Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Springfield MO-Gillioz Theatre-Oct.29-2013

RockyF · 10-30-2013, 05:06 PM

I drove from Tyler, Texas to Springfield, Missouri on Tuesday to see Gordon and the band at the Gillioz Theater. In this "50th Anniversary" year, not one of the 70 shows took place in Texas. So, as they say, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do". In this case, it meant at 460 mile drive - the last 200 or which were in a pouring rain.

The Gillioz is a lovely century old theater, which was restored to its original glory a few years back. It seats about 650 on the floor level, and another 350 in the balcony. I was lucky to get a seat one over from dead center in the front row. If anyone had ever told me that I would pay $95 for a concert ticket, I would have told them that they were crazy. All I can say is that I would do it again - in a heartbeat.

I had planned to compile a song list, but of course I was immediately captivated by the music and forgot. I do remember that he started off with 'Sweet Guinevere' and the encore was 'Rainy Day People', which he dedicated to those of us in the audience because of the bad weather. Gordon was in a good mood and talked quite a bit, and mentioned how he had tried to work some older songs and some 'C-shaped' songs into the setlist. We were fortunate to have him sing 'Canadian Railroad Trilogy' and most of the other major songs (as if any of them are minor), but he did not sing 'Early Morning Rain' or 'Old Dan's Records', which I think is usually part of the encore.

The show started promptly at 8 p.m. The first set was 50 minutes, followed by a 20 minute break. The second set and encore were 55 minutes, so the show ended at 10:05.

For those of you who are interested, Gordon wore a navy (velour?) waistcoat, tuxedo shirt, and black slacks during the first set. For the second set, he changed out the jacket for a red one of the same style.

I was looking forward to hearing Carter play, and I must say that he seems to have mastered every song that was played. To me, his style appears to be somewhat different than Terry's was - but I am not very knowledgeable about playing the guitar. None of the important lead runs were missing as far as I could tell, and I must say that he makes playing the guitar look nearly effortless which I know is not the least bit true.

There were a few young people at the concert, but most of them were baby boomers, just like me. The percentage of gray and white hair in the audience was higher than I can ever remember seeing. And how about this - when Gordon and the band were playing the Trilogy, I did not hear one single handclap between the different parts. Very knowledgeable and respectful fans.

Gordon will be in Texas this coming February for a taping of 'Austin City Limits' for PBS. I don't know if I need to see him again that soon, but at the same time, what could it possibly hurt? Nothing that I can think of!

10-30-2013, 05:06 PM	#7
RockyF Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 10	Gordon in Springfield, Missouri I drove from Tyler, Texas to Springfield, Missouri on Tuesday to see Gordon and the band at the Gillioz Theater. In this "50th Anniversary" year, not one of the 70 shows took place in Texas. So, as they say, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do". In this case, it meant at 460 mile drive - the last 200 or which were in a pouring rain. The Gillioz is a lovely century old theater, which was restored to its original glory a few years back. It seats about 650 on the floor level, and another 350 in the balcony. I was lucky to get a seat one over from dead center in the front row. If anyone had ever told me that I would pay $95 for a concert ticket, I would have told them that they were crazy. All I can say is that I would do it again - in a heartbeat. I had planned to compile a song list, but of course I was immediately captivated by the music and forgot. I do remember that he started off with 'Sweet Guinevere' and the encore was 'Rainy Day People', which he dedicated to those of us in the audience because of the bad weather. Gordon was in a good mood and talked quite a bit, and mentioned how he had tried to work some older songs and some 'C-shaped' songs into the setlist. We were fortunate to have him sing 'Canadian Railroad Trilogy' and most of the other major songs (as if any of them are minor), but he did not sing 'Early Morning Rain' or 'Old Dan's Records', which I think is usually part of the encore. The show started promptly at 8 p.m. The first set was 50 minutes, followed by a 20 minute break. The second set and encore were 55 minutes, so the show ended at 10:05. For those of you who are interested, Gordon wore a navy (velour?) waistcoat, tuxedo shirt, and black slacks during the first set. For the second set, he changed out the jacket for a red one of the same style. I was looking forward to hearing Carter play, and I must say that he seems to have mastered every song that was played. To me, his style appears to be somewhat different than Terry's was - but I am not very knowledgeable about playing the guitar. None of the important lead runs were missing as far as I could tell, and I must say that he makes playing the guitar look nearly effortless which I know is not the least bit true. There were a few young people at the concert, but most of them were baby boomers, just like me. The percentage of gray and white hair in the audience was higher than I can ever remember seeing. And how about this - when Gordon and the band were playing the Trilogy, I did not hear one single handclap between the different parts. Very knowledgeable and respectful fans. Gordon will be in Texas this coming February for a taping of 'Austin City Limits' for PBS. I don't know if I need to see him again that soon, but at the same time, what could it possibly hurt? Nothing that I can think of!