Gordon Lightfoot Forums - Mankato, MN (June 8) Set List

Saturday June 8 was another lovely day across the Upper Midwest. My wife Debbie and I enjoyed a leisurely drive across the farmlands of Wisconsin and Minnesota. I know the city of Mankato fairly well, so there was no trouble finding the place. It is right in the heart of downtown at the bend in the water, (Minnesota River). Got there to enjoy a delicious early dinner at the Red Lobster.

A wedding was going on in another part of the Civic Center, so we entered a wrong door initially. I'm not sure how many the Verizon Theatre holds, but I would guess 3,000 or a little more. My best guess was that there were 2,000 or slightly more there. Pretty good crowd for a night when there were certainly other places and things to do.

We were in Row 3, front and center, in front of Michael. Dry ice was blowing across the stage ahead of showtime. That would certainly help Gord's pipes. The liquor was flowing in the crowd for sure. I didn't see the products table, but it looked like people had bought t-shirts of the "80 Years Strong" tour.. Others had brought their old albums. The crowd turned into a rowdy bunch. Unfortunately, we sat not too far from three drunk guys who screamed and yelled at everything. Geez, we spent $99/seat to hear these numbskulls shout over the master playing his craft. We also had two women behind us talking loudly throughout the concert. A few quick glares did not quiet them down. These two women had a few drinks in them and were brain dead. Pity the guys stuck with them.

The crowd was even more surreal because of an odd woman sitting in the front row. She carried about a five foot staff with her, looking like Moses in the desert during the "Ten Commandments." She didn't appear blind or disabled in any way. There was a metal fence in front of the stage, but several times during the show, she would get up and walk to the front fence right in front of Gord, like she owned the place. Talk about a free spirit. Don't get people who think their enjoyment at the show includes disrupting that of others. The security at the venue was lacking for sure. Most places would have grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and thrown her ass out of the front door.

Well, enough of my venting: Here is the set list:

First Set:

1) Sweet Guinevere
2) Did She Mention My Name
3) Too Many Clues in this Room
4) Never Too Close
5) Don Quixote
6) Clouds of Loneliness
7) A Painter Passing Through
8) Spanish Moss
9) 14 Karat Gold
10) Shadows
11) Beautiful
12) Watchman's Gone
13) Wreck of E.F.

Second set:

14) Carefree Highway
15) Cotton Jenny
16) Ribbon of Darkness
17) Sundown
18) I'd Rather Press On
19) Minstrel of the Dawn
20) Rainy Day People
21) Let It Ride
22) If You Could Read My Mind
23) Restless
24) Baby Step Back
25) Early Morning Rain
Encore:
26) Song for a Winter's Night

Gord was in better voice in Mankato, than he was in Wisconsin the night before. Certainly, some hoarse moments, but about what I would expect at this point. Some interesting observations besides the people around us:

* Before "Clues", he talked about it written as we were getting out of Vietnam.
* Said "Spanish Moss" was written while staying in Savannah, Georgia.
* I had never heard Spanish Moss ever segue into 14 Karat Gold.
* Before "Shadows" he talked about writing a melody out of "D" key, thinking it would go nowhere, but it turned into a pretty song.
* Gave a sober and dignified explanation of the Fitzgerald and that 29 men are still lying on the bottom of Lake Superior.
* Carter's amp died before the final verse of the Fitzgerald. Gord looked over at him, but they finished the song. The stage hands worked feverishly to get it fixed during intermission.
* Maybe of the most interest, he said before "Rather Press On", that he and the band had been practicing new material back home and he apologized if this song did not sound like he wrote it. So there must be something on the new album in this vein.

* Talked about his ex-brother in law coming up with the inspiration for Baby Step Back. Said the brother-in-law never let it go and even in his grave, is probably still saying it.
* Told the Elvis story at the Buffalo, New York hockey arena.
* Before the encore, he said that they had driven 4 1/2 hours from Wisconsin to Mankato. Not sure why Gordon didn't fly. Maybe the bronchitis? That's a long drive because we did the same drive. We would have taken him!

Ok- this is probably all I will see of Gordon this year. Whenever he is around the Twin Cities the past 40 years, I try to go. These two concerts were #70 and #71 for me. Still have fun after all these years, but I know that I will probably never get to #100.

So please post those set lists from other parts of the tours. Really enjoy reading them!

John -Minnesota