Yes I do in fact recall Ringneck being abbreviated.. and I seem to remember he was fumbling the lyric a bit or something.. not that it phased us any.. it was all good that night..
Cedar Rapids will be 28 for me since 1981..
and the 3 Minny shows'll put me up over 30..
Speaking of thinking the Duluth show would be the last.. y'know, the last thing I ever did with my dad, was see Gord (Ruth Eckerd; Clearwater, March 2001)..
http://www.lightfoot.ca/010317.htm
My dad loved Gord's songbook (which I'm proud to say I introduced him to so many years ago etc.).. We sat together that night in Clearwater, and when Lightfoot launched into the last song of the evening (CRT) I turned to my dad, not sure why, just being philosophical I suppose, or perhaps trying to appreciate the evening in some grander romantic sense or something, and said, "this might be the last song we ever hear him do..".. A few seconds went by and I looked at my dad again.. and he was softly weeping.. "..and many are the dead men.. too silent.. to be real.." etc..
I dropped him off after the show and flew home to Minnesota the next day, and that was the last time I ever saw my dad, and it was indeed the CRT which was the last one for him..
I have that ticket stub in a picture frame of my dad (who's looking quite happy).. Now when I go to the shows, I always sort of, look up in the corner of whatever theatre I'm in when the guys get to Old Dan's Records, a song my dad loved, and which has such greater meaning for me now.. "..if Old Dan was with us still.." etc..
Me and my dad.. we didn't always see eye to eye, but we loved Lightfoot's music, and we did it together..
Thanks Gord..
[ April 17, 2007, 13:25: Message edited by: RJ ]