buzzard
05-23-2017, 11:30 PM
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to scratch an item off my bucket list – attend a Kris Kristofferson concert. Considering that the man is 80 and that on many days I feel like 80, I figured it was time to take action. So off we went to Shipshewana.
And I’m so glad we did. On the drive home from Indiana, I had lots of time to reflect and I thought a lot about Kris Kristofferson and Gordon Lightfoot – two great singer/songwriters who came into prominence around the same time and carved out two great careers that spanned over fifty years.
In March, we saw Gordon Lightfoot in Nashville. So I thought about the similarities and differences in the shows put on by a 78 year old Gordon Lightfoot and an 80 Kris Kristofferson. So here goes:
VOICE Kris’ voice was much stronger and closer to that of his prime. But that is not surprising considering the significant health issues that Gord has overcome.
BAND For Kris, there was none. Just him and his 6 string acoustic guitar (he also did play harmonica for three songs). This was probably the most significant difference. Because it was just him, he had to do it all – pick the notes, sing the words and maintain the tempo. As a result, all of the songs were MUCH slower than the originals. This was especially evident on Help Me Make It Through the Night. For most of Kris’ songs, he said “Thank you” before the audience began applauding – only because the end of the song was a bit unclear. I think having the band makes it much easier for Gord to maintain the tempos we remember.
AUDIENCE INTERACTION Gord is known for not having a lot of interaction with his audiences. But Kris had much less. I recall just one anecdote. After The Silver Tongued Devil, he said that many years ago he had played that song and his son, who was about five at the time, said “That’s a bad song”. He asked his son, “Why do you say that?”. The reply was “Because you are blaming someone else for the bad things you do”. Then Kris said, “I think we came together on that one”.
STAGE PRESENCE Kris came out with his six string, and didn’t move more than six inches either way until he left the stage. Gord frequently changed guitars – from 6 to 12 and back. He often tuned them a bit and moved over to various band members, especially when they did an instrumental solo.
CONCERT FORMAT Almost identical. Two sets of about 50 minutes each, with a 15 minute intermission and one encore song (Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends for Kris). Because his songs tend to be a bit shorter, Kris did a few more songs – 14 in the first set, 16 in the second, and an encore.
Finally, Kristofferson still has that devilish sparkle in his eye and great hair (even if it’s all gray). I had heard unfavourable reviews (forgetting lyrics, out of tune), but I did not see any of that. And the guy is off on a European tour next month!
Brian
And I’m so glad we did. On the drive home from Indiana, I had lots of time to reflect and I thought a lot about Kris Kristofferson and Gordon Lightfoot – two great singer/songwriters who came into prominence around the same time and carved out two great careers that spanned over fifty years.
In March, we saw Gordon Lightfoot in Nashville. So I thought about the similarities and differences in the shows put on by a 78 year old Gordon Lightfoot and an 80 Kris Kristofferson. So here goes:
VOICE Kris’ voice was much stronger and closer to that of his prime. But that is not surprising considering the significant health issues that Gord has overcome.
BAND For Kris, there was none. Just him and his 6 string acoustic guitar (he also did play harmonica for three songs). This was probably the most significant difference. Because it was just him, he had to do it all – pick the notes, sing the words and maintain the tempo. As a result, all of the songs were MUCH slower than the originals. This was especially evident on Help Me Make It Through the Night. For most of Kris’ songs, he said “Thank you” before the audience began applauding – only because the end of the song was a bit unclear. I think having the band makes it much easier for Gord to maintain the tempos we remember.
AUDIENCE INTERACTION Gord is known for not having a lot of interaction with his audiences. But Kris had much less. I recall just one anecdote. After The Silver Tongued Devil, he said that many years ago he had played that song and his son, who was about five at the time, said “That’s a bad song”. He asked his son, “Why do you say that?”. The reply was “Because you are blaming someone else for the bad things you do”. Then Kris said, “I think we came together on that one”.
STAGE PRESENCE Kris came out with his six string, and didn’t move more than six inches either way until he left the stage. Gord frequently changed guitars – from 6 to 12 and back. He often tuned them a bit and moved over to various band members, especially when they did an instrumental solo.
CONCERT FORMAT Almost identical. Two sets of about 50 minutes each, with a 15 minute intermission and one encore song (Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends for Kris). Because his songs tend to be a bit shorter, Kris did a few more songs – 14 in the first set, 16 in the second, and an encore.
Finally, Kristofferson still has that devilish sparkle in his eye and great hair (even if it’s all gray). I had heard unfavourable reviews (forgetting lyrics, out of tune), but I did not see any of that. And the guy is off on a European tour next month!
Brian