http://www.rootsmusic.ca/song-for-a-winters-night/
Song for a Winter’s Night
by ANDY FRANK on JANUARY 20, 2014 · 0 COMMENTS
in PERFORMANCE,REVIEWS
In today’s Toronto, tribute shows, where a band or a series of artists perform materials by one famous act, are as common as Leafs jerseys. You’ll find such concerts representing a wide variety of music genres, including the one that we champion, the Canadian folk/roots scene. So, why are we running a story about a tribute show? Well, the granddaddy of these gigs in our community is called The Way We Feel, which features the music of Canadian folk legend Gordon Lightfoot. What makes the perennially sold-out, three-night event truly unique is not only its twelve-year-run, it’s that electric moment that happens on only one of the three nights, when host David Newland introduces “our next performer, Gordon Lightfoot.”
This year, Gord followed his singer-songwriter daughter Meredith Moon onto the famous Hugh’s Room stage, and after absorbing a lengthy standing ovation, he performed “Knotty Pine” from his 1983 CD, Salute. Then, he teased the audience with a verse of “If You Could Read My Mind,” took a bow, and left the show in the good hands of Artistic Director Jory Nash’s all-star cast.
Ironically, on this Sunday night in January 2014, Gordon Lightfoot might have been the second most famous name in the house. Canadian astronaut and folk-singer Chris Hadfield made his debut appearance at the series, an event which resulted in a few polite, camera-flashing, folkie mob scenes in the Hugh’s Room lobby. Hadfield graciously shook every hand, signed every autograph, and posed for every snapshot.
Of course the performances by members of the touring Canadian folk/roots scene, backed by a stellar house band, were all outstanding covers of Lightfoot songs (see the photo below for the list of artists). James Keelaghan was an easy choice to close the proceedings, and he did so with “Canadian Railroad Trilogy.” It takes a certain amount of gravitas to pull that feat off in front of the song’s composer, and Keelaghan has it in spades. Finally, Commander Hadfield joined the whole cast on stage in the singing of “Rich Man’s Spiritual.”
This was an evening Toronto music fans won’t forget any time soon, and credit is due to Jory Nash, event co-founder Aengus Finnan, David Newland and all of the other performers, who diligently studied, interpreted and performed Lightfoot’s materials.
Finally, it was heartwarming to witness the icon of Canadian folk music seeking out performers one after the other to congratulate them on their work; the smiles on the musicians’ faces afterwards were priceless. That kind of support and validation starts at the top, and examples of this grace are seen at Canadian festivals and venues daily. Maybe that is why our great scene is what it has become.
PICTURE: Event co-founders Aengus Finnan (L) and Jory Nash (R) Chris Hadfield & Gordon Lightfoot
Photos of Gordon Lightfoot by James Dean Photography
From James Keelaghan’s Facebook Page: SETLIST PIC:
“I understand that number 8 in Set 1 is a pretty good songwriter”
Re: Hugh's Room-2014 Lightfoot Celebration-yr.12.
