Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Gettin' It Done In Hamilton-Nov.2004

charlene · 11-30-2004, 07:20 PM

Well after a short, much needed nap to rejuvenate my memory I shall attempt to express how incredible the Hamilton Experience was.

Of course there is always the joy of seeing old friends again and the pleasure of meeting new ones. But for those who travelled from overseas to the ones who drove 10 hours or took a train from around Lake Ontario, those who have seen The Man many times to those who have never seen at all him we all were in the same state of anticipation, nervousness, slight worry and downright bloody giddiness that he was back and we were going to see him.

The Man was no less than inspirational. To have recovered his health from that horrible devastation almost 2 1/2 years ago to the point of robust energy, proud swaggering, big huge goofy grins and humble smiles is one amazing thing. BUT to also apply a work ethic that must be astounding in its depth, to his craft, his real love, the music ALONG with the dedication to his physical recovery was truly miraculous. He is the embodiment of "gettin' it done." And he got it done for his fans. He got it done in spades.

The boys in the band assumed their spots, the applause began, people rose in their seats and The Man strode out with the most glorious smile and humble nod of his head. He looked damned happy to be back and we let him know we were damned happy to see him. Being the humble man and not wanting to waste time while this wave of respect and love filled the hall he started playing, forcing us to stop the silliness and get on with the music! And he knew best. I'm sure everyone was breathless and still just waiting for that first finger to hit a guitar string and the magic to begin with the first Lightfoot musical word. Omigod he was singing Spanish Moss! A burst of applause and we all settled back to take in the magic. It was just that - magic.

His voice in the first few songs faded here and there, some lyrics were barely audible at times but he was strong, he looked great in his black jeans, brown boots, burgundy dress shirt and brown-toned vest. At times it was as if the 70's had taken over. Several people mentioned this later - it was a look he wore well back then and he pulled it off again on Nov.28, 2004.

He played a few tunes before addressing the reason why he was there that night. It was very moving to hear him speak so lovingly about the people and place that saved his life. And as you all can guess I got weepy. For the first time. He joked about the nurses telling him after a couple of days in recovery after he awoke to "get your own basin" for bathing himself. And no one loves a Gord joke more than Gord. His laughter was more music to my ears. All the mannerisms, the arms spread and the hands so expressful, the shaking of his head as he chuckled to himself and the leaning forward towards the audience on one leg-it was all there.He was back. And he was having a great time.

Looking around at people in other rows I couldn't help but note the constant smiles - he had us hook, line and sinker. When a song went particularly well he ended it with that lean forward, last flourish on the guitar and the gaze into the audience that said "damn! that was GOOD!" He was pleased with himself and it showed. The band was tip top and not being a techie or musician myself they sounded perfect to me. There were glitches here and there apparently but completely irrelevant to me.

He explained the writing of Harmony and hearing him speak of the "low times, the dips and dives when emotional trauma occurs" like it did for him I could only think that along with the physical trauma and the trauma of worrying about losing his livelihood he was thrust into re-living the emotions of those songs he wrote for the Harmony CD. Others would possibly break from it all but the heart and spirit were obviously strong. And obviously I wept again. The little cracks and imperfections in his voice made me breathless during this song of hurt.

He spoke again about the nurses and doctors and during one list of thank you's he mentioned family and friends AND "The Net People" who were in the audience. And of course the thirty or so of scattered around Hamilton Place let him know we were there. And he smiled.

And he sang a timeless song - Sit Down Yong Stranger to a hushed audience who perhaps understood the message in the music.

His absolute joy in talking about Orillia and Couchiching was, for me at least, quite touching. His obsession with words is one reason why we have had Lightfoot music for so long and I marvelled at how he could take this odd sounding word, the name of the lake his hometown sits on, and make it into a love song for his boyhood home.

The first night brought concern (and a slight myocardial infarction to me) when during IYCRMM he stopped using his right hand and his arm hung unmoving at his side. He slowly tuned and walked back towards Rick while he kept his left hand on the guitar neck playing the chords. Mike looked over to see what was going on and Barry and Terry looked concerned. The song kept going and after what seemed to be a lifetime he turned around, walked slowly back to his microphone, raised his hand to his guitar and continued to sing and play. Another lifetime later my heart began to beat again. It was sometime during the encore I think.....and he nailed EMR to the wall. The depth of his voice and resonance was amazing-like 20 years earlier really.

The next day the review in the Hamilton Spectator said that very same thing we all said after the show. And he knew it too.

The second night started off and he nailed every song from the get-go...the guitar playing was on and the voice was there for the whole night so there were several of those "Damn that was GOOD" gazes into the audience that cracked me up.

He strode out on to the stage in a beautiful pair of black dress pants, a black shirt with a white starburst pattern, black belt and black leather dress shoes. He looked damn fine! The effect was quite amazing. Several of us were quite awestruck actually! LOL - He looked soooooo good!

At one point he did a "guy" thing- perhaps not realizing how close he was to the microphone he gave a good "snort" and swallow. A few beats later he laughingly said "that went down good." Well the whole place cracked up. The laughter went on and he stepped back and had a good chuckle with the band. I thought to myself "you can dress him up but you can't take him anywhere!" I think I laughed about it every once in a while for most of the night. And apparently a lot of others did too. What a guy.

He told of making a promise to a nurse that he would sing Bitter Green for her when he got back on stage. And being the honourable man he is he sang "Bittergreen" for her. He tried to find her in the audience for a few moments before starting but then went ahead and kept that very important promise. It was lovely.

The new songs from Harmony blended perfectly into the set list and it was another weepy moment for me when he sang Clouds of Loneliness. I heard and felt the emotion in that song being performed live much more than when I've played the CD. It was quite moving.

When he started to play "In My Fashion" I thought how much more poignant that song must be for him and his children now, many of whom were there over the two nights.

All I thought of was the wailing I would hear from over the pond when "someone" told her he did Christian Island." I asked for a volunteer for that task and see someone has already performed the nasty deed. I'm hearing the echoes still....I may never be able to listen to C.I. again.

It was a most amazing time....a time for friends to get together and get re-acquainted, to remember past Lightfoot trips and shows, to talk of our lives, jobs and families, our own struggles over the last couple of years but to ultimately get together to say thanks, we love you, we love your music and we're glad you're back to The Man.

And thanks for gettin' it done.

p.s.

And I did have the chance to say "thank you" to him and then I gave him another kiss.

Char
serial weeper and kisser

NIGHT ONE - SETLIST:
Hamilton Place - November 28, 2004
Spanish Moss
Let It Ride
Minstrel Of The Dawn
Rainy Day People
In My Fashion
Harmony
Triangle
River Of Light
Cotton Jenny
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Sundown
Clouds Of Loneliness
Sit Down Young Stranger
Christian Island
Couchiching
If You Could Read My Mind
Old Dan's Records
Early Morning Rain

NIGHT TWO - SETLIST
Hamilton Place - November 29, 2004
All The Lovely Ladies
Spanish Moss
Let It Ride
Minstrel Of The Dawn
Rainy Day People
In My Fashion
Harmony
Triangle
Cotton Jenny
The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Sundown
If You Could Read My Mind
Clouds Of Loneliness
Bitter Green
On The High Seas
Old Dan's Records
Early Morning Rain

11-30-2004, 07:20 PM	#1
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Gettin' It Done In Hamilton-Nov.2004 Well after a short, much needed nap to rejuvenate my memory I shall attempt to express how incredible the Hamilton Experience was. Of course there is always the joy of seeing old friends again and the pleasure of meeting new ones. But for those who travelled from overseas to the ones who drove 10 hours or took a train from around Lake Ontario, those who have seen The Man many times to those who have never seen at all him we all were in the same state of anticipation, nervousness, slight worry and downright bloody giddiness that he was back and we were going to see him. The Man was no less than inspirational. To have recovered his health from that horrible devastation almost 2 1/2 years ago to the point of robust energy, proud swaggering, big huge goofy grins and humble smiles is one amazing thing. BUT to also apply a work ethic that must be astounding in its depth, to his craft, his real love, the music ALONG with the dedication to his physical recovery was truly miraculous. He is the embodiment of "gettin' it done." And he got it done for his fans. He got it done in spades. The boys in the band assumed their spots, the applause began, people rose in their seats and The Man strode out with the most glorious smile and humble nod of his head. He looked damned happy to be back and we let him know we were damned happy to see him. Being the humble man and not wanting to waste time while this wave of respect and love filled the hall he started playing, forcing us to stop the silliness and get on with the music! And he knew best. I'm sure everyone was breathless and still just waiting for that first finger to hit a guitar string and the magic to begin with the first Lightfoot musical word. Omigod he was singing Spanish Moss! A burst of applause and we all settled back to take in the magic. It was just that - magic. His voice in the first few songs faded here and there, some lyrics were barely audible at times but he was strong, he looked great in his black jeans, brown boots, burgundy dress shirt and brown-toned vest. At times it was as if the 70's had taken over. Several people mentioned this later - it was a look he wore well back then and he pulled it off again on Nov.28, 2004. He played a few tunes before addressing the reason why he was there that night. It was very moving to hear him speak so lovingly about the people and place that saved his life. And as you all can guess I got weepy. For the first time. He joked about the nurses telling him after a couple of days in recovery after he awoke to "get your own basin" for bathing himself. And no one loves a Gord joke more than Gord. His laughter was more music to my ears. All the mannerisms, the arms spread and the hands so expressful, the shaking of his head as he chuckled to himself and the leaning forward towards the audience on one leg-it was all there.He was back. And he was having a great time. Looking around at people in other rows I couldn't help but note the constant smiles - he had us hook, line and sinker. When a song went particularly well he ended it with that lean forward, last flourish on the guitar and the gaze into the audience that said "damn! that was GOOD!" He was pleased with himself and it showed. The band was tip top and not being a techie or musician myself they sounded perfect to me. There were glitches here and there apparently but completely irrelevant to me. He explained the writing of Harmony and hearing him speak of the "low times, the dips and dives when emotional trauma occurs" like it did for him I could only think that along with the physical trauma and the trauma of worrying about losing his livelihood he was thrust into re-living the emotions of those songs he wrote for the Harmony CD. Others would possibly break from it all but the heart and spirit were obviously strong. And obviously I wept again. The little cracks and imperfections in his voice made me breathless during this song of hurt. He spoke again about the nurses and doctors and during one list of thank you's he mentioned family and friends AND "The Net People" who were in the audience. And of course the thirty or so of scattered around Hamilton Place let him know we were there. And he smiled. And he sang a timeless song - Sit Down Yong Stranger to a hushed audience who perhaps understood the message in the music. His absolute joy in talking about Orillia and Couchiching was, for me at least, quite touching. His obsession with words is one reason why we have had Lightfoot music for so long and I marvelled at how he could take this odd sounding word, the name of the lake his hometown sits on, and make it into a love song for his boyhood home. The first night brought concern (and a slight myocardial infarction to me) when during IYCRMM he stopped using his right hand and his arm hung unmoving at his side. He slowly tuned and walked back towards Rick while he kept his left hand on the guitar neck playing the chords. Mike looked over to see what was going on and Barry and Terry looked concerned. The song kept going and after what seemed to be a lifetime he turned around, walked slowly back to his microphone, raised his hand to his guitar and continued to sing and play. Another lifetime later my heart began to beat again. It was sometime during the encore I think.....and he nailed EMR to the wall. The depth of his voice and resonance was amazing-like 20 years earlier really. The next day the review in the Hamilton Spectator said that very same thing we all said after the show. And he knew it too. The second night started off and he nailed every song from the get-go...the guitar playing was on and the voice was there for the whole night so there were several of those "Damn that was GOOD" gazes into the audience that cracked me up. He strode out on to the stage in a beautiful pair of black dress pants, a black shirt with a white starburst pattern, black belt and black leather dress shoes. He looked damn fine! The effect was quite amazing. Several of us were quite awestruck actually! LOL - He looked soooooo good! At one point he did a "guy" thing- perhaps not realizing how close he was to the microphone he gave a good "snort" and swallow. A few beats later he laughingly said "that went down good." Well the whole place cracked up. The laughter went on and he stepped back and had a good chuckle with the band. I thought to myself "you can dress him up but you can't take him anywhere!" I think I laughed about it every once in a while for most of the night. And apparently a lot of others did too. What a guy. He told of making a promise to a nurse that he would sing Bitter Green for her when he got back on stage. And being the honourable man he is he sang "Bittergreen" for her. He tried to find her in the audience for a few moments before starting but then went ahead and kept that very important promise. It was lovely. The new songs from Harmony blended perfectly into the set list and it was another weepy moment for me when he sang Clouds of Loneliness. I heard and felt the emotion in that song being performed live much more than when I've played the CD. It was quite moving. When he started to play "In My Fashion" I thought how much more poignant that song must be for him and his children now, many of whom were there over the two nights. All I thought of was the wailing I would hear from over the pond when "someone" told her he did Christian Island." I asked for a volunteer for that task and see someone has already performed the nasty deed. I'm hearing the echoes still....I may never be able to listen to C.I. again. It was a most amazing time....a time for friends to get together and get re-acquainted, to remember past Lightfoot trips and shows, to talk of our lives, jobs and families, our own struggles over the last couple of years but to ultimately get together to say thanks, we love you, we love your music and we're glad you're back to The Man. And thanks for gettin' it done. p.s. And I did have the chance to say "thank you" to him and then I gave him another kiss. Char serial weeper and kisser NIGHT ONE - SETLIST: Hamilton Place - November 28, 2004 Spanish Moss Let It Ride Minstrel Of The Dawn Rainy Day People In My Fashion Harmony Triangle River Of Light Cotton Jenny The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Sundown Clouds Of Loneliness Sit Down Young Stranger Christian Island Couchiching If You Could Read My Mind Old Dan's Records Early Morning Rain NIGHT TWO - SETLIST Hamilton Place - November 29, 2004 All The Lovely Ladies Spanish Moss Let It Ride Minstrel Of The Dawn Rainy Day People In My Fashion Harmony Triangle Cotton Jenny The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Sundown If You Could Read My Mind Clouds Of Loneliness Bitter Green On The High Seas Old Dan's Records Early Morning Rain