Massey Hall 2014-reviews-setlists-pics-videos&STAR article-SUPERFANS

[Dan O'Malley]

Flying from Heathrow Tuesday morning! All that overtime is finally paying off. Seeya Wednesday Gordie!!

[charlene]

see ya there - !!

[paskatefan]

Have a wonderful time. Our dream is to some day see Gordon in Massey Hall. Glad we got to visit Toronto this summer again.

Gail

[charlene]

and so it begins!
The pilgrammage is underway and those making the journey will be in their pews at The Church of Gord waiting for The Man to make his way to HIS spot on the boards of Massey Hall..

more later...

[Melissa]

Hope "later" comes soon!
Wish I were there.
Have a great time, all!

Melissa

[paskatefan]

Enjoy , enjoy, enjoy!

Gail

[T.G.]

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/11/27/gordon-lightfoot-remains-a-crowd-pleaser/

Gordon Lightfoot remains a crowd pleaser
By Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sun
First posted: Thursday, November 27, 2014 12:20 PM EST | Updated: Thursday, November 27, 2014 01:02 PM EST

TORONTO - The hardest working man in show business?

Okay, so he’s no James Brown but esteemed 76-year-old Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot is certainly not resting on his laurels in his later years - albeit in his gentler and more low-key way.

Lightfoot -- a paler, skinnier version of his former self -- told the Wednesday night crowd at the first of four Massey Hall shows (during his traditional fall residency) that he had already played 88 other shows in 2014.

On top of that, as the intermission ended between his first and second sets, Lightfoot was awarded the inaugural Massey Hall Honors Award for having performed 152 concerts at the venue over the last five decades - more than any other artist - by the CEO and President Charles S. Cutts.

Cutts, who claimed to be making his own debut on the much celebrated stage, called Lightfoot one of Canada’s “musical ambassadors” and certainly the rowdy crowd at Massey Hall - including Toronto mayor-elect John Tory - didn’t disagree continually shouting out their love and affection throughout his hour and 50-minute performance.

“I’m Gordon Lightfoot - rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” the singer joked referring to an erroneous 2010 death report and his very real and serious health battle in 2002 when he suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm right before he was about to go on stage in his hometown of Orillia.

His voice hasn’t really been the same since - he also underwent a tracheotomy - as his delivery has become more clipped, weaker, and breath-filled, and the higher notes a struggle.

But no one at Massey Hall was expecting to hear the Lightfoot voice of old and instead came to pay their respects to a songwriting legend. (Much like the vocally challenged Bob Dylan at the Sony Centre a week ago where Lightfood was spotted n the crowd.)

Backed by the restrained but incredibly effective ensemble of bassist Rick Haynes, keyboardist Michael Heffernan, drummer-percussionist Barry Keane and lead guitarist Carter Lancaster, Lightfoot (who began dressed in a burgundy velvet jacket before changing into a blue velvet one in the second set) took his performance very seriously and left the stage banter to a mininum.

Staring straight ahead as he sang, often counting off the start of each song, he also didn’t hesitate to take care of himself, administering nose spray a couple of times during the concert (the first time I've witnessed that during a show).

Songs highlights were Rainy Day People, Carefree Highway, Cotton Jenny, Sundown, and Early Mornin’ Rain (which he explained had been covered by “Bob ... I call him by his first name,”) in the first set.

Second set standouts included The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald, If You Could Read My Mind, Baby Step Back, and Canadian Railroad Trilogy (during which he appeared to get choked up at the end).

Lightfoot’s iconic Massey Hall residencies were most recently celebrated with the 2012 release of All Live, a collection of live recordings made at the hall between 1998 and 2001.

In the meantime, he was scheduled for three more Massey Hall performances this week from Thursday to Saturday.

[T.G.]

http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/Concerts/gordon_lightfoot-massey_hall_toronto_on_november_26

Gordon Lightfoot Massey Hall, Toronto ON, November 26
By Mike Sauve
7/10

Outside of playing road hockey with Don Cherry, it's hard to imagine a more Canadian activity than seeing Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall. It's this entrenchment as a national icon moreso than, but combined with, his legacy as an AM radio hit-maker that will help fill the historic venue for an impressive four straight nights.

Lightfoot introduced himself at his first show last night (November 26) with a joke only slightly older than himself, Mark Twain's "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Most in the crowd were probably aware of the health problems that have robbed Lightfoot of his signature baritone, but the first few songs were still painful to experience. His voice was cracking, and he was missing most notes. As fate had it, the line, "When I was in my prime," from "Painter Passing Through," presented Lightfoot at his weakest, to the point where there was palpable tension in the venue.

One woman near the front spent the entirety of the concert doing her level best to ruin it for all those in a 50-row vicinity, screaming along off-key, and shouting nonsense to fill any silence. In all her drunken horror she also slurred a line that no music critic would have the guts to write, crowed loud enough that Lightfoot almost certainly heard: "Why does he sound like the Bee Gees?"

Though the woman's din continued, Lightfoot's voice strengthened just in time for a string of hits, including "Carefree Highway," "Cotton Jenny" and "Sundown," all but the last of which sounded just fine within Lightfoot's current range.

After intermission, the president of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, joined by Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, presented the 76-year-old troubadour with the first-ever Massey Hall Honours Award. Lightfoot seemed a bit embarrassed by the whole process, but took a photo with the pair nonetheless. [The photo can be seen at the bottom of the review. - ed.]

The second set featured three of Lightfoot's masterpieces, "Canadian Railroad Trilogy," "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and "If You Could Read My Mind." In his crushed velvet suit, somehow looking as vital as he did vulnerable, he really did seem like, as he sings, "a ghost you can't see."

Bob Dylan has long advocated for Lightfoot as one of the major songwriters, and there are many similarities at this point in their careers. Neither sound anything like they used to, and both are victims of insensitive remarks from fans calling for their retirement. But Dylan works within his limited range to bark out lyrics in a way that is fresh and exciting, whereas the nature of Lightfoot's material traps him into doing his most accurate representation of it, difficult though it may be.

Also, where Dylan's band is heavily relied upon, Lightfoot's equally capable one rarely steps out of the background - there was one solo in the whole set of more than 25 songs. Though battered and frail, Lightfoot's voice will carry the load during the 88 dates he'll play this year. Some will complain, but the real fans know that "heroes often fail," and in doing so, sometimes provide their most heart-rending work.

[T.G.]

Gordon Lightfoot - If you could read my mind - Massey hall - YouTube

[jj]

safe travels and have fun… got a little bit of snow today but mild for weekend

[lighthead2toe]

Just a short note to say the Massey concerts are in full swing and the vibe is on an all time high here in Gordtown.

Since his last concert series here his vocal has come on and continues to come on stronger as time moves on since his illness.

It's a busy time for all and we'll have more to come as things unfold.

RJ.

[jj]

by Amy Dempsey GTA, Published on Sun Nov 30 2014
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2014/11/30/gordon_lightfoot_superfans_cherish_every_show.html

The lights fade at precisely 8 o’clock, and out to the stage he saunters, a stick figure in high-waisted jeans and a red velvet jacket, his right hip thrust forward, wispy grey mane combed back, a 12-string guitar slung over his shoulder.
It’s Gordon. Flipping. Lightfoot. The Living Legend. Live at Massey Hall for the 152nd time, paler and more croaky than he used to be, but the fans here to see him know what to expect.
In the front row, a woman with a cap of silver hair takes a deep breath. “Here we go,” she whispers as the crowd rises in a pre-show standing ovation.
Her name is Charlene Westbrook, but the folks here just call her Char. She is a Gordon Lightfoot superfan, part of a group of devotees from across the globe who call themselves “Lightfoot lifers” and plan their vacations around his touring schedule. Char, 59, has seen him in concert more times than she can count, but definitely north of 100. She is from Massey-handy Whitby, but her pals in the audience tonight have come from as far away as California, Germany and Brazil.
For the true fan who can afford to make the pilgrimage to Toronto, Lightfoot at Massey Hall is a right of passage. Char calls this place the Church of Gord, and she is a proud disciple.
“Every time he plays, I find my pew and I’m giving thanks,” she says.
She has sat in quiet rapture in these rickety seats nearly every year he has performed since her first show in 1975. Tonight she holds in her lap a small notebook and pen for jotting down the set list anda palm-sized digital camera for the discreet recording of anything new and unusual.The people who can’t be here are counting on her to document it all for corfid.com, the fan site she moderates.
Lightfoot opens with “Now and Then,” hitting some notes and missing others, but Char taps her foot all the same. She knows it takes a while to warm up sometimes. And yes, his voice isn’t the smooth baritone it used to be, but it sounds just fine to her.

“Of course his voice is different — he’s 76!” she says. “The voice suits the songs more because it’s a voice that has been lived in.”
Char organized the purchase of 75 tickets for last week’s four-night Massey Hall run: four for herself, two for her daughter, Lisa, and the rest for fellow Lightfoot disciples who have come from afar.
For this crew, Lightfoot at Massey Hall is unmissable. They will sit through all four shows, from Wednesday to Saturday, because who knows how long it will last? The health scare in 2002 and the false reports of his death in 2010 have made each performance seem more important.
Two weeks before opening night, Char is at home in Whitby sorting through a basket of Lightfoot ticket stubs and set lists, three decades worth of memorabilia. “I always was a keeper,” she says cheerfully.
Char is a daycare provider whose toddler charges sing along to “Alberta Bound” and can name the man who wrote it: Gordon Light-put.
She is a stained glass hobbyist who recently made a 3D wall hanging of a line of sheet music from “Beautiful” for Pee Wee Charles, Lightfoot’s former pedal steel guitar player, a man she befriended a few years back.
She is a mom whose 26-year-old daughter shares her enthusiasm for the living legend, but whose older son, despite having attended a Lightfoot show at Massey Hall in 1984 while still in the womb, emerged with more raucous musical tastes, which doesn’t so much disappoint Char as bewilder her.
The walls in her TV room are adorned with Lightfoot art — Gord on a stamp, Gord onstage, Gord on the bill at Massey Hall. There used to be more but she toned it down.
In the basement she has every Lightfoot album ever recorded, on vinyl, cassette and CD. In a special frame she keeps a 45 of “If You Could Read My Mind,” which for Char is how it all started, in 1971. She was a heartbroken teen growing up in Etobicoke when she first heard him on the radio. That voice. Those words!
Char danced to “Beautiful” at her wedding in 1977. Twenty-five years later, the songs and friendships developed through Lightfoot’s music helped her carry on after divorce. By then Char had entered the online age of her fandom. Things accelerated quickly after she got the Internet.
“The first thing I did was type in Gordon Lightfoot,” Char says. “And up popped this website and a news group. All these people were on there talking about Lightfoot and I thought, ‘Oh my God. I’m not the only one.’ ”
A few years later she found herself hosting a backyard barbecue for 60 strangers, Lightfoot fans from Australia, Austria, England and across the United States, many of whom are now her friends.They had all come to town for a Lightfoot convention organized by Jenney Rivard, a fan from Connecticut, and timed to his 2001 Massey Hall run.
Over the years, Char and her crew have become friendly with members of the band and their families, including Lightfoot, who Char has spoken to a few dozen times. She and others get backstage passes for many of the shows they attend, and he’s always been generous with his time. He knows Char by name and refers to the larger fan group as the “Net people” (Net as in Internet). He has sung an old song for Char after she asked him to bring it back into the mix — “I’ll Tag Along,” one of her favourites.
She has no romantic feelings for the man, just an intense appreciation for the music and all the positive things it has brought into her life. Not everyone understands her fandom, but that’s fine with Char.
“Behind my back I’m sure some people think, ‘Oh my God, what a waste,’ ” she says with a shrug. “But we all have our things that get us through the day, make our life a little bit better.”
On opening night, an hour before Lightfoot kicks off the show with “Now and Then,” Char and five other fan friends are at a pub, talking about a brilliant line from that very song.
Once inside we found a curious moonbeam/Doing dances on the floor
“Who the hell thinks of that?” asks Deb Brinkley, a dog rescuer from Colorado who flew in for the weekend. The 58-year-old fan is wearing a T-shirt adorned with the giant face of a Siberian husky.
“The man is a musical genius,” says Anne Przykucki, a 34-year-old grant manager from Michigan, the baby of the group. Her Lightfoot fan origin story is among the best: Przykucki’s mother listened to him perform on TV in the hospital when she was in labour, so baby Anne was literally born a fan. She first came to Massey to see him when she was 17.
Everyone here has been making the Toronto trip for years. Jenney Rivard from Connecticut. Donnie Budd from Texas. Lori Uffner from Florida. None are rich; this is just how they choose to spend their vacations. With Lightfoot and with each other. Over the years they have become a family, and this is their reunion.
“A lot of friendships have been forged and a couple of marriages, too,” says Uffner, a Floridian with a thick accent carried over from her early life in Long Island, N.Y. A fan from England wed a fan from New Jersey.
They all say they never tire of Lightfoot, even after four nights in a row.
“Bored of Gord?” says Brinkley the dog rescuer. “No.
“We go every night because there might be something different.”
Once there was an audience fist fight in Burlington, Vt. Another time, at Massey, a guy fell asleep in an aisle seat near the front and Gord paused during “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” to draw attention to him. “And many are the dead men . . . ” he sang. “There’s one now!”
They have seen some pretty theatres and some pretty terrible ones. Sometimes it’s the subtle things that stand out, like if the band plays a song a way they’ve never heard it before.For the close watcher, there’s always a surprise.
The fans get their surprise after intermission, when Lightfoot walks out onstage, sans guitar, with Massey Hall CEO Charles Cutts and the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Ontario’s new Lieutenant Governor.
They are there to present Lightfoot with the inaugural Massey Hall Honours award, to celebrate his 152nd performance — more than anyone else in the venue’s history
It’s an awkward delivery. Lightfoot nods as the presenters offer lengthy praise, calling him an ambassador who has helped create and shape the Canadian identity. But the fans love it, and Char captures a quick video for the fan website.
Lightfoot has changed into a blue velvet jacket for the second set. Midway through,the band strikes the first few chords of that old classic Char has been waiting for, “If You Could Read My Mind.”
It’s a song that has been a part of her life for 44 years, as long as the man who wrote it has. Char bows her head in appreciation. Then she smiles and sings along.

[charlene]

I never heard any woman screaming from the front row...I was in the front row as well. A woman with a beer did come up to the stage after a song or when he came back from break but said nothing and after a moment went back to whence she came.
I did have a moron behind me on the last night who hummed along with every gawd damned song tho...Really people-respect the fact that people have gone to a concert to hear the guy onstage. Not your sorry assed mumblings and humming. (thanks for posting TG! and good to see and hear you again at McVeigh's!)

[T.G.]

I know, I had a guy sitting beside me front row at Massey Hall several years ago who seemed to think Gord's concert was a karaoke session. Good seeing you at McVeigh's, too!

[formerlylavender]

Great article! Thanks for posting this jj.

[jj]

no problem :) there are pics that go with it… try the link

there was much that could had been elaborated on but the article caught the gist i think… another pub gathering where guests played Gord songs and there was also Wayne Francis (creator of the Lightfoot website) and Val McGee (gl.com) and so if we had Florian it wold have been a hat trick this year ! :)

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2014/11/30/gordon_lightfoot_superfans_cherish_every_show.html

[johnfowles]

part of a group of devotees from across the globe who call themselves “Lightfoot lifers”
wher on earth did that come from?
What is wrong with the traditional "Lightheads'??
was something lost in the translation from reporter's notes to the printed text??
Great article anyway

[johnfowles]

wher on earth did that come from?
What is wrong with the traditional "Lightheads'??
was something lost in the translation from reporter's notes to the printed text??
Great article anyway
A fan from England wed a fan from New Jersey.

Guilty M'lud
that would be me
Also another fan from Washington State wed an Australian
and a Californian is possibly still Frollicking with a fraulein from Frankfurt
http://img1.prosperent.com/images/250x250/cdn.wholesalecostumeclub.com/csc_inc/images/items/480x600/BW877.jpg

way to go Eva!!
We had to miss the Massey jolifications for the first time since we met in 1999 because it was an important family US Thanksgiving for Susan and I this year on the 27th

[jj]

yeah, John… the article had a cool background that char can tell (she must be pooped!) but something about correcting a comment someone made that called Gord fans "Lightfooters" … she advised that it was Lightheads …maybe it was Lighthead Lifers ( that works:) ) … regardless, it caught the vibe, eh! … the reporter plays in a band with Kenyon… it's a good all around story, cheers and hope you had a good holiday and are on the mend, Sir… you were missed

[charlene]

Lightfoot lifers and Lightheads are different things. I was referring to many of us who have been fans almost our whole lives... lifelong fans. Lightheads are people who are fans regardless of just finding him or being long time fans. what does it matter?
Had she printed all of what we discussed the article would have ran 6 pages..lol.. Had a ball and was glad to include the fans and friends in the Lightfoot world I know..

[jj]

i think i got it, so newbies (or non-Lifers) are Lightheads… i don't call myself either so it doesnt matter to me… just a Gord fan… since '67, cos i had no choice, it was just played lots in the household… as a kid, i liked that Lightfoot! album cover… but when playing guitar is when it kicked in most

i wonder how many fans of musicians get together and play/perform their music… i know there are Blue Rodeo ones who have few players who do so, but their events are in nicer weather and so are outdoor jams… maybe we can try that one May… there are many in our clan with PA systems to drive it all :)

so question: who are the non-Lifers at the board? (ie. new or recent fans)

ps) I had hummer/singers in front and behind, and it wasnt just for IYCRMM, lol (I'm sure the writer meant char was mouthing and not singing along …there was an entire row behind Bev Lightfoot Eyers who were late comers and singing, and she just Kept Calm and looked used to that sort of thing… I guess when it's people singing your brother's lyrics, it can't be very aggravating, eh? :) )

[jj]

was Dan at the pub? there was a nice couple from overseas that was speaking to John and others plus enjoying many of the renditions… I had a fully charged HD device for filming plus a table top tripod on trial, but i arrived late and just settled in back…unfortunately the device didnt have zoom in ability like my old SD cam… one year, Myk recorded audio and it was synched to my visuals … speaking of hilarious Myk, I don't know why he never plays …that's a cool bass!

[charlene]

I was NOT 'singing' along..lip synching only. I HATE singers/hummers/mumblers/talkers/ at concerts unless their sorry arses are up onstage.
Singing along to a 'sing along' song is ok - but fer chrissake do NOT sing along to IYCRMM or any other ballads!
I am still pissed.
;)

[charlene]

yep - Dan was there! Got a big hug from him too!
I met the Brits who came in and saw them at Massey-they got some great last minute seats. I have their e-mail address too...

[jj]

oh I know… that's why the last line in the article is ironic, lol… i know what she meant! … i agree, i felt partially bad that people wanted to show their pals that they knew all the lyrics (they didnt!) by singing along .. i think there should be designated songs that allow for that and clapping… like CRT section, Sundown, Cotton Jenny or whatever (the Waiting for You encore, fine with me) … but leave the Minstrel of the Dawn and all that stuff… there was even chatter during that song and some others, discussing what album or year the song was off of… discuss that stuff later! …go home and put on the CD and sing and chat!! maybe there are different rules in the Gallery… i like the guy yelling "where are you from?" … Gord is like WTF? i just sang Couchiching… Orillia … Rama… sheesh, lol

[jj]

ok, so Dan wasn't part of that couple then … nice stuff, no clue how anyone would know about Lightfoot Jam there…no posters that I could see

[charlene]

I think that guy just wanted a reason to cheer when Gordon said ORILLIA! - He was a bit flummoxed tho..

[charlene]

Watch on youtube-Massey 2014 videos - songs and special presentation! www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9vgVM2-Wov36j1JZyUs_5i

[charlene]

MUCH TO MY SURPRISE www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7piFO_vpA8

[charlene]

PRESENTATION
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHdH9VqYVJQ&index=2&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9vgVM2-Wov36j1JZyUs_5i

[charlene]

DRINK YER GLASSES EMPTY www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPw1EFpBhgc

[charlene]

I'D RATHER PRESS ON www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqTItPls1BU&index=4&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9vgVM2-Wov36j1JZyUs_5i

[charlene]

CHIT CHAT ONSTAGE www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndvVGNC82gU&index=5&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9vgVM2-Wov36j1JZyUs_5i

[charlene]

WAITING FOR YOU www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGT1JdMpsBo&index=6&list=PLW8fA0x1r8C9vgVM2-Wov36j1JZyUs_5i

[charlene]

IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND (not my video)www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS3NsoTdOz8

[paskatefan]

Wow, what an article! Char, you rock! Thanks for the mini videos, too!

Gail

[Dan O'Malley]

Back home in London now, i'm afraid to say! Had many a Guinness at McVeighs on Saturday! Gordon was great, 20 shows in 5 visits to Massey now!! "Much to My Surprise" was my personal highlight of all the shows. Also I've got a Maple Leaf tattoo on my wrist which I now have to explain to all my English friends! lol

[Dan O'Malley]

Incidentally, during a silent moment at Thursday's show (Think it was Thursday!), I Hollered "You're the best Gordon!". I got a faint ripple of applause lol. Hope someone has recorded it, you can't mistake my cockney voice lol. Also,Was getting a ticket at Massey thursday afternoon and Rick Haynes just happened to stroll past! Told him I enjoyed wednesday's show and he thanked me and smiled. Will never forget that!!

[charlene]

SETLIST
Toronto, ON
Massey Hall - Wednesday,November 26, 2014
Now And Then
Waiting For You
Drifters
All The Lovely Ladies
A Painter Passing Through
Rainy Day People
Shadows
Beautiful
Much To My Surprise
Carefree Highway
Cotton Jenny
Sundown
Early Morning Rain

Drink Yer Glasses Empty
Sweet Guinevere
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Never Too Close
14 Karat Gold
I'd Rather Press On
Wild Strawberries
Let It Ride
If You Could Read My Mind
Restless
Baby Step Back
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Song For A Winter's Night

[charlene]

SETLIST
Toronto, ON
Massey Hall - Thursday,November 27, 2014
Sweet Guinevere
Cotton Jenny
Sea Of Tranquility
Drifters
Don Quixote
Clouds Of Loneliness
Wild Strawberries
Christian Island
Rainy Day People
Shadows
Beautiful
The Watchman's Gone
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Carefree Highway

Drink Yer Glasses Empty
Now And Then
Ribbon Of Darkness
Sundown
All The Lovely Ladies
A Painter Passing Through
I'd Rather Press On
Couchiching
If You Could Read My Mind
Restless
Baby Step Back
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Waiting For You

[charlene]

SETLIST
Toronto, ON
Massey Hall - Friday,November 28, 2014
Now And Then
Waiting For You
Never Too Close
All The Lovely Ladies
A Painter Passing Through
Rainy Day People
Shadows
Beautiful
Let It Ride
Much To My Surprise
Carefree Highway
Cotton Jenny
Ribbon Of Darkness
Sundown
Early Morning Rain

Drink Yer Glasses Empty
Sweet Guinevere
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Drifters
Don Quixote
I'd Rather Press On
Wild Strawberries
If You Could Read My Mind
Restless
Baby Step Back
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Song For A Winter's Night

[charlene]

SETLIST
Toronto, ON
Massey Hall - Saturday,November 29, 2014
Sweet Guinevere
Cotton Jenny
Sea Of Tranquility
Carefree Highway
Drifters
Don Quixote
Minstrel Of The Dawn
Clouds Of Loneliness
Wild Strawberries
Christian Island
All The Lovely Ladies
Beautiful
Shadows
The Watchman's Gone
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Early Morning Rain

Couchiching
Now And Then
Ribbon Of Darkness
Sundown
A Painter Passing Through
I'd Rather Press On
Let It Ride
If You Could Read My Mind
Restless
Baby Step Back
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Waiting For You

[Dan O'Malley]

"In My Fashion" seems to have gone for now. Also "Triangle","Blackberry Wine" and "14 Karat Gold" for that matter! Glad "Shadows" is still there.

[jj]

i never get tired of 14K Gold… Gord, Mike, Barry (i never know which to focus on for their bits) … glad you back safe, Dan!

[Dan O'Malley]

Missing Toronto already! Hope to be back soon.

[jj]

I won't bother doing a separate three for this ask, but what 3 songs from the four nights (char posted set lists below) do you think best suit is current voice and the band's musical arrangment and dynamics?

I thought the overall audio levels were more audible than usual this go around :)

[Dan O'Malley]

I Thought the sound at Massey was the best i'd heard. Love to be able to take drinks inside too! "Much to my Surprise" was a delight for me, vocally I thought he sounded as good as he did on the album some 16 years back! "Restless" never fails, and to make it three, i'll go for "Clouds of Loneliness". That is a real overlooked gem! Would love to hear "End of all Time" in concert, don't even know if Gord has ever played that live.

[Dan O'Malley]

Just played "Much to my Surprise" again, and chuckled at Gord's phrasing on the line, "out where the actooors play" lol. It wasn't like that on the album! Lovely song.

[charlene]

RICK: Last nite.. opening nite (one more time) at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario. Here's a couple of different views for ya. Doors open, and here's me lookin' at y'all.

[charlene]

2nd pic - Still having probs with pics posting!!! HELP!!

[Dan O'Malley]

Does Rick's "One more time" reference have relevance to Gordon, or is it just a personal statement? or am I just paranoid! lol

[jj]

great choices, Dan…. he has not played End of All time live

[charlene]

Rick's talking about opening night in this past series as 'one more time' as part of the Lightfoot 'show'...
hopefully there will be 'one more time' @ Massey in the future!

[Dan O'Malley]

Phew! Hope the next dates are in May rather than November lol

[charlene]

I hope so too - November in TO is nasty!

[T.G.]

Very good to hear that the sound volume was turned up during the Massey shows! Also nice to see that, in some of the advertising, the names of the "orchestra" members were included ...

[paskatefan]

"In My Fashion" seems to have gone for now. Also "Triangle","Blackberry Wine" and "14 Karat Gold" for that matter! Glad "Shadows" is still there.

All great songs, but I hope he brings back "In My Fashion!" :biggrin:

Gail

[charlene]

pics- I hope this works!

[T.G.]

The pics come up when I double click on the icons.

[charlene]

thanks Tony - ya never know what others see!lol..I'll try some more.. sure wish this issue would get resolved tho..

[charlene]

more:

[charlene]

pics:

[charlene]

and a few more;

[charlene]

more;

[charlene]

more pics;

[paskatefan]

Awesome pics, Char. Thank you!

Gail

[BILLW]

Great coverage guys sorry we missed the party this time. Hopefully next time. Sounds like a good time was had by all.

Bill :)

[lighthead2toe]

For us "lifelong Lightfooters" the Massey Hall concert series is something that seems to stay with us.

Rather than entertain thoughts of an ending we focus our sights ahead to the next round and once the dates are announced the plans start falling into place.

The songs are so great they're always at the top of the heap in our minds, always ready to jump out at the first call.

Every set of Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall concerts finds it's place into a"special event" category in our minds and this most recent set was no different.

From the very first utterance of lyric in "Now and Then" on opening night there was a noticeable strengthening in that voice. It's constantly moving in that true "North Ontario" direction.

Of course, "Now and Then" being the lyrically driven power hitter of a song that it surely is would be an inspiration for Gord to find the intestinal fortitude in order to make a strong vocal entry into his opening series of "Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall" concerts.

This is "The Legendary Gordon Lightfoot Tour of Canada 2014" with "His Gordship" at the helm coming home to "Massey us out" in his "House of Gord" and he did just that!

Four nights in a row he pulled it off. Brilliant work and a brilliant team of dedicated professional people right there on top of the game.

The familiar face of Bernie Fiedler, always present, ever present, right there within the core of it all making it happen. After all it's Bernie who has been producing the concert series at Massey Hall for more than forty years.

What we're witnessing is teamwork at it's finest.

Following the Saturday evening concert the Massey Hall lounge downstairs quickly filled up with patrons anxious to unwind and shed their good vibes and best wishes with Gord and his beautiful lady, his family, the band members and of course with each other. A notable presence was "Pee Wee Charles," former steel guitar player with Gord. Very nice man.

Let the countdown begin!

Till next time, thanks to all.

Ron J.

[paskatefan]

Thank you, Ron J. Nice to know that Pee Wee was there! We always liked him!

Gail

[charlene]

Ed was there and it was so nice to talk with him and his wife Kathy again.. the glass piece I made that is mentioned in the STAR article is now hanging in his home..
one pic shows it installed above the door. the other pics are at my place before Ed got the piece.
the notes are an artistic representation of "I was made for you and you were made for me" from the Lightfoot tune "BEAUTIFUL.
James Jones helped with the notes becuz I am a music illiterate..lol..

[paskatefan]

Oh, that's beautiful!

Gail

[mandomyk]

was Dan at the pub? there was a nice couple from overseas that was speaking to John and others plus enjoying many of the renditions… I had a fully charged HD device for filming plus a table top tripod on trial, but i arrived late and just settled in back…unfortunately the device didnt have zoom in ability like my old SD cam… one year, Myk recorded audio and it was synched to my visuals … speaking of hilarious Myk, I don't know why he never plays …that's a cool bass!

Trying tp repy to JJ re;2014 Pub Jam, A little behind getting things done, a few roadblocks since the nite I returned, intentions were to dL-files to PC and use new Mastering software...got the files dloaded then things happened,BUT will Getr-Done,soon. HAPPY 2015

[Lisa J]

Ed was there and it was so nice to talk with him and his wife Kathy again.. the glass piece I made that is mentioned in the STAR article is now hanging in his home..
one pic shows it installed above the door. the other pics are at my place before Ed got the piece.
the notes are an artistic representation of "I was made for you and you were made for me" from the Lightfoot tune "BEAUTIFUL.
James Jones helped with the notes becuz I am a music illiterate..lol..

that is wonderful! I was wondering if the notes were a part of a song and it is great to know they are of this song! well done.