More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Mackinaw City guitarist assembles group for concert, Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot
http://www.gaylordheraldtimes.com/articles/2007/12/28/features/entertainment/doc47753d59212e1413256890.txt
"CHEBOYGAN — Rainy day people, fans of Great Lakes lore and hearts who have lost a love will gather at the Cheboygan Opera House on Saturday, Jan. 12 when "Songs For A Winter’s Night, A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot" is presented as the first benefit concert of the New Year.

Mackinaw City guitarist Mike Fornes has assembled a band of four backup musicians, who will portray the same roles as Lightfoot’s own backup musicians, in order to present a salute to Canadian balladeer Gordon Lightfoot in the true spirit of Lightfoot’s original sound, thereby replicating a two-hour concert in his style."
It will be interesting to see their setlist and a review.
Who's going??

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Sounds like an interesting show. I may try to get up to Cheboygan for it. Tickets are $8.

Has anybody ever seen this guy perform before?

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

I live right here in Cheboygan, so I'll probably go - I heard about this quite some time ago, but without much detail. There are a lot of talented local musicians up this way - should be interesting! :)

Vickie

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

I found a little bit more information on the Central Michigan University Arts Almanac . . . basically same message as before, but with an added tidbit about the guitar:

"The Opera House in Cheboygan will present “Songs For A Winter’s Night: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot” on January 12th at 7:30 p.m. Guitarist Mike Fornes along with four musicians will recreate the original sound of the Gordon Lightfoot ensemble. Fornes had a replica of Lightfoot’s Gibson B-45 12-string guitar built for this concert. The music from the North will include such hits as “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” For ticket information call The Opera House at 231-627-5841."

Sounds like this musician has done much to be true to Gord's sound. I am heading up this evening for the show and am looking forward to it!

Anybody else going?

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Did anyone go to the show? How was it? I wish they had a tribute band/show around here...and $8 is a steal. I'd be interested to hear his interpretations.

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

They previewed this show on the morning news Friday, interviewed the performer, and then had the band perform Wreck. I was less than impressed, and busy working on a home improvement project over the weekend, so opted not to go. I hope the real performance was much better for all those who attended!

On a side note, I was in a little local bar up here back in September, and about 10:00 a young man arrived and setup to play guitar and sing. I wish I could recall his name, because his very first song was one of Gordon's, and he did an absolutely beautiful job!

Vickie

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Vicki.
9 and 10 News, right?? I was rushing out the door when I heard the 'Wreck' and I was not impressed either. Given the benefit of the doubt, it was early in the morning.
I decided then, though, that I would stay home this weekend. I wonder tho......did we miss sumpin good?

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Yes, Kathy - 9 and 10 News! I was already torn as to whether or not I could make time to attend, and I opted out after hearing that little sample. LOL

Hopefully, for all who attended, it ended up being a good show! :)

Are you planning to go to Manistee? I'm hoping to, and am just waiting for the tickets to go on sale. From there I'm heading to Waukegan, and then Appleton. If you go to Manistee, let's plan to meet up!

Vickie

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

It's a date.
My husband and I are going to join the Player's Club at Little River. I think that 'players' get notice of advance ticket sales.
If I can be a 'player' for my $10 a year donation to the casino, I'm in!
I'll let you know if we get advance notice.
I'm looking forward to finally meeting a fellow 'corfidian'!!!
Kathy

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

I did go to the show on Saturday, and overall I'd have to say it was okay but not spectacular. To be honest, I was disappointed but have a hard time admitting that because they put so much effort into the performance. :-) (darn, how do I do smileys?) All in all, it was a decent way to spend the evening and I do applaud the group's salute to Gord.

Group leader Mike Fornes was quoted in the program notes, saying "I'm not Gordon Lightfoot . . . but I'm trying to play his character, become the role, so to speak. His music is the music of the north country and the music of our culture. We're 50 miles from the Canadian Border and the Edmund Fitzgerald sank less than 100 miles from here. We live on these lakes and in the same woods that Lightfoot writes about."

Mr. Fornes did seem to get into the role, sporting a turquoise bracelet and ring and giving his "thank yous" to the audience with thumbs up and a bright smile. The stage was set up with all the musicians in their proper places, and the drumset said "The Lightfoot Band."

I have heard a number of folks on this forum as well as the newsgroup do covers of Gord's songs that were far superior to the ones I heard Saturday night. Personally, I think that is not only a credit to the incredibly talented folks we have among the "Net People" but also a function of keeping the covers simple -- vocals and a few guitars. Trying to "replicate" the sound of an entire band that has been playing together for decades is a lot to take on, and at times the music almost took on a "karaoke" feel. The arrangements frequently seemed very heavy, but on a few of the more mellow tunes the accompaniment was lighter and more enjoyable. I have no doubt that these gentlemen are all accomplished musicians in their own rights.

I had not seen any previews on local media prior to the show, but going into it I did hope that they would pull out some of the older songs that Gord does not or cannot sing anymore. There was a respectable mix of songs along with all the "staples", and without further delay here is the setlist:

Salute (the bass was a bit overwhelming)
Don Quixote (yes, he did the foot stomp going into the last verse)
I'll Prove My Love (nice)
The House You Live In
Sundown (always a crowd pleaser)
Carefree Highway
Restless (I have to say, the wood block was just a tad off)
Medley:
Early Mornin' Rain (good energy)
I'm Not Sayin' (nice)
Ribbon of Darkness
For Lovin' Me
Did She Mention My Name
All I'm After
The Circle is Small

-Intermission-

14 Karat Gold
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (the lead guitarist had an uncle who perished on the Lakes, although not on the Fitz itself)
Alberta Bound
Baby Step Back
Romance
Beautiful
Song For a Winter's Night
Rainy Day People
Shadows
If You Could Read My Mind

Encore: Canadian Railroad Trilogy (a decent rendition, although the transitions were kind of rough)

The audience seemed to have a good time, and as a whole they probably weren't listening to the songs as critically as I was . . . they were there to support the Opera House and the musicians and enjoy an evening of live music, and to that end the show was probably well received. Being a diehard Lightfoot fan, it was hard to not compare this group to Gord and the guys, and I realize that's a mighty difficult standard to reach.

The snow was softly falling when we got out, just enough to grease up the roads and make the 90-mile return trip a challenging one. But, the iPod was tuned to Gord, the lovely snow-covered evergreens were admired, and it was a fitting end to the evening.

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you enjoyed your evening! :) Sounds like much effort was put into attempting to properly salute Gord and the band, and that certainly is appreciated. Glad you made it home safely - we certainly do get some nasty road conditions up this way!

Vickie

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

thanks Miss Anne! glad you made it home safely. sounds like an interesting evening..

I'll be seeing the Tribute show here in Toronto on Friday. Jory has promised some new tunes not done since the shows began in 2003. He's doing one of them..I saw him do it a month or so ago when I saw him..

There's some familiar folks again but some new voices I'm looking forward to hearing. Next to actually see Lightfoot these Tribute shows are the next best thing and I have a whole new set of CD's on my shelf now comprising the individual works of many of the artists participating in the shows over the years..
http://www.hughsroom.com/#friday

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Thanks AnneOK for your wonderful review of the evening. :)

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Thanks, AnneOK, for your review. Sounds like you had a nice evening and were open-minded enough to enjoy a different take on Gord's songs. At least they're getting the music out there...that's important too.

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Annie, Thanks for the review. If it hadn't been the middle of winter, well, I may have given it a shot. I'm not too adventurous this time of year.

Vickie and Annie,
Tickets for the March 27th show (a Thursday?) go on sale on the 25th for Player's Club members. Am I a member yet? No. So I better get to it. I'm going to see if my husband will go stand in line on Friday morning...Otherwise, I think I feel the flu coming on early Friday morning.
Tickets go on sale to the public on Feb 1.

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Thanks, Kathy! :) I'll be waiting until Feb 1st to purchase my ticket. Too bad they won't let members purchase over the phone, eh?

Vickie

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Called in sick today so I could be at the Casino to purchase tickets. (I'm feeling a little guilty about that! I'm calling it a Mental Health day!) I got there early (8:00) to sign up for the Players Club...now they know everything about me and it's probably flying through cyber space as we speak. They gave me $5 for signing up, spent $2 of my own and walked out with $17. Not bad, eh?

Oh yeah, tickets.
Row G 43 and 44...Stage Right on the aisle. There were many seats available and NO line, well one other person who was buying the tickets for the casino employee who was actually selling the tickets.

I'm excited. Should I have taken the front row? The sales person said it was quite a bit lower than the stage and could be a neck strain, so I opted for back a little and to the right because my neck turns better that way (arthritis) and I also won't have to deal with tall people sitting in front of me.

Vickie, I saved the front row seats for YOU!! :)

Kathy

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Hey Kathy! :) I logged on specifically to see if you had gotten your tickets - great news! If it weren't a 3 hour drive, I might have done the same thing you did. That's ok, I only need 1 ticket, and sometimes it's easy to get 1 ticket fairly close to the stage. If not, I can live with it, since I've got good seats for Waukegan and Appleton. I've got my calendar marked to jump online next week and get my ticket! Looking forward to meeting up with you.

Vickie

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Yahoooo, bought my Manistee ticket today! Row E, Center!! :)

Vickie

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Yea Vickie, Way to go. We all know that you will have a special evening. I am very excited for you. :clap: :clap: :clap:

DSR

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Row 'E' center, your gonna have a great view of the concert. Really happy for you Vickie. :)

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Vickie,
I am counting the days, are you? Sounds like you got good seats even a week later! I like to be back a little bit so I can take it all in and not have to look around like I'm watching a tennis game!

You have quite a haul from here to Illinois the next day. Isn't it about 350 miles? It's doable, but a long ride, especially through the Chicago area. Ugh. I think that the car ferry will be running by then out of Ludington, but I think for you and a car is about $100. Not the most economical.
Kathy

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

People from Michigan are called "Michiganders" FYI

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Err Umm if males from MI are called michiganders., are the ladies then called Mitchiducks??

Re: More good news for Michigonians/ Mitchies (anyone over there in MI)
 

Good question, Sir John! LOL

Kathy, yes - I'm counting the days! :) The drive doesn't bother me - I make the drive from here to Chicago all the time to visit family and that's about 475 miles. Going from Manistee to Waukegan will actually be a shorter drive than I'm used to. And, I'll get to spend all day Saturday with my family before heading to Appleton on Sunday. :) Looking forward to meeting up with you at the concert!

Vickie