Waukegan

[OldDan]

Gordon Lightfoot and his band took to the stage of Waukegan's ornate Genesee Theatre on a cold March night. They warmed the audience with the opening number Triangle. Gordon was in good spirits attired in his standard stage outfit; dark iridescent vest, white shirt and black slacks. He did the poignant If Children Had Wings which I haven't heard him do live in quite a while. At one point he jokingly asked the audience, "Where are we?" and was loudly told Waukegan!! by several audience members to whom he replied, "I know now!". Later in the second set he had fun with the name observing, "Waukegan, it makes you smile!", accentuating the middle syllable. I enjoyed the rousing version of Sundown which got strong applause afterward. Gordon's voice seemed stronger and was even better in the second set which he opened with Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald. He related how the song Waiting For You was written for his second wife on a "red eye" flight back home from a tour and then proudly showed us the ring on his finger. I had read somewhere that he was separated from Elizabeth, but perhaps things are better now. He paid homage to Bob Dylan with Ring Them Bells and followed that with the classic If You Could Read My Mind. He closed the show with two encores, Blackberry Wine and Old Dan's Records and received a standing ovation. An enjoyable evening in Wau-KE-gan!

Here's the set list:

Triangle
Cotton Jenny
14 Karat Gold
Never Too Close
A Painter Passing Through
In My Fashion
If Children Had Wings
Shadows
Beautiful
Carefree Highway
Hangdog Hotel Room
Ribbon Of Darkness
Sundown
The Watchman's Gone

Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Alberta Bound
Don Quixote
Clouds Of Loneliness
Waiting For You
Ring Them Bells
If You Could Read My Mind
Baby Step Back
Restless
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Blackberry Wine
Old Dan's Records

[charlene]

I like the listing of A Painter Passing Through, then In My Fashion and then If Children Had Wings..lovely trilogy..
thanks for the report..
I can just hear him saying Wau-KE-gan..and the little smile he'd have enjoying his own "Gord's Fun with Words" moment..

[RM]

Thanks for the great review. It sure is nice to hear again and again how much he is enjoying himself. It certainly beats the surly days of yesteryear.

[Jesse Joe]

Thank you OldDan for sharing this. :)

[Dream Street Rose]

Hi Dan,

Thank you for the wonderful review. Happy to hear about the enjoyable evening you had. :)

DSR

[Peter Bro10]

Thanks for the review OldDan!
Good to hear that Gord is enjoying himself touring...
I holding out for Joliet and maybe Peoria...

[Peter Bro10]

Ok, Peoria tickets ordered!
Who else is going???

[Moosedog]

I had a great time at the Waukegan show, and it was hilarious when Gord said he forgot where he was! I am so glad everyone else does a set list, because I just can't manage to pull myself away from listening to jot it down! My brother came to the concert too, and had never seen Gord do CRT - he was impressed! :)

Vickie

[Kathy in Michigan]

Vickie,
I'm so sorry I missed you in Manistee! I think you walked right by me to get to your seat. Is your hair very short and you had on a leather jacket????? And are you quite tall? I ran over to your seat as soon as the concert ended, dragging the husband with me (he's not too outgoing) and you had already left. Did you go backstage? How do you even know how to get back stage?
Well, really sorry to have missed you. Bill, too.
Kathy