Last night I had the opportunity to attend Gord's last show of the three night stand at the Dominion Club in Toronto. The band was set up in the large ballroom of the club which was formerly the great hall of the Dominion Bank of Canada headquarters. The audience was mostly owners of the condos/suites above the Dominion Club so a lot of people had never seen Gordon Lightfoot before. It was interesting to talk to them and find out what they knew and what they thought of him. All positive feedback I might add.
There were about 300 people in attendance and the ballroom itself wasn't too big, so as you can imagine, it was a very intimate performance. There was no intermission so Lightfoot and the band played for about 80 minutes with two encores. The sound was decent, although the flat walls of the ballroom didn't add for much reverb or resonance. Barry Harvey told me they had to keep the levels low to get any kind of decent sound out of the place. It was interesting to look around as the band played and see giant windows looking out onto the center of the banking district in Toronto. We were literally packed in between skyscrapers. Probably one of the most unique venues Gord has played at I would imagine.
Gord and the band were in fine form as usual. He opened with Carefree Highway, followed by Cotton Jenney. The rest of the setlist was similar to last year's shows, with some notable inclusions like Hangdog Hotel Room, which I had never heard live before. The Wreck was as haunting as usual, and Sundown got the otherwise conservative crowd going. He closed with a note perfect CRT, and did EMR and Blackberry Wine as his two encores.
Overall, a unique concert in a very different venue. Can't wait for Massey!
Kenyon
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