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Review and photos by Mary Andrews Gordon Lightfoot has delighted audiences with his baritone voice and his folk-based twelve-string acoustic guitar for over fifty years. His eloquent songs paint pictures and tell stories that few writers can rival. He has influenced other songwriters like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Jimmy Buffett to name a few.Lightfoot has overcome catastrophic illness in recent years. He suffered an abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2002 that resulted in several surgeries and a six-week coma. By late 2003, he returned to his writing and performing. In 2006, in the middle of a performance, Lightfoot suffered a minor stroke that left him without the use of his middle and ring fingers. Within a year, he regained the use of his strumming fingers and has played to sold out shows since. Mr. Lightfoot has a catalog of over 250 self-penned songs. Last night, he started the show with "Sweet Guinevere," "Cotton Jenny" and "Sea of Tranquility." By the end of the third song, a loud female voice emanated from the audience, "you are awesome and we love you!" The sold out crowd roared. Mr. Lightfoot laughed and said "That's Dorie, spelled D-O-R-I-E. We bring her along for audience warm up." The concert took on a warm, comfortable atmosphere for the rest of the show. Lightfoot's voice does not have the same baritone quality from years ago. Yet his phrasing is still classic Lightfoot. As a result, there has been several negative comments and reviews found on the internet. He was easily heard thanks to the impeccable acoustics at the Fox Theatre and his bands' ability to weave their sound around the softness of his voice. His appearance is gaunt now, yet he is strong enough to stand throughout the two-hour performance. He reminded the audience early in the set that his death reports are "premature." Most importantly, Lightfoot seemed to be enjoying himself throughout the performance. He gave us little "nuggets" of information about some of his songs throughout the show. "If Children Had Wings" is a song he wrote immediately after his first divorce. His ex-wife took his two children to Europe. The song was his response to the separation. Later in the show, he introduced "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" as a piece that he was commissioned to write for a Canadian Television show about building the railroad across North America. He borrowed the format from "The Civil War Trilogy" written by Don Gibson, a fellow songwriter. Later, he prefaced, "The most important song in the whole lot" was "If You Could Read My Mind." Gordon Lightfoot is seventy-five years old now and he still performs. Age and health issues have taken their toll, but his songs will continue to resonate with audiences. There was huge applause after each song and an emotional standing ovation at the end. Obviously, the audience was happy that he still tours! |
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Sweet Guinevere Cotton Jenny Sea of Tranquility All the Lovely Ladies Drifters Wild Strawberries Make Way for the Lady Shadows Beautiful Let It Ride The Watchman's Gone The Sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald Carefree Highway |
Ribbon of Darkness Sundown Now and Then Don Quixote If Children Had Wings I'd Rather Press On A Painter Passing Through If you Could Read My Mind Restless Baby Step Back Canadian Railroad Trilogy Encore: Rainy Day People |
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