I plan to see Gord Saturday in Aurora, IL no matter what state his right hand playing is in.

Going to a Gordon Lightfoot concert has become a family event for us (family of 5). I even have a picture of Terry Clements tying my son's shoe lace (he was 4 years old at the time).

My prayers have already gone out to Gordon.

Quite correct Louise you even signed in (in duplicate I seem to remember) on the guest book on my lightfoot page, Fortunately my memory remembers such trivia as the fact that you used to post as "LAM" something so a search for that in the directory quickly found your member name most recently as
"LAM3346E" member(Member # 534) from Minnesota
see a list of your postings at:-
http://www.corfid.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ul...sts;u=00000534
I think you did at least once succeed in getting into the chat room . If I am wrong please try again this coming Friday at 9 pm EST at:-
http://www.glchat.notlong.com.
If you, or for that matter anybody else wishing to join in to no doubt discuss the latest news, do not have a non-java applet challenged old computeer you will have to get and install mIRC
John Fowles
edited to add what i consider in the circumstances is a most appropriate
graphic:
http://members.myepath.com/rskmjgrossman/gordlive3.jpg
Being the most recent and brilliant, not to mention earily prophetic, creation of arch graphic designer zoneranger

[ September 19, 2006, 10:02: Message edited by: johnfowles ]

What a great photo, thank's for posting this John, and Zoneranger, for a beautiful piece of work, as usual...~Jesse~ :)

John, thanks much for "finding" me. Yes, I did manage to get into the chatroom a couple of times. Sure would like to be able to again. Still have that same old computer. Am supposed to be getting a new one, it's just a matter of when.

Thank you SO MUCH for the photo. That is exactly how he looked Sunday night. That's a "keeper"!!!
My husband agreed that this was the most touching , beautiful and poignant concert ever. What a lesson in life Gord taught us, by example.

We also drove 300+ miles for the Saturday nite concert and were terribly disappointed. I saw the band in the restaurant that night and really wanted to talk to them, but thought that it would be rude to interrupt their dinner. I did, however, take several trips to the salad bar (they were in the same room) and I was sort of waiting by the exit, but they got by me! I was feeling like a 16 year old groupie (I'm 50+)and really did not know what I was going to say, so it's probably just as well. The stroke story was going around, but someone said that Gordon got checked out and was alright.

On Monday night in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, I talked to a man in the elevator about it. He was from Niagra Falls, Canada. He said that Gordon was suffering from throat cancer!!! Any thoughts on this? I just figured it was another one of those 'telephone' rumors, you know, the illness changes everytime someone passes it on.

I'm hoping and praying that I will be able to see him next time and hopefully there will be a next time!
Kathy in Michigan

Dear Kathy in Michigan, I hope the throat cancer thing is a rumor. I have not heard anything about this. Thanks for posting your evening tho, it was an interesting read...~Jesse~ :)

The throat cancer is an absolute rumor! No truth what so ever about it.
Besides, look at it logically, people that have seen him before (Seafarer for example) said he sounded better than ever, just a bit hoarse on the high notes. It appeared that the problem was with his hand, not his throat.

I think that throat cancer rumor has gone around before.
Jenney

Thank goodness Jenney, it is true that people can say anything. Like a grain of sand, turning into a mountain. Funny also not a mention of his past days, on ET Canada, and other show biz news.~Jesse~

Thank goodness Jenney, it is true that people can say anything. Like a grain of sand, turning into a mountain. Funny also not a mention of his past days, on ET Canada, and other show biz news.~Jesse~

Yes, the throat cancer rumor goes back to the days between "Waiting for You" and "Painter Passing Through" when the internet was brand-new and some of us got to know each other. It was a thread on the old alt.music.lightfoot newsgroup !! (If any of you remember that..... take a bow.)

As I recall, the rumor appeared in some newspaper or publications and was quickly dismissed.

Gord's voice is not what it was but I have aged a lot too in the 29 years since I first saw him in concert. Having just seen him twice in the past five days, one observation strikes me. The range of his voice is largely gone but for a line or two of a song, I can see and hear the Gord of years gone by. That's the magic for me: It transports me back to another time and for an entertainer to be able to do that to someone.... that's rare.

John/MN

Very well said Bill. I agree with you to the fullest... :) ~Jesse-Joe~

Hi all,

Was there a concert last night? If so, how is Gord and how did it go? Have been in prayer almost continually for him the last few days. No matter where we go or what we are doing, his songs keep coming to mind.

Louise M.
aka.....lam3346e......aka......aime_41

Hi Louise,

I know he played in Wausau/WI last night and I know for sure the concert was on. But it seems, nobody from the newsgroup went. I guess we have to wait until later this week to get an update about his right hand.
I also just checked the lightfoot.ca site to see if there's already a setlist posted. It isn't yet. I would think if he did two sets with an intermission it would indicate that he's feeling better again.
But like you already said, he's constantly on my mind too. Too bad we can't just call him and ask how he's doing...:)

Claudia

Hi Louise,

I know he played in Wausau/WI last night and I know for sure the concert was on. But it seems, nobody from the newsgroup went. I guess we have to wait until later this week to get an update about his right hand.
I also just checked the lightfoot.ca site to see if there's already a setlist posted. It isn't yet. I would think if he did two sets with an intermission it would indicate that he's feeling better again.
But like you already said, he's constantly on my mind too. Too bad we can't just call him and ask how he's doing...:)

Claudia

I really wanted to go to Wausau. I took a week of vacation when I found out his tour schedule and was all set to do four concerts in five nights, but only got to see two. I couldn't anticipate a tent collapse in Harris, MI and the unexpected demand out of Wausau.

A couple of times this summer I called Wausau and they said they have never sold out on an event on the first day. So I didn't think I would have any problem.

I called in late July and they said they were selling tickets only if you bought tickets to at least four productions in the upcoming season. I explained I was from out-of-town and only wanted to see Gord. I begged for dispensation but they said there shouldn't be any problem if you call on the first day of general sales.

I monitored the website for several weeks and I called the first day of general sales about 11:30 a.m. on my lunch break. Wouldn't you know, the concert was sold out? They said they couldn't believe how fast tickets went.

I was put on a waiting list on August 23. I called Sept. 18 and I was still 22nd on the waiting list. (Started at 30th in line.) They said there were 350+ on the waiting list.

Tried eBay for tickets. Plenty on sale for Vancouver but no luck for Wausau.

So my failure to land Wausau tickets was not due to lack of effort.

Anyway, I hope someone would post from Wausau but these things happen. Please, please, whoever is seeing him in southern Wisconsin and Chicago later this week, post a set list and make some notes for the rest of us.

Thanks to all who have sent me their appreciation for noting the set lists from Sept. 15 and 17 and all the observations. I have learned to write in the dark on a small notebook over the years. I also try to provide what I would like others to do for me when I am not at a concert. That's what makes this group so special.

John/ MN

Hi, I'm a new member and found this board while looking for news on Gordon's health. I was at the concert in Wausau last night. My husband noticed something was wrong right away because he knows a lot about playing a guitar. I've only seen Gordon perform one other time, 12 years ago. Last night his voice was beautiful! Much better than the other time I saw him. He sounded great. He didn't play as long as he would have without health issues, but it was a good concert, sold out and a receptive audience.
He seemed to get frustrated at times but kept right on going. He made a comment "I keep going through adversities and hope this is what I'm doing till the end" not his exact words but similar.
I didn't know of his health problem till he announced it at the concert and there was a gasp from the audience when he told what was going on with his health.
The audience was supportive and I think he was pleased. I enjoyed every minute of it.
I pray he will be ok!

Thanks for posting, Finesse. Did he say exactly what the problem was? He'd mentioned mini-stroke as a possibility last week but was seeing a neurologist while on tour to check him out.

That statement breaks my heart. Gord, keep fighting! We love you so much!

You cant keep a good man down. :cool:

That statement breaks my heart. Gord, keep fighting! We love you so much! [/QUOTE]

He said he had spent the last two days in hospitals and having MRI's He said he had a transient stroke.
I forgot to mention when I posted before, he had a guy named Spider John (I think that's the name?) open for him. Gordon didn't have the stamina to do a lengthy concert. Once out there though, I think he was having a good time, other than a few frustrating moments. He had a great sense of humor and made jokes throughout. He also told little quips about some of the songs. I give him soooo much credit for getting out there and doing what he did. I hope he is not feeling self conscious. He should be very proud!

Thanks for post (Finesse) and welcome to the newsgroup. Your observations are very important because it appeared that no one in the newsgroup was able to get to tickets to the Wausau concert since it sold out so quickly.

Seems like concert-goers in the near future can expect an opening act followed by the "casino" set of 21 or 22 songs. It is very reminscent of concerts back to the 1970's when Gord frequently used an opening act. After about 1980, Gord started doing two sets of about 27-28 songs in total.

Gord was talkative in the Sept 15 concert (Harris, MI) and very personable in the Sept 17 concert (Minneapolis) in the midst of his hand and finger problems. I can't help but wonder if he is compensating for his guitar deficiency by providing a little more crowd interaction. I think most in the audience are 45+ and can empathize with a physical condition and limitations. In no way do I think he is trying to get sympathy; I think he recognizes that people paid good money to see him and deserve an explanation for what is going on.

I am still in awe of his courage and determination. If he were ending a leg of a tour, I wouldn't be as worried. However, he is starting an aggresive six-week stretch (Oct through mid-November) and I am very concerned for him. I sure hope he isn't defying medical advice. This man has nothing left to prove and his health should be paramount.

What starts to worry me is the fact that the symptoms of a TIA are supposed to last only 24 hours or less. But he already has the limitations since Friday afternoon. That certainly brings up the question if there is something even more severe about that "Mini stroke". I don't even dare to think about it.

Finesse - how was his playing affected in Wausau? In Minneapolis he needed to adjust the pick with his left hand constantly and sometimes even dropped it. Was that going any better last night?

Claudia

What starts to worry me is the fact that the symptoms of a TIA are supposed to last only 24 hours or less. But he already has the limitations since Friday afternoon. That certainly brings up the question if there is something even more severe about that "Mini stroke". I don't even dare to think about it.

Finesse - how was his playing affected in Wausau? In Minneapolis he needed to adjust the pick with his left hand constantly and sometimes even dropped it. Was that going any better last night?

Claudia

Hi all,

Finesse, and everyone who just commented, thanks.
Gord has been on my mind all day. The words " 'til the end", cause this sinking feeling in my heart. May that be a lo-n-n-n-n-g time away. May God sustain this wonderful man, who has given so much of himself.

Thanks very much to all who have posted about the recent events. I rarely check this site, but have done so lately, out of concern about Gord. Gord is such a trooper. I am so proud of him, and can't wait to see him, and all of you, in Toronto!

Melissa

He adjusted the pick with his left hand and his mouth. He dropped the pick once that I noticed.
He couldn't maintain a constant strumming pattern on most songs, the only one he really kept up with was Edmund Fitzgerald.
He seemed to want to please the audience and maybe felt he was letting people down, but really I was just so grateful to be able to see him. His voice was marvelous. I remember the last time I saw him 12 years ago and he didn't sound nearly as good then. He sounded great last night.

I too am worried he may be overdoing it. I think he is devoted to his fans but he really needs to take care of himself right now. I know I would have been so disappointed if he would have had to cancel last night but his health comes first.

This show will always be a wonderful memory for me.


Finesse - how was his playing affected in Wausau? In Minneapolis he needed to adjust the pick with his left hand constantly and sometimes even dropped it. Was that going any better last night?

Claudia [/QB][/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by johnfowles:
[QUOTE] "please try again this coming Friday at 9 pm EST at:-
http://www.glchat.notlong.com.
If you, or for that matter anybody else wishing to join in to no doubt discuss the latest news, do not have a non-java applet challenged old computeer you will have to get and install mIRC
John Fowles

John,
went to your site and first encountered a message that said "IRC is not a registered protocol."

Tried the next icon and It kept typing "Trying to resolve the IP address of - usdilexnet.net and then dilexnet.net6667. Then a separate window came up that said "Java Console". Is there anything that can be done to access the chat by Friday.

Prayers for Gord.

My feeling from him saying that is, on stage is where he wants to be and he wants to do this till his time on this earth is through. He didn't say it in a depressed way, it was more like this is where he wants to be and he's glad to be able to still do it. He's very determined and I think he will succeed in getting back to where he was physically if it's possible. I too think he might be overdoing it but I don't think he'd want it any other way.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Finesse:
My feeling from him saying that is, on stage is where he wants to be and he wants to do this till his time on this earth is through. He didn't say it in a depressed way, it was more like this is where he wants to be and he's glad to be able to still do it. He's very determined and I think he will succeed in getting back to where he was physically if it's possible. I too think he might be overdoing it but I don't think he'd want it any other way.
.................................................
Finesse,

Thank you for saying it that way. (You DO have
"Finesse" :) ) And you're right, for him to not be able to perform might be worse for him than
forging ahead as he is doing.

It's been that way with my husband. He is going back to work Monday, after seven months, and now he is getting sick again. But, to tell him he had to retire would probably kill him. It brings to mind Pope John Paul and Mother (Saint) Theresa.
They worked until the very end. And they were people like Gord. They gave everything that they had to give.

Gord may God sustain you and strengthen you.
We LOVE you.

Thanks for the compliment. :)

I don't want to leave anyone with the impression that he seemed depressed and upset. Frustrated at times, yes, but for the most part upbeat, amusing and AMAZING.

I hope your husband will be ok. I'll pray for him as well as GL tonight.

It saddens me to read this thread, I sincerely hope Gordon is going to be okay. I wish we could have seen him in February when he was here in Florida. I'll be fasting & praying for him all day tomorrow.

[ September 20, 2006, 22:11: Message edited by: Tom ]

Like Tom, this thread is getting to be discouraging. Is there anyway, to actually find out the truth, about his situation. Hospital stay, adjusting his pick with, teeth, and left hand.

"The symptoms of a TIA are supposed to last only 24 hours or less. But he already has the limitations since Friday afternoon. That certainly brings up the question if there is something even more severe about that "Mini stroke". I don't even dare to think about it."

I cant understand why the press has not pick up on this. Maybe we Corfidians who love him so dearly, are making more to this, than there really is. But we dont know everthing, so time will tell. Im pretty sure he knows what he's doing.

Cant wait for October 1st, to see how things will be with him. Starting the Canadian leg of the tour.

Dont want to offend anyone, appreciate all your reports,and comments, just overly concerned,{worried}, like you all. Keep those reports coming, when you attend one of his concerts. Lets hope things will get better...~Jesse-Joe~ :)

[ September 21, 2006, 04:53: Message edited by: Jesse -Joe ]

Spider John Koerner is one of two surviving members of the blues/folk trio Koerner, Ray & Glover. He wrote 'I Ain't Blue' which was covered by Bonnie Raitt on her first album. The late Dave Ray recorded Bonnie's first album at his studio in the north woods. For those of us who love his work this would have been a 'dream double-bill'. Koerner opens for Lightfoot, WOW !

Check it out: http://www.mwt.net/~koerner/

Bill :)

Tom, where in Florida do you live? I live in Jacksonville.

Sending prayers and healing thoughts for Gord every day from J-ville.

Mary

I am going to the Aurora show Sat. , Lord willing.

I will give a set list and maybe some more insight on how Gord is doing.

Can't wait!

What concerns me is that Gord should have never gone onstage after the TIA occured. If it was severe enough for is right hand/arm to be impaired, he should have cancelled his shows maybe for the rest of the year, knowing that TIA's could indicate something bigger to come. I'm concerned that his desire to work is filling in some voids in his life that he would rather be on stage unable to properly play his guitar, than be back in Toronto undergoing physical therapy on his arm. It's time to cool it, rest,
deal with the problem, then,if the doctors say ok, pick it up next year...with a less ambitious schedule. I love the guy, but I'm ticked at him right now.

What concerns me is that Gord should have never gone onstage after the TIA occured. If it was severe enough for is right hand/arm to be impaired, he should have cancelled his shows maybe for the rest of the year, knowing that TIA's could indicate something bigger to come. I'm concerned that his desire to work is filling in some voids in his life that he would rather be on stage unable to properly play his guitar, than be back in Toronto undergoing physical therapy on his arm. It's time to cool it, rest,
deal with the problem, then,if the doctors say ok, pick it up next year...with a less ambitious schedule. I love the guy, but I'm ticked at him right now.

OK as I laid down to sleep last night, I said a prayer for Gordon's health and well being. And then, because I agree that this thread has become very depressing, I decided to do something about it.

Since I have a little knowledge about strokes, I thought I'd share my experiences of the past few months.

My father, who is 12 years older than Gord, suffered a "mild" stroke on Mothers Day in May. It affected his left side. How strokes work, if it's the right side of the brain, it affects the left side of your body. And if it's the left side of the brain, it affects the right side of the body AND your speach, swallowing abilities, etc. Since Gord's right hand was affected, it was obviously the left side of his brain. Now...his speach wasn't affected at all (praise the Lord), and I can tell you from personal observation of him on Sunday night in Minneapolis, that his legs were not affected at all either. He stood during the entire concert, even though 3 of his band members were sitting. So that is GOOD NEWS!

Other than perhaps being a surgeon, I cannot imagine an occupation that would be hindered more by a stroke, than being a guitar player. Gord was able to play a little, and to my untrained eye, he appeared to still be playing more than most people (like me) would be able to do. Of course he wasn't up to his normal playing capabilities, and I think that it must be very frustrating for him--kind of like losing your eyesight if you're a painter. HOWEVER, like I said in a previous post, he was very upbeat, kept flexing his hand and saying that he felt encouraged that the feeling was going to come back.

One thing I always thought about strokes was that they were like lightening flashes, and then they were done, and maybe some of them are, but the one my dad had lasted for about 48 hours. It started with his middle finger on his left hand going numb, and then it was his hand, arm, and leg. The left side of his face did not droop, but his left eye wouldn't stop watering. Because my dad had heart surgery a few years back, he is on a blood thinner and was not a candidate for the reversal drug they sometimes give stroke victims. I suspect, because of his prior health issues, Gordon may also have NOT been a candidate for the reversal drug. What we were told with my dad is, that if you get to the Dr. w/i 3 hours of the onset of the symptoms, then they can give you a drug to reverse the effects of a stroke. But like I said, my dad was not a candidate for that and I doubt Gord was either.

The MRI my dad had, and which I believe Gord had, was to see if there had been any bleeding on the brain. In my dad's case, there was none. In Gord's case, there must not have been any either, which is VERY GOOD NEWS because that can be really, really bad.

I think it is very common for stroke victims to go through depression afterwards. What helped my dad overcome this was, when he was going through physical therapy, he saw people much younger than him that were in much worse condition. He saw how bad it could have been, and was determined to "come back" all the way. I was so proud of the way he became a role model for the other patients. Now it has been about 4 months since his stroke happened, and I would say he is about 90% back to the way he was before the stroke.

As in the case with all of us worrying about Gordon, and as was the case with my father, I found myself worrying incessantly about subsequent strokes occurring. Unfortunately, it is difficult if not impossible to predict if more strokes will occur. I finally resolved myself to the fact that if it happens, it happens, and there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is live each day to the fullest, enjoy our time together, and hope for the best. We cannot let the situation depress us to the point where we cannot enjoy life, but instead must be thankful for the time we have together. Perhaps the most encouraging news of all with my dad, is that he has had NO SUBSEQUENT STROKES, and God willing, neither will Gord!

I think if we all knew more details about Gord, we would probably feel a bit better about this situation. Unfortunately, Gord probably doesn't know much more than we do, and besides, it is a private thing that Gord and his circle of family & friends will have to deal with. We can all pray that Gordon will return to full health and be able to continue reaching out to his "extended family" through more concerts and more songwriting for many, many years to come.

Sorry for the length. I hope it helped some of you make peace with this situation.

[ September 21, 2006, 10:18: Message edited by: Gitchigumee ]

I've had some experience with TIA's in my family, but they were all people in their mid 70's and 80's. So Gord being "only" 67 causes more concern.