Gordon Lightfoot Forums - THE WAY WE FEEL-Tribute shows-2nd year-Jan.2004-Hugh's Room

Well, I'm back home in Whitby, Jenney is heading down the Carefree
Highway to Connecticut with a working window wiper spritzer and probably
like me, trying to recall every single moment of all three nights at Hugh's
Room. For me they come back in little bursts - as if it was so long ago that
I'm surprised I recalled it at all. It was, to say the least an "emotional
overload" weekend. For those who know me you know what that means for
me....yes there were tears...!

Friday January 9, 2004 - Night One at Hugh's Room.

I was already at the Delta for an hour or so before Jenney arrived. I
was snuggled up in the blankets of my bed when she arrived. She had the
drive from hell that took about 3 hours longer than scheduled. A snowstorm
near Hamilton, a frozen water spritzer for the window wipers and many trips
to the side of the road to wash the windows by hand left her more than
slightly frazzled. Big hugs and instant conversation helped calm her
somewhat enough to quickly get ready for our first of three jaunts to the
Lightfoot tribute shows "The Way We Feel" at Hugh's Room.

Arriving at Hugh's and finding our table was on the lower level, 10
feet from centre stage was very cool. There are two levels at this venue and
a few are right down near the stage. Some sound checks were going on and we
settled down to order dinner. I did introduce myself to the darling young
man named Jory Nash. We have e-mailed, (along with Aengus Finnan) several
times since the 2003 Tribute shows and I told him I'd be there. They are the
two lads responsible for the Tribute Shows happening at all. They were in
the planning stage prior to Lightfoot falling ill. These young men cannot be
gushed over enough - their singing and songwriting stands on it's own but
coupled with their love of Lightfoot and this whole project makes them
nominees for The Order of Canada in my book. And they are every bit as nice
as they are talented and good looking! I dearly wish I was younger or my
Lisa was older!! Jenney wanted to bring one or both of them home as presents
for her daughters, but was running out of room in the Rav.....

Jenney and I (along with many other people) told them how proud they
should feel and being like The Man himself they were humbled and thankful.

The show started later than planned but that gave Jenney and me more
time to talk and drink! THAT'S a GOOD thing!
lol
We scoped the room but didn't see anyone we knew. I was looking for
Jimmy Jones who surprised me last year by showing up. No Jimmy tonight....

The lights dimmed around 9:15 and Jory and Aengus introduced
themselves and spoke of what we were about to see and hear. The same young
man, David Newland, was to be the emcee as last year. His way with the
spoken word was wonderful. He is also a talented singer/songwriter/performer
and knows many of the performers.

The first performer was Tim Harrison http://www.timharrison.ca/discography.html who has had albums produced by
Stan Rogers and Daniel Lanois. His first song was "Did She Mention My Name?"
I really enjoyed his voice and it was a wonderful start to the evening. He
was accompanied by the "house band" of Anne Lindsay http://www.anne-lindsay.com/ on fiddle/mandolin, Jason Fowler http://www.jasonfowler.ca/ on some of the most beautiful guitars I have ever
seen. He's an amazing player. He also sang back up and was quite easy on the
eyes.. oops ..did I say that out loud? lol! Playing bass guitar was David
Woodhead.
Tim told of Rambling Jack Elliot calling him up when he ran a coffee
house in Toronto way back when. He wanted to see Gordon Lightfoot after his
performance and told Tim to call Beverley, Gord's sister. It was set up and
after Tim's set he was heading up the stairs as Gord was heading down. Gord
told him he really enjoyed his set and Tim thanked him. He then proceeded to
say how much he loved Lightfoot's work, especially the stuff with Red Shea
and John Stockfish. As he said this he realized he said the wrong thing but
the words were out. Gord looked at him and said "Yeah!-Well people move on."
What Tim wanted to say was that the music at that time was when it mattered,
songs mattered, words mattered and as a young 14 year old he had a brother
at the University of Toronto. He had young Tim come down from Owen Sound to
see the big city, campus life and had the surprise of two tickets to the
Riverboat to see Gordon Lightfoot. That was when Red and John were playing
with Gord. At 14 Tim had a defining moment in life and that night was
responsible.
He then sang what he called the "quintessential Canadian love
song." -Song For A Winter's Night. It was a gentle rendition of SFAWN
complete with bells (we missed Melissa!)

Next up was Katherine Wheatley http://www.interlog.com/~kwheat/ from
Parry Sound. (Bobby Orr) She sang I'll Be Alright" and "Wherefore and The
Why." Catherine is vibrant and her voice is clear and distinct. A real joy
to watch and listen to her.The fiddle playing by Anne Lindsay during
Wherefore and Why was haunting.

Dan Kershaw http://www.deepbluefunk.ca/broscosmoline.htm (he's the one
in the white shirt) sang Talking In Your Sleep and Long Thin Dawn which was
a fast paced, hand clapping, toe-tapper!

Bob Snider was up next. http://www.bobsnider.ca/ Bob plays gigs like
this and can also be seen busking around Toronto. He played guitar and sang
Sundown - it was different to say the least. Almost completely in a
monotone. He then told his Gord story. In 1964 he dropped into a coffeeshop
during the day and there were 2 or 3 people there. One was Lightfoot sitting
and playing guitar. So Bob sat down, had a coffee and a couple of hours
later got up and left while Lightfoot was still sitting there and playing.
He then said "That's my Gordon Lightfoot story." He said the next song he
was offered was hard because he's "not built for it." So he was gonna cheat.
He sang Steel Rail Blues and when the ooooh oooh parts came he did a noble
job to say the least, said that was the cheating part and then audience
helped along. He got a rousing ovation, shrugged his shoulders and said
"Can't say I didn't try." LOL what a character.

Bill Garret and Sue Lothrop http://www.borealisrecords.com/a_garrett.html
Bill was a founder of Borealis Records and was largely responsible for
the tribute album "Beautiful" last year.
They sang Don Quixote and when it was over Bill said "Gord has to be
one of the wordiest son of a bitches." Then Sue sang Shadows. It was a great
rendition.

Terry Tufts http://www.terrytufts.com/ was up next. His guitar playing
is astounding. His first song was "That's What You Get For Lovin' Me."
...which is on the tribute cd... He has a fabulous voice and is a very
enthusiastic performer. He spoke of Gord owing him a huge cheque for therapy
for 40 years of trying to keep his 12 string tuned after hearing the
wonderful sounds that Lightfoot produced with his. He said "Ther's nothing
like a 12 string when it's cooking and nothing like Gordon Lightfoot's hands
on a 12 string when they're cooking." He launched into Canadian Railroad
Trilogy and mesmerized thw whole place. Anne on fiddle and mandolin along
with the fast pace took my breath away. Amazing.

Catherine MacKinnon http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicPopEncyc.../mcKinnon.html is a peer of
Lightfoot. I recall watching her on TV as a child and my parents playing her
music. She is a pro - a pro's pro and knows how to command the stage. She is
funny, irreverant and still has an incredible voice. She told of a show at
the C.N.E. (The EX) in Toronto in 1968 and how Gord had written a song for
her to perform. It was called "Land With No Name." It was pouring rain, she
had a garbage bag over her costume but sang this beautiful song so long ago.
It was about our land, the Metis, the building of a country I suppose. It
was mesmerizing and so haunting. The room was so quiet as she sang.
She used to go to Lightfoot's house to hear some of his material and
he attended a "Bad Taste" party at her home one hot July. This is where
people are dressed in furs, eat out of boxes and I can't imagine what other
bad taste things. After the party, in the early morning hours Lightfoot
called to ask her if Patricia (her sister) and her wanted to come with him
and the band to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for a couple of shows. The next
morning a car picked them up, they boarded the private plane and the looks
of surprise on the bands faces was priceless as the McKinnon sisters made
their entrance!
Another time he called her early in the morning he told her he had
written the most gorgeous song and it would be perfect for her but she
couldn't sing it because it was "a man's song." She then said "but I'm going
to sing it anyway" and performed "Beautiful." And it was.

Then it was time for a break.. Jenney and I were enjoying ourselves so
much - it was truly a night of superb talent and immense pride amongst these
performers.
We spoke with Jory and Aengus a bit and then it was time for part two.

The emcee of the show, David Newland http://www.davidnewland.com/ then
sang asong that he wasn't sure was about peace, acceptance or just the way
things are. He played harmonica and guitar and had a bit of a Dylan quality
to his voice. He sang Leaves of Grass.

Jory Nash http://www.jorynash.com/ was up next - this young man is
enthusiasm personified. A bundle of talent, energy and grace. His version of
In The Early Morning Rain was beautiful. His voice has an echo quality, a
timbre that reaches right inside you.
He then told a story of dating a girl back in 1991 and things weren't
going so great. He found out that she was a Lightfoot fan and had one
particular song she'd love to hear. He got them two tickets WAY up in the
third balcony but on the rail where if you dared to lean over you saw the
tops of everyone's heads. He mentioned how he hated how people would yell
out requests during Lightfoot shows Lightfoot would ignore them and move on,
but thought that if he did just that for his girlfriends song it would score
him some much needed points. At a break between songs he screwed up his
courage and yelled out the song title. Lightfoot stopped, looked way up and
said "That's a good old song" and proceeded to sing a verse a cappella.
While he was singing the girlfriend reached over and took Jory's hand. In
his head he was thing "Thank you Gord.!!" LOL A week later she dumped his
sorry ass..... He then blew us away with "Mother Of A Miner's Child." What a
performance....that girl is sorry now I bet.....

Jason Fowler www.jasonfowler.ca took centre stage from his spot as
guitarist in the house band. His array of guitars on stage was amazing, and
he played beautifully. He spoke of trying to emulate the 4 "T's" of
Lightfoot guitar playing and performing - Tone, Timing, Tuning and Taste.
And he did just that. He sang what he felt was the one gem on the David
Foster produced album East of Midnight - I'll Tag Along. Well - it was
fabulous - it was a perfect fit for Jason's voice and guitar playing. I
loved it. I love that song.
Jason told of how he worked in a small Toronto guitar shop and
Lightfoot would come in for strings and sometimes chat. When Jason made his
first CD he gave Gord a copy and said even if you never play it I'd like you
to have it. Gord took with thanks. A week later he came back and admitted he
hadn't listened to it because he didn't have a CD player. But if Jason could
transfer it to cassette he'd give it a listen! LOL
Jason did that and Gord came back a couple of weeks later and pulled
out some papers from his pocket. He had taken notes about the CD. He didn't
give Jason the papers but read them to him. LOL
He also told the story that Gord told him about boiling strings when
he, Red and John would take their strings off once a week and boil them -
Red Hot Boilers. He said he couldn't prove it but he believed there was some
molecular process that happened in the strings after boiling and they
sounded better. It cleaned them and took the dirt and oils off them. He
still does it with his new strings! ...Jason had mentioned the guitar
lessons he had taken along with classical and Gord gave him a baggie with
some Red Hot Boilers. There was a red strip on the bag meaning R for Ready.
(or Reddies!)....A blue strip meant "Boil - B for Boil!"
This was too funny.... An hour later a panicked Gord called Jason
back at the store and said "Jason - don't boil the nylon ones - they'll
melt!" LOL!!
He then performed Cold On The Shoulder - smooth, cool, fabulous.

Two pretty young ladies took the stage - one a blonde, tall and thin,
the other a short brunette with long straight hair and sky blue eyes. She
had a fiddle and a guitar, the blonde had a guitar. Hmmmmm.....MadViolet http://www.madviolet.com/bioset.html- Brenley McEachern is the blonde and
the brunette is Lisa MacIsaac - sister of our famous Canadian fiddler from
down east - Ashley. http://ashley-macisaac.com/ . This was going to be
interesting. The harmonies and passion when they sang Poor Little Alison
blew us all away. Brenley sang lead with Lisa coming in for backup. The band
stepped in behind them but they were centre stage - it was amazing. Brenley
recounted that as a young teen she refused to joing the choir and taught
herself guitar witha borrowed book from a friends father. The Big 75 it was
called. She would find songs that had easy chords and learn them. Then came
the Lightfoot pages...she saw things like G 11 suss and thought "What the
hell is suss?" "I only have ten fingers!" and skipped along to the Eagles
section... LOL. She never did explain SUSS to the non-guitarists in the
crowd but we knew what she meant!
Lisa sang The Way I feel and for a tiny little thing she really nailed
it. They were marvellous.

Aengus Finnan http://www.aengusfinnan.com/ (pic of Gord and Aengus on
website) took a turn. As a young lad he came from Ireland with his family
and lived on a farm. He played guitar and sang Pussywillows-Cattails. It was
electric. He's a dark, mysterious, good looking lad with wavy dark hair and
a wonderful voice. He sang it slowly and every word had a meaning...it was
quite poignant. He told of heading to North Bay to teachers college and
finding himself with a room-mate taht had nothing in common with him. They
went on their days and Aengus was thinking of moving out when one day a
Lightfoot song came on and they both pulled out their collections - this was
the thing that brought together a folkie and a hard metal listener. Hours
passed, each singing the praises of Lightfoot.
Aengus then sang what he called "a Spanish sounding version of Romeo
and Juliet" - Miguel. omigosh! It was so beautiful.

Rick Fines http://www.rickfines.com/ This fellow sings the blues and
plays guitar like I never heard before. Last year he stood out from the rest
of the performers and he did it again this year. Rick spoke of being a
young boy and being taken to a Lightfoot concert and getting backstage to
try and get an autograph. They were told that Lightfoot wasn't giving
autographs at that time and Rick's mum told them "we are family." That
cracked everyone up. He took "Bossman" and set it to the blues and it rocked
with his slide guitar playing. ..In many ways it was the best song of the
evening, as his approach to it was so different, and yet worked so well.
Boss Man as a Memphis Blues song, just amazing.......He then sang a version
of Ribbon of Darkness like you would never think it would be played -it was
mesmerizing, as was his gravelly blues voice. Utterly as fantastic as he was
last year.

Dave Matheson http://www.davidmatheson.ca/ from Moxy Fruvous was next.
Another performer full of energy and totally wired up. A
comedian-slash-musician type of guy. A soulful voice and touching version of
"I'm Not Supposed To Care" took my breath away. Cotton Jenny was a rousing,
clapalong/singalong and we all had a great time.

Laura Smith http://www.laurasmith.ca/ came out and sat on a bar stool
with lyric sheets on a music stand in front of her. She performed "Minstrel
of The Dawn." She told of being invited to Lightfoot's Rosedale home and
playing pool even tought hey'd never met. Over the pool table was a huge,
long Tiffany lamp. She was playing and Gord was nowhere to be seen. She
struck the lamp and it was swinging slowly back and forth when she heard the
voice - "Be careful with the lamp." "It was him. I left." We've never
met....
She did Rainy Day People next and both songs were done in a singing,
instructive, look right into the audience way. It was part drama/part music.
It was superb.

All performers then gathered on stage. Thank you's were issued to the
house band, the emcee, the people at Hugh's and the woman who organized the
whole thing and of course a huge thank you to Gordon Lightfoot. We had a
rousing sing-a-long of Alberta Bound and then Rich Man's Spiritual with
different performers singing the verses. The stage was so crowded that some
performers squatted down so we could see who was singing. They were having a
ball up there and we were too. It was 3 hours after start time and I wanted
more!

Jenney and I would have to wait until Saturday night......
what WOULD we do in the meantime????
LOL!!

NITE TWO:Saturday January 10, 2004

Well - Jenney and I found a LOT of excitement last night! Sparks were
flyin!!!
The dry air and cold in Toronto made our beds into static electricity
factories. Just touching the blankets caused sparks to fly that could be
seen with the lights on. THe light show with them off was something to rival
the 4th of July fireworks in Boston! lol
And Jenney's was more spectacular because of her flannel p.j.'s!
Woo-hoo we were havin' a party!
LOL
Henceforth Jenney will now be known as Sparky.
Sparky and I were rousted out of our beds by the fire alarm in the
hotel screaming! Jenney got dressed right away and started throwing stuff in
her bag getting ready to get out of there. After a bit the loudspeaker
announced that all was safe and the first 3 floors they had evacuated could
return. What a wake up call!

We then drove around the city a bit after lunch and ended up on Queen
St.W. popping in and out of fabric stores. It was a cold day but not too
bad. At least the sun was shining between the buildings.

We headed back to Hugh's Room for yet another night of loving tributes
to Gordon Lightfoot. One night would have been plenty but we felt so excited
about another evening of such great entertainment. We were also going to
meet up with Mike Heffernan and his girlfriend, Patty. Sparky knows Mike and
Patty and I have e-mailed so it would be nice for us all to meet finally.

We had our dinner and then Mike and Patty came in. They were there for
the show only so couldn't join us at our table we had the night before. We
talked with them for a while prior to the show starting - what a great
couple. The two of them are a couple of crackups and we laughed a lot.
Jory came over to me and asked what would make my night absolutely the
best. I was afraid to answer him! Of course it would be if Lightfoot himself
were to show up! He said there was a very, very good possibility that my
wish would come true. I was tingly all over! lol

And being greedy I also asked if Ron Sexsmith was coming since he
wasn't originally on the bill but Jory mentioned the night before that he
may be able to make it. Yes! Ron was coming! Woo-hoo!

We spoke some more with Mike and Patty and then headed back to our
table down front. The moment we sat down the lights dimmed and the show was
about to start. Sparky gave me a nod of her head and had me look beside us,
one table away....omigosh - it was Gordon Lightfoot. He was there with
Bernie Fiedler, his promoter. I would find out at the break from Patty that
if I'd have turned around as we walked to our table I'd have had Gord run
right smack into me! ACK!

When I looked at him he looked at me for several seconds and gave a
bit of a nod - I'd like to think he remembered me from the few times we've
met. He did remember me from Mariposa when I saw him in PA. He mentioned it
to me before I could say anything so that was pretty cool.

Sparky and I had forgotten to breathe.....here he was, in the same room, mere feet away and going to enjoy the show with us! He had on his black leather bomber jacket,black jeans and white runners. A bright green scarf was around his neck. His hair was pretty long and quite silver but he was smiling and laughing and enjoying himself. It was too good to be true. I held back the tears of gratitude as the entertainment started.

I can't imagine the butterflies the performers must have had knowing
that Lightfoot was in the house! I was nervous for them!

Tim Harrison sang Did She Mention My Name and Song For A Winter's
Night with the same Gord Story as the night before. Gord was laughing.

Katherine Wheatley performed I'll Be Alright. She recounted that her
family would listen to Lightfoot songs after skiing in Parry Sound. She did
mix up the lyrics in 16 Miles as a young teen though. She did not sing
"knock me down and pick me up and knock me down again." She sang, "knock me
down and pick me up and knock me up again.!" !!!Her mother told her that was
not a suitable song for a young lady. Her mother deemed her next song much
more suitable
lol
She sang Wherefore and Why with Jory Nash.

Dan Kershaw sang Talking In Your Sleep and Long Thin Dawn.

Bob Snider did Sundown and Steel Rail Blues with the cheating parts
still in. Lightfoot seemed to be enjoying it but also looked a bit puzzled.

Bill Garrett and Sue Lothrop sang Don Quixote and Shadows.

Terry Tufts did That's What You Get For Lovin' Me and Canadian
Railroad Trilogy. He also mentioned that playing Lightfoot music was why he
did so poorly in school.
It was mentioned to me later that Lightfoot told Terry he really
enjoyed his CRT.

Catherine McKinnon came out next. She sang the haunting ballad "Land
With No Name" and spoke of the plane trip with Lightfoot and the band. She
then proceeded to tell about his early morning call telling her about the
gorgeous song that would be perfect for her but she couldn't do it because
it was "a man's song." She said it was even more meaningful because it was
her honour to sing it because Gordon Lightfoot was in the audience. The
place went crazy, we all stood, applauding and cheering. Lightfoot stood up
and took a few bows, looking around the room with a huge smile on his face.
It was breathtaking. And then I began softly crying the happiest of tears.

All of a sudden Lightfoot started to make his way to the stage, he jostled
through the standing crowd and in a moment was up hugging the life out of
Catherine McKinnon. It was very touching. He asked her what song she was
going to sing and she boldly said he'd find out when he sat down. He headed
off to leave the stage and said a few words of how grateful he was for the
efforts of the performers and that he was making his big comeback in early
2005. "I've got nothing to do." He scooted back over towards centre stage
and Catherine wouldn't let him see the sheet music but he caught sight of
the title and said "That's not a man's song!" She looked him right in the
face and said "That's what you told me!". He laughed and turned to leave the
stage and as he was passing a microphone he said "It's Bisexual!" and tossed
his green scarf over his shoulder! It was tooooo funny. He made his way back
to his table and the show continued.

Catherine's interpretation of BEAUTIFUL this night was magical and of course I was weeping like a baby. All who know me will remember that song had special meaning for me and I wept when the Lightfoot Tribute band sang it for me in May 2001 at the hotel and at my home. Well,the tears came and I looked at Sparky and she had started crying too. Good grief - what a couple of soft touches!
Jenney claimed it was looking at me that got to her, like vomiting and yawning, crying was contagious! What a way with words she has.

The break came right after that and Lightfoot and Fiedler were out of
there like a shot. Mike and Patty did get a quick hi and handshake in as he
passed them and then he was gone.....I was emotionally drained and Sparky
was pretty well there too. Whew - what a moment - we actually saw and heard
him, not in a magazine or newspaper picture or his voice on the radio. It
was overwhelming.

We headed up to see Patty and Mike and on the way I practically hugged
the life out of Jory Nash. He was over the moon - the smile on his face was
blinding. I couldn't be happier for him or Aengus. I felt like a proud mum!

We chatted with Mike and Patty some more until the second half began
and made our way to the table.

David Newland sang Leaves of Grass.
Jory Nash did another amazing rendition of In The Early Morning Rain
and a haunting version Mother of A Miner's Child.
Jason Fowler performed I'll Tag Along and Cold On The Shoulder and
told his hilarious stories again - with voice imitations of Lightfoot! LOL!
MadViolet did Poor Little Alison and The Way I feel.

Aengus sang Pussywillows-Cattails and then sang "Lightfoot". This was
the song he wrote when Lightfoot became ill and that he preformed on the
tribute CD "Beautiful. It made me cry again. His heart and lyrics were very
moving to me. The proud Canadian thing hit me..

Ron Sexsmith - my greedy little wish came true!! He had rushed down and
played someone else's guitar but sang Now and Then and I'll Do Anything That
You Say.
I enjoy him so much - he's so shy and such a Lightfoot fan.

David Matheson sang I'm Not Supposed To Care - it was absolutley
lovely. Then he did Cotton Jenney with the audience right into it.

Laura Smith said her Gord story from now on would be about this night.
She did The Minstrel of The Dawn and Rainy Day People.

The whole group came back onstage for the sing-along of Alberta Bound
and Rich Man's Spiritual. We were all standing and singing and clapping. It
was a most wonderful night for all of us. The performances were right on and
the energy was so high. I only wish that Lightfoot could have stayed for all
the artists.

The fact that he came out to show his respect and thanks to all of
them for their efforts in these shows was no surprise - he's a man of
humility and that same quality was clearly evident in the performers this
evening. The thank yous were stirring and the sentiment was deep and
heartfelt. I was proud for all them.

Of course that meant hugs for Jory and Aengus again!
Sparky and I sat for a bit and just sort of tried to grasp all that
happened before us....it was euphoric to say the least.
We talked with Mike and Patty some more, Mike talked to some of the
musicians that he knew from previous work engagements and then we headed out
where the skyline of Toronto was blurred by snowflakes and misty eyes. Hugs
all around and Sparky and I were off into the night.

Could the excitement continue?????
stay tuned.....