Set list for Joliet IL Sept. 28, 2008
 

Cotton Jenny
Carefree Highway
Sea of Tranquility
14 Karat Gold
Never Too Close
Let it Ride
A Painter Passing Through
Shadows
In My Fashion
Beautiful
The Watchman's Gone
Ribbon of Darkness
Sundown
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

intermission

Triangle
Hangdog Hotel Room
Restless Feeling
Minstrel of the Dawn
If Children Had Wings
Don Quixote
If You Could Read My Mind
Baby Step Back
Early Morning Rain
Blackberry Wine

Song for A Winter's Night (encore)

I finally got to hear If Children Had Wings which he didn't play in Peoria earlier this year. And I found out that he changed the second verse slightly and tho he joked about "his FIRST ex-wife", he sang very tenderly "I love her still". (And if I am not greatly mistaken, I believe she passed away within the last year or so?) I like this new version much better than the original with the steel guitar etc. and hope he will re-record it sometime.


Some random memories (I was lucky to get the setlist, this was the darkest I've ever had to write em down, so didn't bother to try to record the patter and adlibs.) :

"I get a lot of requests for this next song, I don't know why, I just don't know WHY it's so popular....": then the opening major7th chords to "Beautiful" amidst much applause.

Told the brother-in-law story about the origins of Baby Step Back...."EX-brother-in-law, one of my MANY ex-brother-in-laws"

Before "Let It Ride", turned to Mike Heffernan and asked if he thought they could do it...said something like they only do it about once in 50 shows or so....I've heard it several times so I think he's exaggerating somewhat....they got through it fine....

A tale I'd never heard him tell before....told of someone who used to (believe it or not) surf the St. Marys River....when he asked how that was possible, he was told "we used to surf the wake of the Fitzgerald...."; Gord tried to explain just how big it was, said it barely fit in the Soo Locks.

As he has done in the past to introduce "Hangdog Hotel Room", he mentioned a whole bunch of his contemporaries that apparently knew how to party....Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstat, Jerry (Jeff Walker), can't remember em all....Mentioned Kris Kristofferson asleep in his car behind The Troubador....when he was supposed to be onstage!

Mentioned Peter, Paul and Mary, Dylan and Elvis when setting up Early Morning Rain....

That's about all I can come up with....had a great time, a very beautiful theater, Gord's voice got better as the show went on which seems to be the norm. I will see him in St. Louis on Wednesday night and front row center Friday night in Kansas City.

Steve

Re: Set list for Joliet IL Sept. 28, 2008
 

Thanks for sharing Ordinary Man, the partying days must have been lots of laughs and fun... Impressing bunch of folks he mentions there !

His oldest daughter Ingrid (Melody) Im sure would like to read this about his first ex wife. :)

Re: Set list for Joliet IL Sept. 28, 2008
 

I enjoyed reading your review! I wanted to make a comment about the song If Children Had Wings since he sang it in Kalamazoo too. He did so without an introduction and as he began I heard the woman on my left comment to her friend she'd never heard the song before. I quietly explained a bit of the song's history to her, that he wrote it for his children as you noted. Not too long into the song she reached into her purse for a tissue .... she cried throughout the remainder of the song, dabbing away tears, and into part of IYCRMM which followed. I remember doing the same thing the first time I heard it too. I can't imagine how he must have felt at the time he wrote it. And all these years later to be able to stand on stage and sing it . . . .

Re: Set list for Joliet IL Sept. 28, 2008
 

Gord has been having a lot of fun lately reminiscing about his fellow all-night partygoers.Until recently I believe they were usually limited to Jimmy Jeff Walker and Kris but at other recent concerts the admitted that there were ladies present too specifically including as well as Linda and Joni another Canadian lass Genevieve Bujold.Another evening he added Ronnie Hawkins John Denver and The Dillards
In fact he is so pleased with this introduction to "Hangdog Hotel Room" that he used it twice at the Purchase NY concert leading me to write HHR down twice in my hand written setlist but after post concert consultation with Jenney I realised that the first time he actually sang In My Fashion.The Orchestra of course never missed a beat

Re: Set list for Joliet IL Sept. 28, 2008
 

Thank you for your comments. I had never heard it live and was SO disappointed when he didn't do it at the Peoria show after it was in all the other setlists. It's such a lovely song and the band does such a gorgeous job with it. I had piano lessons for years and still play but I taught myself the guitar (to a certain level) because I wanted to be able to play Gord's music. And I love to play and sing that song.

I'm going to the St. Louis and Kansas City shows this week and I hope to hear it at least once more so I can kind of nail down the new lyrics.

Re: Set list for Joliet IL Sept. 28, 2008
 

Thanks mon amis, that is what I read on most reviews, more names of singers that are known to have partied it up in their days.

A great life Mr. Lightfoot had.

Long Lives Gordon Lightfoot... :)