Gordon's Set List
 

Being new to this forum, this may be one of those questions that have been answered a hundred times over. So I apologize if I'm rehashing old news. In the past, when going to one of Gordon's shows, we have always sat pretty much eye level with the actual stage. This past week while Gordon was in Austin, we sat first row in the balcony overlooking the stage. And it was then I noticed that neither Gordon nor his band used any type of set list printed out and placed on the floor. Now, that wouldn't matter much if a band continuously played the same songs over and over, night after night in the same order. But Gordon's set list and the order of his songs do change on a regular basis. Almost nightly unless I'm mistaken. Yet after each count off everyone always comes in together at the right downbeat or upbeat without missing a beat. Some musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughan and other blues artists, it's understandable for them not using a set list and just coming in.. But how does Gordon and his band accomplish this feat when everything has to be so precise? Even so that they have been together for so long for the most part, it's still a hard feat to pull off when the order of your set list varies from show to show. Rick, Michael, Barry and Carter are remarkable!

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

about 7 songs, like beautiful, sundown, carefree, edmund, if you could read my mind, ect. will be played. dont hold your breath for the trilogy, he skips it sometimes but you might be lucky!. this is the latest setlist available. there some rarities lately. have fun if you go!

Tucson, AZ
Fox Theatre - February 7, 2014
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 Wreck Of The Edmund 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
Rainy Day People

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

I believe there's 4 set lists that are rotated..They just know them after all these years..
lol

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

Barry does set lists - he likely has the list for the night back there (pretty standard)... just says one word to trigger memories for all if they need it... i like looking at the setlist (char dont you have a few that you have picked up?) to see the abbreviated song titles used... Gord sometimes alters slightly on the fly but that shouldnt be too hard...every Friday practice when in town, 80% same band for decades, 90% same tunes...dedicated guitars to capo positions and tunings...it's a great flowing show from the perfectionist, in total control with a very reliable Barry as the go to guy...Strawboss is a rock, the entire quintet:) ...i'm always wowed by Gord still memorizing the lyrics, even if they are his own

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

several are close to Rick on Facebook and could ask for a thorough and definitive response...Carter also... i often see some subtle lip reading too, unless those are Leaf scores:)

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

yeah, you were saying he doesnt do CRT and EMR same night...or SFAWN? possiblly becuase he doesnt want o fiddle with tunings or capo positions on the two dedicated 12 strings? the only chat i had with him was about setlist openers (it had been Spanish Moss that night) but not surprisingly I didnt get a thorough response... make that any response, lol...it was something canned like "we love the work" :)

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

A very pertinent question
And one that I well remember posing to Mike and Terry after one Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank NJ concert when they were seated on stools in the bar at The Molly Pitcher
Whilst they were cagy in their replies dear Terry did confide that sometimes Gord came over to him and conveyed the title of the next song: if so Terry would then pass it to Barry who could relay it to Rick but their main answer was that they could tell very quickly as soon as Gord began which was to be the current song.
And yes the songs in rotation are quite limited but I am far from sure that there are a mere 4 standard setlists.
And yes Barry told me after one concert that he rescues from the trash bin after each concert a rough setlist made by Chuck which he then transcribes into a master setlist record book.
After one concert I explained to Barry how I used a mnemonic memory aid method ("one bun two shoe" etc) to recall a setlist myself and after the following concert he passed me that evening's setlist (on yellow legal paper I recaII)
afer all these concerts however I do not remember ever hearing any one of the "Orchestra" starting the wrong song (very occassionally Gord yes) (and at least once {at Massey} Gord launched into a song sung earlier) (he later tried to claim that it was deliberate as the concert was being recorded and the first rendition was not good enough)
your mileage may vary of course

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

Once during one of my 5 Lightfoot concerts, Gord began singing and strumming the first lines to Forgive Me Lord ("Make my world..."). He quickly stopped and nodded to Mike as the song begins with a short keyboard bit. Mike played his notes and the song continued.

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

I did not mention if Mike said how he knew what to play
for most songs I think he said he could soon pick it up from what Gord was singing and/or what the others were doing . No doubt incidents such as your Forgive Me Lord fluff are one reason why nowadays Gord often introduces the sublime "Restless", which also has a great Heffernan solo opening, as "this one is ethereal"

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

Thank you Sir John and everyone else. You've all been very helpful. Although I now realize that Gordon doesn't play SFAWN or EMR if he plays CRT, I remember in on June 22nd, 2007 at the Glenn in Austin, Texas, Gordon playing CRT and not SFAWN. But I know I would have walked away either sad if he didn't play EMR. I just can't remember him playing or not playing it. But if he hadn't played it, I would think I would have remembered him leaving it out. For that was the first Gordon Lightfoot song I ever remember listening to. And I've never seen a set list from that particular Austin. Might Gordon have played both CRT and EMR together during that period? Sorry if this question sounds confusing. Does anyone by chance have a set list for the night in question? I would love to have it. One thing that was very memorable after that gig. Barry Harvey stopped Gordon's car with Rick Haynes driving as it exited up the steep dirt and gravel road out of the venue. As Gordon sat in the car autographing my album, I remarked how I loved the song Shadows. And Gordon started to tell me of just "how tough it was to play it that night." Here was Gordon Lightfoot telling me just how tough it was playing one of my favorite songs. I was so in shock and ecstatic, I can't even recall the whole answer he gave me on why it was tough. Luckily a local disc jockey's boyfriend captured that memorable moment on a series of photos. Which they ended up sending to me. That's another reason a set list is so important to me. I just want to document my whole experience.

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

I don't see a set list from that night at http://www.lightfoot.ca/2007.htm but it seems that on nights he did Trilogy he did EMR, a few nights he did both EMR and Trilogy and a couple of nights he did only the Trilogy.
Some nights when he's done Shadows he's been a bit emotional while singing it..it's a very personal song.
from setlists acquired from 2007 he did The Wreck 36 times and Trilogy 19 times and EMR 19 times.. http://www.lightfoot.ca/2007sum.htm

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

spreaking of setlists, when was the last he played The Auctioneer?. i can see 1991 as most recent., but maybe later on?...

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

If you checked past 1991 and didn't see it then I imagine he wasn't doing it anymore and probably never did it as a 'one-off' either..

Re: Gordon's Set List
 

in a Fan590 interview last decade with Gord and Barry, it was mentioned that Barry did the setlists... i wonder when it became Chuck's task