NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

RICK:
Tonite's festivities will be at the Calvin Theater in Northampton, MA, our 5th appearance here.

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

http://www.masslive.com/entertainmen...l#incart_river
By Ray Kelly | rkelly@repub.com

on July 13, 2014 at 11:30 PM, updated July 13, 2014 at 11:50 PM

NORTHAMPTON – Gordon Lightfoot's current concert trek is named "50 Years on the Carefree Highway Tour."

But the ride has not always been carefree for the 75-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter, who performed at the Calvin Theatre on Sunday night. He has come back from a six-week coma in 2002 and stroke in 2006, which would have sidelined lesser men.

"I am Gordon Lightfoot and the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," he quipped near the start of the night.

If Lightfoot's gentle baritone is not as lush as it was when he defined the folk-pop sound of the early 1970s, it is the mileage and not the years, as Indiana Jones once remarked.

Backed by his crackerjack four-piece band, Lightfoot performed a 45-minute set, followed by a 55- minute second half. All told, he took the nearly 1,000 listeners through 26 songs, capping the night with an encore of "Cold on the Shoulder."

The first half was peppered with some of his best known works: "Rainy Day People," "Beautiful," "Carefree Highway" and "Sundown" – all well-received by the crowd.

However, the second half of the night proved more rewarding.

Lightfoot opened strong with "Sweet Guinevere" from his often overlooked 1978 album "Endless Wire." He quickly followed it with the magnificent sea chantey "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

Songs like "Wild Strawberries," "Let It Ride" and "Make Way for the Lady" followed before the highpoint of the night, "If You Could Read My Mind."

Lightfoot was an amusing storyteller throughout the night, whether making sly references to the crack problems of his hometown mayor, Toronto's Rob Ford, or recalling how he nearly met Elvis Presley.

The tale of the near-meeting with The King served as an intro to "Early Mornin' Rain," which appeared on his 1966 debut album "Lightfoot!" and was covered by Presley on his 1972 album "Elvis Now."

As he has at other shows, Lightfoot remarked, "We love the work." It clearly shows.

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

setlist:
The Watchman's Gone
Waiting for You
All the Lovely Ladies
I'd Rather Press On
A Painter Passing Through
Rainy Day People
Shadows
Beautiful
Much to My Surprise
Carefree Highway
Hangdog Hotel Room
Ribbon of Darkness
Sundown

2nd Set

Sweet Guinevere
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Drifters
14 Karat Gold
Make Way for the Lady
Wild Strawberries
Let It Ride
If You Could Read My Mind
Restless
Baby Step Back
Early Morning Rain
Song for a Winter's Night
Encore:
Cold on the Shoulder

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

Great to see that that "Much to my Surprise" (my favourite song from the 1998 album APPT) has finally made its way into the set list.

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

it was also much to my surprise when i saw that in the setlist!. now it's time to bring back the auctioneer!

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

Sorry but I hope he never does. I never liked that song and he didn't write it anyway. I prefer he stay with his own songs.

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

To use the catchword used by many of the staff at the Hotel Northampton on Sunday "absolutely"
Rick did hint that they had been working on other songs in addition to Much To My Surprise so fingers crossed

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

OK folks here is a little "teaser"
I will be back ASSAP
hint Sugarmegs
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...nt_cropped.jpg

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

Since the previous artwork was obviously suitable for an audio CD's jewel case here is the rear insert with splines all ready already so to speak and I do

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...ear_insert.jpg

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

Yes Yes
The presumably local fan who had previously issued a torrent and a sugarmegs streaming bootleg of the previous 2012 concert here has done it again according to the sugarmegs recent additions listing it was as soon after the concert as July 19th.
just go to
http://sugarmegs.org
and then find the alphabetical search box then search under ''g" for Gordon
you'll have to scroll down past several gazillion Grateful Dead boots (which would surely grate with me because one GD bootleg is one too many for me
but they did render a fair EMR long go (as The Warlocks I believe)

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

is there a direct link for the northampton show that isnt a torrent

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

yes there certainly is I'll be back tomorrow Wodensday with more info hang on there antarctical exploder

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

I had a badly remembered dream last night in which I was at another concert possibly in California where Gord did about 4 newly "rotated" songs. I thought I remembered that one was about bells but it was not "ring them" or the Fitz or "of the evening" !
It was probably just wishful thinking

Re: NORTHAMPTON,MA-July 13,2014
 

thanks