Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

Well said, Dave.

Thanks for posting video/pics Char.

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

Burton Cummings: Yours truly and Gordon Lighfoot. I've known Gordon for a very long time. Long before the big breakthrough of "These Eyes", Randy and I saw Gordon in a small club in Montreal. Must have been around 1967. Gordon came out with John Stockfish and Red Shea (both of whom have left us) and did about sixty minutes of all his own original material. There weren't many of us in that club that night, probably
not a hundred, perhaps more like fifty...it's 45 years ago, so it's a bit hazy. But we were in Montreal promoting something, and somebody took us to see Lightfoot. We (the GW) were still doing a mixture of a few originals and mostly other people's songs at the time. As Gordon's show went on, Randy and I began to look at each other and nudge each other, as if to say "someday, man...someday..." We were so impressed with the fact that this guy had a whole show of his own great songs and it was way back in '67.
Years ago, I was playing the legendary Imperial Room at the Royal York for a week...all through the week I was doing my LIghtfoot impression in the shows, and I guess the papers had mentioned it, and I guess some other people had mentioned it to Gordon, but lo and behold, Saturday night he came down and sat right in front of me...and I HAD to do it right in front of him. We laughed about it later in the little dressing room backstage.
Gordon is one of the reasons I was driven to try to be a songwriter. He's the epitome of artistry, truly "a painter passing through"...I'm proud to know him on a casually personal basis and I treasure all the separate times we've spent together. A classy artist...they are truly few and far between...
I love this picture of us together yesterday, more than 45 years after the night I first shook Mr. Lightfoot's hand...

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

BLC and Gordon...two of my favorite guys. :) And I've been lucky enough to meet both of them! :)

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

I should have stayed downtown that night Vickie! Next time!!

Canadian Folk and Rock and Roll royalty..oh my!

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

more pics:

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

CBC News - The National - November 25, 2012

CBC's coverage of the event

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/TV+Sho...ID/2309402886/

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

i think Calgary Stamps were listening to "A Passing Ship" before and during the game...the good ship Argonaut

for a minute I thought Gord was noodling Only Love Would Know....if only

a yawner game really....the opening was pretty lame with that elementary school sounding marching band...i'm sure they were wonderful but must have been the production and mic job....i wilted when Burton turned on the lame drum machine for Oh Canada....yikes

i imagine Gord just had all prerecorded music but still sang live...vocals fine

he looked majestic and i loved the old montage of Grey Cup stuff best of all

i don't think there was any unruly riots or fires or looting in the streets:clap:

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

Yes, definitely next time! :)

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

http://ca.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/north-...181958694.html

This included the following comment:
What we'd like to see next time: After the halftime show, Bieber tweeted, "Never walk away from a challenge," and "Back to positive things..." Maybe what could have given the 18-year-old singer some more sway with the crowd would have been bringing Lightfoot on stage to jam during a number, book ending the halftime show. It goes without saying that the 74-year-old folk singer has some serious swag.

Well, I'm glad Gord didn't go there!

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

New interview:

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

Yeah. That's the same interview Tom posted and is what prompted my Passing Ship reply.

Gord wouldn't sell many tickets to non-diehards if he used this clip as a teaser;)

My Argos 30-21 prediction wasn't bad. Argos 35-22

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

I missed that one! When he sings quietly he struggles, no doubt about it..

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

This one says it all:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/11...n_2189527.html

TORONTO - Justin Bieber faced a hostile homecoming at the 100th Grey Cup on Sunday, with the jeering capacity crowd at the raucous Rogers Centre providing the teen idol with a reception as unyieldingly cold as a long Canadian winter.

The 18-year-old grew up roughly 150 kilometres down the road in Stratford, Ont., but that didn't help his cause with the rowdy crowd on hand, who took aim at the ubiquitous pop star whenever possible.

They booed when his face popped up on the JumboTron. They booed when a host spoke his name at the onset of halftime. And they booed with extra glee as he took the stage and throughout his medley of the finger-snapping, chart-topping hit "Boyfriend" and the disco-inflected club come-on "Beauty and a Beat."

If Bieber was bothered by the boo-birds, it didn't show.

"It's an honour to be here at the Grey Cup in Canada," he said, a smile tugging at his lips despite the reaction.

"Make some noise. I said make some noise!"

Unfortunately, the crowd obliged. More boos.

Still, Bieber was outwardly unruffled. Clad in a black leather tanktop with baggy pants and a gold chain dangling around his neck, he put in a lithe performance, slickly executing his steps surrounded by dancers dressed in black-and-gold letterman jackets branded with his second initial.

As he wrapped up "Beat" — which typically features a verse from rap's reigning oddball queen Nicki Minaj — a dazzling array of pyro popped into the air and at first the crowd responded enthusiastically. But once again, the cheers dissolved into boos.

"Thank you so much Canada," Bieber announced, ignoring the response. "I love you."

If the feeling of this particular crowd wasn't mutual, there were certainly omens. There were those early-game jeers any time Bieber's face popped up onscreen, and as fans poured into the Rogers Centre, few summoned much enthusiasm for the teen idol.

Most figured that while Bieber is a bona fide draw — an international star and tabloid fixture whose latest record "Believe" became his third straight to reach multi-platinum status in Canada after its June release — most of those fans simply weren't at the game.

Surely, the CFL was hoping to court his army of tween followers (numbering more than 30.6 million), who hang on Bieber's every tweet but might otherwise be unlikely to tune into the Grey Cup game between Toronto and Calgary.

But the divide between Bieber's young, predominantly female fanbase and the CFL faithful is as broad as a lineman's shoulders.

"Not a real big fan of Justin Bieber, sorry," said 52-year-old Johanna Ellis of Kitchener, Ont., as she navigated the Rogers Centre before the game.

"It's not a very good choice in a stadium full of football fans."

Indeed, recent Grey Cup halftime performers have skewed toward the comparatively heavy likes of Bachman & Turner, Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman and Lenny Kravitz, a drastic contrast to Bieber's fizzy pop confections.

"J-Biebs doesn't scream football, you know? Neither does Carly Rae Jepsen," agreed Calgary's Ryan Prisque, 22.

"Gordon Lightfoot — that'll be the time I turn back from the beer gardens and watch."

The 74-year-old Lightfoot certainly did captivate the crowd Sunday. With the stadium lights down, Lightfoot opened the halftime show by materializing on a modest stage near the 50-yard line, dressed in black and strumming an acoustic guitar. The crowd roared.

His long grey hair swept back, the stalwart songwriter — originally from Orillia, Ont. — put in a gentle performance of his iconic 1967 hit "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" that lacked the theatrics of Bieber's performance but nonetheless enthralled the audience, who gamely clapped along. When he was finished, they roared again.

Attention then shifted to set of three stages lined up along one side of the stadium, with a cluster of amped-up fans rushing in and clustering around.

Vancouver pop outfit Marianas Trench was greeted mostly with indifference after their performance, while 27-year-old Jepsen also received a mixed reaction at first but won the crowd over during an enthusiastic medley of her latest single, "This Kiss," and her dangerously infectious smash hit "Call Me Maybe."

But the crowd was seemingly immune to Bieber's charms — and some seemed to have been waiting for the opportunity to show their displeasure with the young star.

He had certainly been visible during Grey Cup week.

Bieber was spotted at a trendy local club on Friday night after being photographed earlier in the evening playing hoops with Toronto rap star Drake and Raptors forward Amir Johnson.

Earlier in the week, he was presented with a Diamond Jubilee Medal by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and courted controversy with his casual wardrobe choice: striped blue overalls (unbuttoned on one shoulder) over a white T-shirt, accessorized with a backwards black baseball cap and glittering jewelry jangling around his neck and wrist.

There was sufficient uproar over his outfit that Harper even weighed in on Twitter.

"In fairness to (Bieber)," Harper tweeted Sunday, "I told him I would be wearing my overalls too."

Well, the fashion feedback seemed tame compared to the scathing response from the Toronto crowd.

Of course, Bieber — who will return to both the Rogers Centre and his usual bevy of deliriously adoring fans next Saturday — did have faithful supporters sprinkled among the fans crammed into the cavernous building.

"I missed Justin Bieber in Winnipeg ... so this is good for me," said Brittnay Dueck, attending the game with her mom.

"I'm surprised that they chose someone who's a little bit younger. Being 26, I'm OK with it. But I think everyone else who's here might not like it."

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

I was just watching ESPN Monday Night Football. During halftime and Chris Berman's highlight clips of the games yesterday, he showed highlights of Toronto's Grey Cup victory over Calgary plus brief views of "a 74-year old Gordon Lightfoot and 18-year old Justin Bieber."

Go Gord- what a great performance and doing honor to your country!

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

thx, i missed that. Boomer has offered many supportive comments over the years.


even though its only 3 downs, there is a greater opportunity to rack up yardage...much more room to pass and run, especially laterally and in the endzones. and no (unexciting) fair catches allowed.

this year, Argo's Chad Owens broke the single season record for combined receiving, rushing and kick return yardage...previously held by Michael Pinball Clemens...these guys are all well-mannered and well-spoken American gents

btw, it was actually Anthony Calvillo that Toronto beat last week to advance...

nice article, Dan. i think Carly Rae was all live with her vox and band but did have a guide vocal underlay. her bubbly act kinda almost fit the younger portion of the crowd vibe but not so with poor Beibs...maybe in 50 years he will be alone at centre field seated at the piano like Burton or with guitar like Gord... but maybe not

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

I had fallen asleep on the couch watching MNF and woke up just in time to see Gordon's image on the screen and hear Boomer's kind words. There seem to be a number of Lightheads at ESPN :)

I think Justin Bieber is a talented kid, and, to be fair, none of us would be here if Gordon's body of work was being judged solely on what he accomplished by the age of 18.

Still, the difference between his boy-band dance moves, and the simple artistry of the troubadour and his guitar was stunning.

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

yeah, niff. remember one of the mike and mike dudes speaking about attending a gord concert last year:)

it was odd to hear booing of a local boy who has never really acted disrespectful of his roots or hometown or other artists. most argo fans are basically meatheads. lol. i think this theme song pretty much hits the nail on the head:)

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

A song, a guitar, a voice.
Excellence and longevity.
Gordon Lightfoot.

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

I agree James - while Biebers music/dance act is not my cuppa I admire him so much. He's worked his ass off - this 'fame' did not just drop into his lap. From youtube to what he is now has taken huge effort and whether I like his music or not he is a talented kid finding his way after 4 years of non-stop work. The boos were not a surprise but were not necessary. For the most part he has remained a good kid, respectful and mindful of where he comes from and thanking those who helped him, especially his mum, dad, step dad and grandparents. It's a heady thing to be so famous at any age and he's handled it pretty well.
And like Jennifer said, had Lightfoot continued his career based on his 18 year old songwriting and stage efforts we'd all be on another fanpage..Justin has far surpassed GL at his age.
lol

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

lightfoot at 18 doing the 1956 halftime show?

i think the Hoola Hoop song would have gone over great. assuming gord was surrounded by lts of go go girl midriffs. lol

i wonder if Beibs birth dad is getting a slice of Ju$tin pie? i dont know the story

nice day for a parade. pinball for mayor. there is a vacancy

big shoes, and even bigger trousers to fill:)

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

Justin's father is and has always been in his life...

Can you imagine if Pinball Clemons was mayor..omigoodness...

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

we would all be willingly born again

the church of gord. the church of pinball. where do we lineup for confession? lol

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

Hey jj...it was Mike ;)

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

i hear ya, niff:)

Re: Lightfoot @ Halftime show during Grey Cup
 

this is a good read about Bieber... http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/11/21/the-prince-of-pop/