Thank you geo Steve! As far as favorites go, the two that top the list for me are If You Could Read My Mind and Too Late For Prayin'. For some reason I do tend to gravitate to the less famous songs that aren't as widely known. I guess it's because they strike a certain "chord" so to speak--a combination of words, vocals and music--that just come together and and hit me! Some examples include Bells of the Evening (can't get through this one without a lump in my throat), If Children Had Wings, Sit Down Young Stranger, and of course Too Late for Prayin. There are many others of course as there's certainly a vast library to pick from. Aren't we all lucky
Now a short story from my 1988 concert......
Lucky for me I'm heading off to Kalamazoo next Saturday to see Gordon in concert. I'm very excited as It's been 20 years since I have done so. I recall the 1988 concert I attended very well indeed. Gordon was not happy with the sound and kept stopping mid-stream for the first 4 or 5 songs in a row and yelling at soundman "Bob." At first it was a tweak here, a tweak there. But with each song he became more and more upset and actually stopped the band, in the middle of each of the first few songs, repeatedly. Of course those of us in attendance thought he sounded great and he appeared in very fine form. But it just wasn't enough for Gordon. I must say he was very, very upset. Yelling in fact.
I'd never seen anything quite like it at the time and haven't since. I was sitting in the lawn section with my friend and those nearby to us looked around and wondered out loud if the entire concert was going to be like this. Eventually he let it go and pressed on. To our delight, he sounded great and delivered an outstanding performance in the end, despite the rough start. That all said, I'm anxious to see the show a week from now. I'll report back and let everyone know how it was.
I'm just happy that at this point in his career he's able to continue touring to appreciative fans like all of us. And that his music is as relevant today as it was 30-40 years ago. I have no doubt that generations of people will come to learn of this very special man known as Gordon Lightfoot and appreciate his contribution to music and the legend that he is. Without a doubt, he is every bit a legend indeed.
P.S. Glad you like the name I picked out. My real name is Linda, but that was already taken, so I borrowed the song title "Oh, Linda." Otherwise, "Spin, Spin" was going to be my #2 selection had Oh Linda already been taken