Originally Posted by Tim (Post 129662)

At the risk of continuing this thread beyond it's usefulness, I'd like to add a bit of perspective. I was at the Aurora Concert on Sunday, Sept 16. It ended up being a very special family experience which I will post as soon as time permits.

The Aurora,IL show on Sunday, Sept 16 was the last show prior to the Milwaukee performance on Sept 19. At the Aurora show there was not a single instance where Gordon forgot any lyrics, or seemed "out of it" in any way. With regard to his voice, I thought it was fine throughout the performance. Was it exactly like it was 30, 20, or 10 years ago? No, it was a bit weaker, but very pleasant to listen to, and very much in tune.

Something that also amazed me was Gord's memory for lyrics. At a Joan Baez concert a few years ago, I noticed that she brought out a music stand during the performance and jokingly said "The memory is the first thing to go." After 30 years of Gordon concerts, I never remember a single instance of Gord making the concession of bringing out a memory crutch.

I have to wonder about the expectations of the original poster with regard to Gord's voice. My dad (God rest his soul) had a beautiful Irish tenor voice. For many years we loved to sing as a family, and I remember his strong voice gracing our family gatherings. (one of his favorite songs was "Hangdog Hotel Room"). Anyway, as he go into his 70s, it was obvious that the voice wasn't quite as strong or clear as it had been. But, I cut him some slack, with the realization that time does not freeze for everyone as we age. Maybe we need to do the same for Gord. It is not reasonable to expect Gord to sound just like his recordings from 30 years ago.

Speaking of "years ago" I remember Gord sharing at a concert in 1978 that he likes to do a string of shows and the take a few days off, and that the first concert after a few days off is usually the toughest one of the string. After the Aurora show on Sunday, he flew back to Toronto for a couple days before returning to Milwaukee to start the next portion of his tour. Maybe, the difficulty of the layoff contributed to whatever sluggishness that might have been perceived. I will be curious as to the reviews of the follow-on shows from the Milwaukee performance.

I apologize for the delay in posting a detailed review of the Aurora performance, but it will indicate a somewhat higher level of performance than what was reported at Milwaukee. And I am very confident that the follow-on shows (to the Milwaukee performance) will also be somewhat better than what we heard here.

Thanks for listening.

Originally Posted by BILLW (Post 129732)

Interesting discussion, eh ? Thanks for posting purnellt - it takes a brave or naive poster to do that on corfid. And while I would have suggested a slightly different tone for your post I have to say that I have heard similar comments at nearly every show I've attended. Sometimes right in the seats but most often on the line for the men's room or at the concession stand.

I was one of the first on corfid to post that I'd pay to hear him read the phone book - and I stand by my statement. But I also understand that at any given concert people like us are probably in the minority and probably in fairly large measure. Many folks I have chatted with at shows have loved his music forever but are attending their "first show" for any number of reasons. (in my own case I could not afford to see as many concerts as I would have liked in my teens and 20s). Later when money was no object many of the folks I wanted to see were dead - gotta hate when that happens.

We just don't often hear the other side because this is a fan site and we're all fairly devoted to Gord. If I could I would attend every show that he performs - and if he ever lost his voice and could only play with the band I would still go.

But lots of people still enjoy the show even if it startles them. How many attend a second time after hearing what he sounds like now ? It would be fun to see some figures on that.

But people don't know what they're missing. The next show might just be his best of the year, eh ? You have to keep coming back !

In that vein I attended a show last Sunday night at the Keswick Theatre in PA. (Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer and Johnny Winter) I'm a blues/rock fan on the side, LOL. Anyway it was great, but not exactly like when I saw them in 1971 and 1975. They all did sets with their own bands and then closed the show with about 5 numbers together. But since Johnny has to sit and play now (sort of sits like Terry) people started making jokes and some of them left early (his was the last set). But those that left missed what had to be some of the finest examples of the genre that I'd ever seen (ever) and they don't know what they missed.

I guess my point is that I understand what you're saying purnellt but I'd suggest you go to at least 2 or 3 more shows - you'll never know what you might be missing. And in the spirit of diversity, which is popular these days, I humbly submit we have room for opposing viewpoints under the big tent we call CORFID !

Peace Be With You All,

Bill :)

Originally Posted by purnellt (Post 129851)

I was at the very last Grateful Dead concert in 1995 Soldier Field

Originally Posted by RM (Post 129857)

Oh...well that explains that. Just kidding !!! I fall into the BillW tent on this issue.
You're welcome to your opinion, and in a way it's refreshing to hear different viewpoints. You're an obvious music fan, you put Lightfoot on your to-see list, paid your money, and was disappointed. Fair enough. Hang around and let us know how some of the other performers you catch do ( in the small talk forum) as there is an extremely wide spectrum of musical tastes represented on this site.