mariposa flag hanging as a backdrop moving lower and looked up at the roof coming down on them!!..I got a good chuckle out of his reaction..
While the few thousand of us left stood soaked to the bone after almost an hour in lovely, little Tudhope Park, a small jewel in a quaint Ontario town called Orillia, Gordon Lightfoot launched into Blackberry Wine and then Old Dan's Records..
he thanked us all for coming and with a smile and wave he was gone.
We packed up as best we could and made our way through ankle deep water to the parking areas..we were all laughing and singing and reveling in one of the most wonderful evenings we'd ever had..thousands of us, young and not so young, all soaked, all satisfied that we had got what we came for, weather be damned..we had Lightfoot for 14 songs, a glorious hour of adoration and mutual admiration as man triumphed over nature in a way that only those of us there could experience..
Lightfoot was back home to sing for the faithful and he not only successfully did that but he also showed us what an immensely professional and devoted performer he is for his fans..and THAT is why we went and more importantly why we stayed.
(thanks Danno)
some pics taken by Dan, some by me:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=tdypvnn.65jn7err&Uy=uiwrix&Ux=0
a not great video ( it was a bit wet out!) with appropriate description about the storm/song at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5eN4pGxYYM#GU5U2spHI_4
and video by Danno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhy84ZMKV3A
[ July 09, 2007, 17:55: Message edited by: charlene ]
Another birthday celebrated with The Man and friends at Mariposa in quite a memorable fashion! First time was 2000 when Mariposa returned to Orillia from the Toronto Islands, then again in 2005 and now this year!
An early morning call from Brian and the news that he wasn't going to be able to make it to Orillia as planned started a long eventful day..darn – we always have a good time with him! A call from my glass instructor/friend then came in and she filled in for Brian!
My dear buddy/brother Dan came up from Hamburg NY around noon bearing gifts. A beautiful cake, a six pack of Edmund Fitzgerald beer and pizza from my fave place in Hamburg NY! A great start to the day..LOL I only wish his wife and dear friend Nanci could have joined in the festivities..
Dan, Lisa and I lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday and had pizza and cake. The candles did not melt the wording and icing on the cake as they did two years ago...Dan brought a '2' and '5' candle instead of 52 singles!
Smart man!! Must have been Nanci's idea.. ;)
We headed up Hwy.#12 which is the main street of Whitby where I live and we picked up Shirley along the way and about an hour later at 2:30 we were parking in Tudhope Park, Orillia on the shores of Lake Couchiching. It was quite hot and humid and running around 33C (93F) but feeling like 40..A bit overcast and a slight hot breeze.
We headed to the beer tent after setting up our chairs..
We walked thru the artisans area after eating our way thru the food pavilions..lol
We talked with Barry Harvey and Rick Haynes for a bit and then Barry Keane but The Man wasn't scheduled to show until around 8:30 or so..Barry Keane had been playing ball with his ‘oldies’ team and told me they'd be in some competitions across the country in the next few months. He should try out for the Blue Jays! Good luck to him and his team!
We spent some time with Mike Heffernan and Patti as well. It’s always a treat and fun with them. They gave me a lovely birthday card! We made another trip to the beer tent and to listen to some other performances onstage in that area..oh yeah and to have something else to eat..good grief.
It seemed at times that the skies would open up and there would be a deluge but the clouds would pass and we'd breathe a sigh of relief. But it was still very hot! About 90F+ and feeling hotter because of the high humidity.
I spoke with stage manager Chuck for a while and he was readying himself with bug spray for the predicted onslaught of flying bugs that are drawn to the performers by the stage lights. In 2005 and 2000 they threatened to take over the show..they were huge! Chuck flew in the night before and was going home today..he does a superb job for the Lightfoot folks.
And we had no idea earlier in the day just how his expertise would be tested. It was nice to see him again.
The crowd was getting larger and the mainstage had performers on all afternoon. It's a great festival with lots to do and see, several stages with various performers, song circles and singing/guitar workshops going on all day. The artisans area featured luthiers, glass, clothes, jewellery, crafted wood items etc. And as I may have mentioned there was a beer tent. ;)
But this being Ontario, home of high taxes and some silly laws we were not allowed to leave the beer tent area with our beer and enjoy them whilst enjoying the talent at the various stages. We are not allowed to walk around with alcoholic beverages or leave the designated drinking area….ever…
crikey.
Anyway..it was getting time to settle in and get ready for The Man..
We said our good-byes to Mike, Terry et al and that's right when Mr. Lightfoot pulled up in a black sedan with heavily tinted windows..It was about 40 minutes or less until his stage time. He pulled into a spot right in front of us! After a few moments Barry opened the back door and carried off a geetar..he came back and The Man and another geetar emerged to cheering and applause and "Gord rocks","we love you Gord"..he looked around, turned our way and smiled, waved and was off to tune up with Mike, get changed and get onstage. It was almost completely dark out at this time of 9:15 or so..
The Man and the band took the stage just as the thunder started rumbling, lightning was seen off in the distance and a few drops of rain were felt.
oh dear...then all hell broke loose...
Some of the less hearty and adventurous types folded up their chairs and hustled their dry butts out of town..the rest of us remained for whatever was coming.
And it didn't take long to find out just exactly what the weather gods had in store for THE most wild (and wet) concert I've ever attended.
I had packed ponchos and raincoats, large plastic bags and umbrellas JUST in case..I shoulda been a Boy Scout!
The four of us donned our most becoming apparel and hunkered down as Lightfoot started right off with Cotton Jenney..folks were singing along and clapping, the rains weren't too hard but oh my the lightning was everywhere..There were huge bolts crossing the skies all around us going both horizontally and vertically and the lightning behind the clouds lit them up like stage lights. We were in for two major events..a man made one and an all natural one.
Lightfoot sounded a bit raspy at first and the sound was low but it sorted itself out and the next tune up was Carefree Highway. At one point early on Lightfoot shook his head and had a big smile as he said to the thousands of crazy folks in front of him "We'll understand if you scatter...if you scatter..we'll understand." The rain had gotten harder and despite our best efforts and our rain gear we were getting quite damp..rain was trickling everywhere..lol.
He sang 14 Karat Gold, A Painter Passing Through and then that oh so sad song, "Clouds of Loneliness." Next up was another self revelatory song - "In My Fashion."
Then because of where he was he sang "Couchiching."
Those lyrics of "When I get my final slumber, when I pawn my diamond ring
I will do my final number, by Lake Couchiching" were accompanied at that moment by huge rumblings in the dark sky and lightning making everyone ooh and aah..It spooked me and sent shivers down my very wet back.
Earlier in the day I was talking with Mike and we were laughing about Orillia not being too good a place for Lightfoot and the band in the last several years..back in '96 I believe, he was ill and couldn't play so Pee Wee stepped in..then in 2002 Gord fell ill, in 2004 at the 'make-up' concert Barry Harvey fell off the equipment truck and lo and behold tonight the weather had turned on us!
But being the consummate pro that he is Lightfoot just kept on playing. Surely to gawd he noticed the lightning? Or that he was standing amongst a lot of electrical stuff? Or that Barry Harvey came right up on stage several times, once with a geetar case, totally visible to Gord as if to say, "ok boss, let's wrap it up and get the hell out of town!.”
Nope, he just kept on playing and we went crazy every time a song ended and he began another..
It was amazing to see people dancing and clapping in the now torrential rains, lit up from above by natures’ billion kilowatt bulbs..!
They did The Watchman's Gone and then Sundown with all of us singing along and despite the sound of rain pounding on the hood of my poncho I could hear everyone clearly over it, the thunder and cracks of lightning.
What a blast!
We were now soaked top to bottom and places we didn't know we had but who cared? Who cared that we still had to get to our car, wait out the huge line-ups out of the parking lot and drive an hour home? Not one person cared!
And Lightfoot just kept on singing...
Up next was The Wreck and the gales of July were the perfect backdrop for the song. I had thought that perhaps he'd call it a night and leave after Couchiching...then I thought maybe after The Wreck because it was raining even harder by then!!
But then he launched into If You Could Read My Mind and every drenched soul stood there mesmerized as he nailed it and we let him know how perfect it was with a huge ovation. I think soaking wet hands clap louder than dry ones...lol
Ohmygoodness he wasn't finished and he trotted out the epic Canadian Railroad Trilogy - more singing, clapping, hooting and hollering and I was ready to head out because The Man must be ready to leave now….wasn't he?
Nope.
He still had the toe-tappers left!
I had to laugh out loud at his resolve..he had said "we came here to do a job and we're not leaving until we do it!" and damned if he wasn't true to his ever lovin' word. At one point he put his hand to his head and rubbed it, saying "I've been working all week for this! and now it's raining!" He backed away from the mic shrugging his shoulders and laughing.
Around the time he was doing Sundown they started lowering the roof because the wind had picked up a bit and worry about the equipment getting wet and the band and Lightfoot being in danger was a paramount concern. Chuck had told me this could be done when I spoke to him earlier..it wasn't apparent to the band that it was being lowered but at one point Mike noticed the large Mariposa flag hanging as a backdrop moving lower and looked up at the roof coming down on them!!..I got a good chuckle out of his reaction..
While the few thousand of us left stood soaked to the bone after almost an hour in lovely, little Tudhope Park, a small jewel in a quaint Ontario town called Orillia, Gordon Lightfoot launched into Blackberry Wine and then Old Dan's Records..
he thanked us all for coming and with a smile and wave he was gone.
We packed up as best we could and made our way through ankle deep water to the parking areas..we were all laughing and singing and reveling in one of the most wonderful evenings we'd ever had..thousands of us, young and not so young, all soaked, all satisfied that we had got what we came for, weather be damned..we had Lightfoot for 14 songs, a glorious hour of adoration and mutual admiration as man triumphed over nature in a way that only those of us there could experience..
Lightfoot was back home to sing for the faithful and he not only successfully did that but he also showed us what an immensely professional and devoted performer he is for his fans..and THAT is why we went and more importantly why we stayed.
(thanks Danno)
some pics taken by Dan, some by me:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=tdypvnn.65jn7err&Uy=uiwrix&Ux=0
a not great video ( it was a bit wet out!) with appropriate description about the storm/song at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5eN4pGxYYM#GU5U2spHI_4
and video by Danno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhy84ZMKV3A
[ July 09, 2007, 17:55: Message edited by: charlene ]