THE WAY WE FEEL
10th Anniversary Celebration of Gordon Lightfoot @ Hugh’s Room, Toronto Jan.19-22, 2012
SUNDAY January 22, 2012 (4th of 4 nites)
Lisa and I arrived at Hugh’s around 6:30 to meet up with Ron Jones, his lovely friend Eileen, and Kenyon and Johanna so it would be a nice reunion of sorts since we attended the gorgeous wedding of K&J in August. I did see K&J at the Bidini book launch in November however. We sat with Ron and Eileen on the floor level by the stage, near the piano and K&J were on the upper level in a more central location. We had a fabulous dinner while we caught up and watched as the room filled and every table and chair was taken. Hugh’s is a converted house and on the main level is a bar and small foyer that leads down a couple of stairs to a floor area where there are dining tables and an area set to one side with smaller/taller tables and tall stools. Closer to the stage which is not very large and tucked into the far, back corner, and after two steps down there are several more tables and the sound board. The ceilings are low, the room is dark and it bustles with energy as the waitstaff scramble to take orders and deliver them in a very crowded and noisy atmosphere. Around the perimeter where there is enough space to tuck a stool folks fill every nook and cranny. The waitstaff and kitchenstaff are an amazing and efficient group of people and it’s nice to see the regulars I’ve come to know over the years.
Before we knew it Jory was onstage introducing David Newland and the last of 4 shows was beginning! Tonights shows would have a bit of a different lineup so it was great that we had been down the night before and seen the performers who were only available for that one night and would see some new faces on this last night.
1.DAVID NEWLAND – DID SHE MENTION MY NAME
2.DAVID MATHESON – DRIFTERS and DON’T BEAT ME DOWN
3.KEN WHITELEY – COLD ON THE SHOULDER and THE LONG RIVER – Ken said he attended the 1964 Mariposa Folk Festival when he was 13 years old and it had moved from Orillia to Maple Leaf Stadium on Toronto’s lakefront. It was a life changing event for him. The first act on the Friday night was Lightfoot and he sang “Piddlin’ Pete”. At that time Lightfoot was playing at the New Gate of Cleaves on Avenue Road near The Purple Onion in Toronto before he would start playing at The Riverboat. Ken got Lightfoot’s autograph before he started at the Riverboat and Massey Hall!
4.SUZIE VINNICK – BEND IN THE WATER and I’D DO IT AGAIN
and
5.LIAM TITCOMB – SUMMER SIDE OF LIVE and SUNDOWN
and
6.LORI CULLEN – RAINY DAY PEOPLE and SONG FOR A WINTER’S NIGHT
and
7.JORY NASH – CANADIAN RAILROAD TRILOGY and MOTHER OF A MINER’S CHILD
8.RON HYNES – SAME OLD OBSESSION and DON QUIXOTE – Ron is from Newfoundland and is known as “The Man of a Thousand Songs”. He’s an old time friend of Ron Jones too!
http://www.hynesite.org/ He is a multi-nominated and award winning artist whose song “Sonny’s Dream” is in the top 50 top Canadian tunes. In Newfoundland his name is bigger than Gordon Lightfoot’s. Before he started to sing Ron said, ”I wouldn’t have been a songwriter without Gordon Lightfoot – that’s the best that I can say.”
and
BREAK
10th Anniv.Lightfoot celebrations @ Hugh's Room,TOronto-4th of 4 nites
