Grand Prairie TX concert

[Judy]

I have been a Lightfoot fan for forty years. However, I looked up the last Lightfoot concert I attended on lightfoot.ca and found that it was in May 1987. How does one let twenty-five years go by without going to see the man whose music has been such a significant part of our lives? I have no excuse…I guess I was busy with life, but I vowed to attend last night’s show no matter what…and I did attend it. The following are some snippets.

Set List (Hope I got everything.)

Sweet Guinevere
The Watchman's Gone
14 Karat Gold
Never Too Close
In My Fashion
A Painter Passing Through
Rainy Day People
Shadows
Beautiful
Carefree Highway
Hangdog Hotel Room
Ribbon of Darkness
Sundown
Cotton Ginny

Intermission

The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Ringneck Loon
Don Quixote
Clouds of Loneliness
Let it Ride
If Children Had Wings
If You Could Read My Mind
Restless
Baby Step Back
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Song for a Winter's Night

Encore

Old Dan's Records


It goes without saying that the show was excellent. The band is really tight and Gord’s voice grew stronger as the show went on. He had a little trouble with “Sweet Guinevere,” but stopped, restarted the song, and everything was fine after that.

We were a very reserved audience; I kept wondering if we were ever going to loosen up. When we finally did …it happened some time around “Ribbon of Darkness” and “Sundown”…Gord turned to the band and had them accept the adoration.

Gord mentioned Carter’s harp guitar and told us we could see it at carter’s website. He even gave us the url (http://carterlancaster.com).

He said the holiday break was good. Joke: Aunt Betty gave him a gift that really made his eyes pop out. It was a shirt three sizes too small.

They unplugged and left the stage after “Song for a Winter's Night.” The audience gave them a standing ovation of several minutes. When they came back, Gord thanked us and said it really wasn’t necessary…that they were coming back anyway.

All of my pictures from last night suck. I will see if there is anything that is shareable. I am sure the problem was a faulty camera and not user error.

[charlene]

thanks Judy! It was a long 'mini-tour' so it's great that things were so terrific. It's nice that Gordon is hyping Carter's website and talents..He mentioned it in Alberta and Stratford too...Carter is the only one onstage with his own personal website! lol

Yeah - I hate it when the camera screws up my pics too..lol

[txdaiseyblue]

I was there and I was totally amazed..this was my first concert and I am still on cloud nine hundred thousand and nine..LOL. I was able to go back Stage afterwards and had my picture taken with him plus a few of the band. I don't know how to post them on here or I would. Although he didn't sing Spanish Moss, he did sing some of my other favorites..Like Beautiful, Shadows, Cloud's of Loneliness and Song for a winters night...I cried during that one..it's a song I'd listen to after my Husband died and always made me feel like he was right there with me. He also told me and another person back stage that he has a new album coming out soon, Titled "Massey Hall Live"...I will be on Pin's and needles waiting for that!! Anyhow...I am still way up there in the clouds from this amazing experience and the very fortunate chance I had to be able to meet him in person back stage. I believe my Angel in Heaven helped arrange that and kept his promise he made to me many years ago to make sure I was able to achieve my life's dream!

[charlene]

If you want to e-mail the pics I will post them for you..check your PM (Private Message here at corfid)

Sounds like all of your dreams came true!! I'm so happy for you. How did you get backstage? Who else did you meet in the band? How exciting for you!

[charlene]

pics. who took the pics? Warren?? wonderful pictures!

[Judy]

My pix certainly don't compare to Meli's, but here are a few more from last night. The first one I took is the one where the mike is in the way...the results sort of went down hill after that.

I seriously considered finding the stage door and Warren in order to go back and talk to Gord, but I was with a group that wanted to leave, so it just wasn't in the cards last night.

[Judy]

A review of the show in the Dallas newspaper...not much that is not already known. This article requires a paid subscription, but if you can get redirected from a search engine (i.e., Google) the full article comes up; otherwise, it should be in the dallasnews.com archives in about a week.

http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/columnists/michael-granberry/20120131-an-aging-gordon-lightfoot-still-has-it-is-still-adored.ece

An aging Gordon Lightfoot still has it, is still adored

The Dallas Morning News
Michael Granberry, Columnist, Arts and Features
mgranberry@dallasnews.com
Published: 31 January 2012 08:46 AM

GRAND PRAIRIE — It was April 1976, when a 37-year-old Gordon Lightfoot strode onstage at the Anchorage Sports Arena and blew the Alaskan faithful away with a set that was bold, confident, charismatic and daring. The Canadian was a superstar, and the crowd adored him.

The long-haired troubadour who walked to the microphone at Verizon Theatre on Saturday night is a much different man. Eerily gaunt in black pants, a white shirt and blue suede jacket, he looked more like Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movies or leathery Brit Bill Nighy.

But just as a few in the crowd gasped or whispered at the realization of how much their favorite folkie has aged, they greeted him as one would a beloved king. And he rewarded them with a stirring set that filled nearly two hours and embraced 26 songs that define the legend.

At 73, Lightfoot has been through a lot. In 2002, he underwent surgery for a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. A coma, a tracheotomy and multiple operations followed. He suffered a minor stroke during a 2006 show but has regained full use of his right hand and continues to tour, Grand Prairie being the last of 15 shows since Christmas. Bob Dylan once praised Lightfoot as one of his favorite songwriters and said that his wish upon hearing almost any Lightfoot song is that “it would last forever.”

Of course, the crowd had its favorites and openly cheered for the ones they cherish the most: “Rainy Day People,” “Beautiful,” “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Song for a Winter’s Night” and “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” which brought tears to several eyes. The voice is but a raspy shadow of the buttery baritone it once was, but like an aging boxer, Lightfoot is a proud warrior who is not afraid to push on, to do what he loves and does so well.

As a woman in the crowd yelled out, “You’ve still got it, and we still love you!”

[charlene]

thanks for posting..I just rec'd an e-mail with the review fromt he paper! lol
He keeps on truckin'...thankfully!

[Judy]

Sorry about that Charlene, I probably should have let you post the review. I invested an hour trying to get it without having to pay for a subscription...I used to paying customer, but not any more. Somehow I did all the things in the right order that allowed me to get to the page, so I could not stop myself from sharing my trophy.

Yes, thankfully he keeps truckin'. I feel the need to get to another show this year. I am hoping for a second sweep through the States, but if not, I guess it will be Massey Hall in November. I like Toronto, so maybe that is the better idea anyway!

[charlene]

No problem - I've been busy writing up a re-cap of the tribute shows and loading videos onto youtube. i've written to the papers before to ask for a review or pics..most reviewers seem to be amenable to my requests...and I have also spent much time searching as you did, for reviews..lol
i'll take any help i can get!
lol

[txdaiseyblue]

hey Charlene..I am going to be working on my website this weekend and want to post any video's from YouTube on the page I am going to dedicate just to him. Let me know your username on there and I will use yours..also if anyone has any video's from the Grand prairie Concert please share them with me...I was so scared I wouldn't have enough battery power left in case I did get to meet him I didn't record any for me....
Thank's..oh BTW he did also tell me and the friend that Leno has asked him to be on the show..but he's still thinking whether he wants to do it or not..Said they won't let him choose the song "HE" wants to sing and he actually scowled...LOL! I said I don't blame you one bit.. he said yeah well we will see! Gotta love him!

[txdaiseyblue]

One more thing...Valerie Magee told me that the new album he told us about is due out in April of this year..a compilation of all his Massey Hall concerts from about 2000-to present day..of course I will be anxiously waiting for that! Now if he could do another video like Reno Live......