Lightfoot At The Count Basie Theater In Red Bank, NJ (10/6/10)

[gretschviking1967]

Went to the concert in Red Bank, NJ. It was my fifth Lightfoot show. It was cozy as usual but once again, he really has to get rid of the capos on his guitars as his vocals are suffering big time. The keys are way too high and at one point during "Canadian Railroad Trilogy", he really sounded awful. I know this subject has been beaten into the ground but if anyone out there who knows the guy can sit down and talk to him about it, perhaps he would reconsider. All he has to do is lose the capos and lower the keys. It's not hard to do. Come on Gord!

[gretschviking1967]

Set list:


1 Did She Mention My Name
2.Carefree Highway
3.Sea Of Tranquility
4 14 Karat Gold
5 Never Too Close
6 A Painter Passing Through
7 Let It Ride
8 Spanish Moss/Shadows
9 Beautiful
10 The Watchman's Gone
11 Ribbon Of Darkness/Sundowm
12 The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

INTERMISSION

1. Sweet Guinevere
2. Cotton Jenny
3.Restless
4. Home From The Forest
5.Waiting For You
6.Make Way For The Lady
7.Fine As Fine Can Be
8.If You Could Read My Mind
9.Don Quixote
10.Baby Step Back
11.Canadian Railroad Trilogy

ENCORES

12.Song For A Winter's Night
13.In My Fashion

[Bent But Not Broken]

I'm not a tunesmith, but I saw Gord in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. the other night and it sounded as if he did tune down some as he seemed to have back in '07 when I last saw him.
I don't think anyone is more painfully aware at the loss of his vocal range more than the man himself and I think he and the band are doing everything possible to remain true to the music and it's sound.
I'm sure, especially over the past few years, they have been exploring and experimenting with different keys and arrangements and to me it seems the formula he and the band have come up with is: Lower keys, lower volume mix and stand one step back from the mike.
He must be doing something right, because after all these years he is nearly selling out any venues he plays and the overwhelming majority of his reviews are positive.
Lightfoot and his songs are truely musical treasures even though that rich voice from the seventies and early eighties is long gone.
Just my thoughts.

[jj]

Originally Posted by gretschviking1967

he really has to get rid of the capos on his guitars as his vocals are suffering big time. The keys are way too high and at one point during "Canadian Railroad Trilogy", he really sounded awful

well, there's at least one who agrees with my going on and on about this...and you also speak of him ridding the capo or lowering it due to his restricted range but some have said how the use of a capo (or placing it higher) helps to counteract the restricted range of some vocalists as they age...i feel GL has constraints on the high end not the low end, and even if he did, not hitting low notes with any power or accuracy is not near as frown-provoking to listeners, imo

well, we'll just have char sit down with Gord and discuss the matter next chance

[charlene]

yeah - cuz Char is so knowledgeable about capos/guitars/notes/range...
lol
He did have Terry pull the capo down a few inches towards the guitar body..why or what that does to the guitar sound or the vocals is beyond me. It was before SFAWN.
I have, at times, noticed straining to reach notes during CRT and Cotton Jenny and sometimes during EMR.

[jj]

oh, i think that was probably before EMR (going up to 3rd fret)

then back down to 2nd for SFAWN

once the inital shock is over with, i really don't think the concert attending masses care much about the straining, capos or if his sets are not a whole lot different over the past decade...i think they go home and say 'i just saw Gordon Lightfoot and his boys perform a whack of great songs live'

[charlene]

they had done EMR and Gord was about to start SFAWN and stepped back, turned to Terry and told him to move the capo up. Terry seemed a bit surprised. I dont' know if that's what's usually done or not..maybe Terry forgot and Gord noticed ..

[jj]

i had a brain cramp on this anyhow (similar to the high string thread, lol)..SFAWN is where TC goes up to something like the 7th fret and plays in D while GL is in 2nd fret playing in G, both ending up in the A key signature...that would have been an interesting start to that tasty intro if GL hadn't given TC the reminder

[Bent But Not Broken]

I realize I'm only a newbie to this forum, although I've been following it for years now, and I may be out of line, but what is this fixation with the position of his or Terry's capo?
Anyone who has seen the man in the past five or so years should realize that his voice is gone and nothing short of a miracle is going to change that no matter what key he plays in or the position of the capo(s). Period.
I thinks what's the most important part of his shows is that Gord and the band are still able to convey the spirit of the music and still connect with the audience; cement-mixer voice and all.
If you listen to some of the old blues singers such as John Lee Hooker, their voices are also done in due to age and yes, hard living. But they are still able to express the soul of the song.
When you think of it, when his time has finally passed, will it matter what position his capo was in during the previous ten years? whether it was high on the fret or low?
I'd still be willing to fork out 45-50 bucks a pop for one of his shows even if his voice was totally gone and him and the band were only able to play the music while a monkey signed the lyrics.

[charlene]

It's just discussion.
There's no deep meaning attached to it..just simple discussion. The passing back and forth with respect, of ideas, suggestions, reasons.
I don't even know what half of it means but I enjoy it..lol
Beats talking about the weather.

[Bent But Not Broken]

Ain't that the truth

[RM]

Originally Posted by Bent But Not Broken

I'd still be willing to fork out 45-50 bucks a pop for one of his shows even if his voice was totally gone and him and the band were only able to play the music while a monkey signed the lyrics.

Whoa.......you're definitely a die-hard fan.

As you know, there are many gifted guitarists/singers in this forum. Musicians, by nature, are wildly eccentric. Hence the fixation with the capo.

Thanks for signing up, and chiming in.

[jj]

Originally Posted by Bent But Not Broken

I'd still be willing to fork out 45-50 bucks a pop for one of his shows even if his voice was totally gone and him and the band were only able to play the music while a monkey signed the lyrics.

lol, i'd only fork out if he could sign as well as smoke (the chimp, not Gord), but then, of course, it would have to be an outdoor concert

YouTube - Charlie the Smoking Chimp

agree, lowering might help but it aint bringing back any 70's voice or 90's voice for that matter but dropping a notch or two would help minimize some of those high and dry moments that have become predictable...speaking for myself, i just generally speaking would like to hear a capo-less concert and over the past year or so have gotten some interesting feedback from guitar playing members about capo use

knowing capo positions can help deduce what actual key folks are playing in, especially if you are a bassist or playing keys and not surrendering to auto transpose type buttons

and thus far i'm not getting much response on a recent capo related asking about the strategic use of alternate/complimentary chords voicings used by Terry for certain songs such as SFAWN...i was thinking there were others...i dont' know if i'm fixated but since it's pretty new to me, i'm quite interested...it probably stimulated my mathematical genes

yeah, your right about Hooker...same with Chet Baker and now Tyson...Ian that is, not sure if Mike sings but he has a good ear, unlike at least one of his opponents

[gretschviking1967]

Interesting responses.


I am a musician and I use the capo sparingly myself but Lightfoot never takes the thing off his guitars. He wants to keep the integrity of the original sound which is a nice idea but lowering the key is the right way to handle it.

Here's an example for those who may not understand the capo scenario:

The 1968 version of "Did She Mention My Name" was recorded in the key of "G". There was no capo involved. In 1975, he re-recorded the song as part of a medley which has the capo on the second fret. He still played it in the "G" chord position but because the capo was on the second fret, it pulled the key up to "A" which is way too high for him now. He opened the show with the original complete version of that song- which, remember, was originally in the key of "G"- but since the capo was on the second fret- he sang it in "A" which is way too high. If he drops the capo entirely, a song like "Canadian Railroad Trilogy"- which he plays with the capo on the third fret- would sound warm and confident. The song is played in the "D" chord position and because of the capo on the third fret, he is singing it in "F" which, again, is way too high. Get rid of the capo, play the song in the happy key of "D" and the problem is solved. I don't know if he feels that it would be confusing but all he would do is play the same exact chords on lower frets. Also, there were a few moments where I heard his full, rich voice of yesteryear peek through only to see it disappear as he tried to climb ladders he should be avoiding. That voice is waiting patiently to surface again- it's still there, albeit in a lower range- but the only way he is going to see that is if the capo is discarded. It really is a simple task that he and his band would adjust to very quickly.


Sorry if this post was a bit confusing to anyone. It can be kind of hard to explain the glorious world of capos! LOL!

[jj]

imo, DSMMN is the best example out there, gretsch

for a whirlwind earlier thread, check this out
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread...highlight=capo
it also has the video reference clip where GL speaks of capo dependency regrets

i imagine Rick would not find it stimulating to reshape his bass lines, probably no real biggie for Mike and Terry...and GL would have to stretch those fingering positions a bit more if capo off, especially for the ones that had it in 3rd position...again, an old stale discussion that's been had here...but thanks for freshening it up...i like to jam no and then on piano so hooking up with the capo crowd really becomes a brain drain...i have to put the beer aside and increase to caffeine intake to keep ahead of the game (and chord changes)

cheers...long live the capo, lol

[gretschviking1967]

Originally Posted by jj

imo, DSMMN is the best example out there, gretsch

for a whirlwind earlier thread, check this out
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread...highlight=capo
it also has the video reference clip where GL speaks of capo dependency regrets

i imagine Rick would not find it stimulating to reshape his bass lines, probably no real biggie for Mike and Terry...and GL would have to stretch those fingering positions a bit more if capo off, especially for the ones that had it in 3rd position...again, an old stale discussion that's been had here...but thanks for freshening it up...i like to jam no and then on piano so hooking up with the capo crowd really becomes a brain drain...i have to put the beer aside and increase to caffeine intake to keep ahead of the game (and chord changes)

cheers...long live the capo, lol

To improve the show and Lightfoot's voice, I am sure Mr. Haynes could easily adjust. I agree about the beer / caffeine fix and yes, long live the capo but use it when it only should be used.