Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post

Blackberry John · 05-12-2007, 07:49 AM

While trying to find info about music guests on the Captain & Tennille's old show, I stumbled upon Toni T's blog and her memories of Gord in the 70s and how his recent concert might have inspired C&T to hit the road again...

There are a couple of blog posts about Gord (scroll down) Here is one:Feb.4,2007

http://www.captainandtennille.net/to...ke_blog_07.htm

Last night Daryl and I attended a concert at a local Indian casino, not far from our home in La Quinta. This is a rare event for both of us for more than one reason. We are “day people”.... usually up by 5:30AM, and lights out by 10PM. Also, Daryl is really uncomfortable in crowds. He’s a very quiet and private person, and crowds make him quite anxious. And neither of us enjoys going to casinos. We lived in Nevada for over 20 years, and rarely went to one. Casinos are loud, hectic, smoky places, and we prefer a more “serene” atmosphere on our rare nights “on the town” (God, we sound totally DULL).
-
What would make us dress up, get in the car, and try to find our way on dark and pot-holed roads to a casino we have never been to? Gordon Lightfoot.
-
Those of you who read TONI’S TAKE regularly may remember the recent column I wrote about Gordon... how he had invited us to his beautiful home in Toronto after our concert at the Canadian National Exposition in Toronto in 1978 (or 1979).... our experience as part of the audience for his debut in Las Vegas in the late 70s... and how we used to perform his songs at The Smokehouse in Encino, CA in the early ‘70s, long before we ever even dreamed of having a hit record.
-
Not a night went by at The Smokehouse that I didn’t sing BEAUTIFUL and IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND LOVE, but BEAUTIFUL was my favorite, because it was a love song in the deepest sense of the word, and expressed my growing love for Daryl.

Those words by the songwriter and poet, Gordon Lightfoot, were favorites of mine back in those days. And the music was so lovely... gentle, honest, and true. It has probably been thirty years since I last sang BEAUTIFUL, but I wanted to hear Gordon sing it, in person, at least one more time.
-
The Entertainment Office at the casino arranged front row seats for us. The show room was very large.... it probably seated about 3000 people, and by the time the show began, most of the seats were full. Gordon is Canadian, and many, many Canadian “Snowbirds” come down to the Palm Springs area to spend the winter. I would say that quite a few of them were in the audience last night.
-
Gordon almost died of an abdominal aneurism a few years ago. Daryl and I first heard of it when we were in Vancouver BC shooting a Kohl’s Christmas commercial. I picked up a local paper, and there was an article about Gordon’s illness, and how he was struggling to recover so he could sing and write again. My heart just sank at the thought of possibly losing this wonderful songwriter, whose music was so much a part of my past. Thank God he made it through, and began writing, and even touring again. Last night’s concert was his eighth concert in nine days... a tough schedule for even a very healthy person.
-
Within minutes of the scheduled start of the concert, Gordon and his band, without fuss or fanfare, took the stage. He was backed by a keyboardist, a drummer, a bass player and a lead guitarist, all of whom were superb musicians.
-
Gordon was so very thin and frail in appearance...certainly not the robust and strong young man I remember. The familiar baritone was a shadow of its former self... possibly because this was his eighth concert in a row, but the heart and soul of the man were still there in full force. He sang for 90 minutes.... songs I knew and loved, and wonderful songs that were unfamiliar (to me), but bearing his unmistakeable stamp. He varied the mood and the tempos, and carried the audience along with him as he sang and talked.
-
Often, during the show, flashes of the fiesty and mischievious Gordon I remembered from the past would emerge, mostly as he talked about how the ideas for songs came to him. “Once,” he joked, “I was playing golf with my ex brother-in-law, and when we got to the first tee, he pronounced to the rest of us, ‘Either step up or step back,’ and that gave me an idea for this song,” a bluesy, mid-tempo number which he proceeded to sing with humor and gusto.
-
But it was when he strummed the opening chords to BEAUTIFUL that I found myself swept back to those early days in The Smokehouse with Daryl. And as he sang the well-loved words, I was absolutely struck through the heart, and I found myself in tears. I glanced over at Daryl, and as our eyes met, I could see that he was right there with me, remembering. So much time has passed so quickly, but here we are, and the words mean even more to us now.

Before the show, a young woman took a seat next to us, and I thought she was probably a wife or girlfriend of a band member, because the front-row seats were very difficult to come by. As we waited, we chatted a little bit...she did not recognize us.... and she told me that she had gotten the ticket by going to the casino website. She said it is not that difficult to get single tickets at the last minute, and that you often end up with terrific seats, as she did.
-
Her name was Gwen, and she told us that she had seen her first Gordon Lightfoot concert when she was ten years old, and had been a fan ever since. In fact, she had seen him in concert three times in the past year! But what was most wonderful to me about her story, was that she was a Marine Biologist... a professor at Cal State Long Beach... and that she had been inspired to become one because of a song Gordon wrote about the sea and the creatures in it. She heard him sing it when she was a little girl, and it changed the course of her life.
-
After the show we went backstage to thank Gordon, but it was incredibly crowded in the Green Room.... at least fifty people were in there, waiting to shake his hand, or have their photo taken with him. There were the head honchos of the casino, two Canadian Senators and their wives (very charming people), and various other Lightfoot fans. I had told Gwen that I would tell Gordon about how much his song had meant to her, and how it changed her life, but it was a zoo backstage, and I could see he was tired, so I just gave him a quick hug and Daryl and I thanked him. I don’t think we really needed many words to express how we felt about him. I’m sure he could tell.
-
His show was simple, quiet and intimate, even in that huge room. Just the man and his incredible songs. It was all that was needed. Gordon, may you live, sing and write for many, many more years. We are forever grateful to you. GORDON in 1974 / GORDON Today
-
By the way, I did not ask permission to reprint part of Gordon’s lyrics for BEAUTIFUL in this week’s column, but I don’t think he would mind.

[ May 12, 2007, 07:55: Message edited by: Blackberry John ]

05-12-2007, 07:49 AM	#1
Blackberry John Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 70	While trying to find info about music guests on the Captain & Tennille's old show, I stumbled upon Toni T's blog and her memories of Gord in the 70s and how his recent concert might have inspired C&T to hit the road again... There are a couple of blog posts about Gord (scroll down) Here is one:Feb.4,2007 http://www.captainandtennille.net/to...ke_blog_07.htm Last night Daryl and I attended a concert at a local Indian casino, not far from our home in La Quinta. This is a rare event for both of us for more than one reason. We are “day people”.... usually up by 5:30AM, and lights out by 10PM. Also, Daryl is really uncomfortable in crowds. He’s a very quiet and private person, and crowds make him quite anxious. And neither of us enjoys going to casinos. We lived in Nevada for over 20 years, and rarely went to one. Casinos are loud, hectic, smoky places, and we prefer a more “serene” atmosphere on our rare nights “on the town” (God, we sound totally DULL). - What would make us dress up, get in the car, and try to find our way on dark and pot-holed roads to a casino we have never been to? Gordon Lightfoot. - Those of you who read TONI’S TAKE regularly may remember the recent column I wrote about Gordon... how he had invited us to his beautiful home in Toronto after our concert at the Canadian National Exposition in Toronto in 1978 (or 1979).... our experience as part of the audience for his debut in Las Vegas in the late 70s... and how we used to perform his songs at The Smokehouse in Encino, CA in the early ‘70s, long before we ever even dreamed of having a hit record. - Not a night went by at The Smokehouse that I didn’t sing BEAUTIFUL and IF YOU COULD READ MY MIND LOVE, but BEAUTIFUL was my favorite, because it was a love song in the deepest sense of the word, and expressed my growing love for Daryl. Those words by the songwriter and poet, Gordon Lightfoot, were favorites of mine back in those days. And the music was so lovely... gentle, honest, and true. It has probably been thirty years since I last sang BEAUTIFUL, but I wanted to hear Gordon sing it, in person, at least one more time. - The Entertainment Office at the casino arranged front row seats for us. The show room was very large.... it probably seated about 3000 people, and by the time the show began, most of the seats were full. Gordon is Canadian, and many, many Canadian “Snowbirds” come down to the Palm Springs area to spend the winter. I would say that quite a few of them were in the audience last night. - Gordon almost died of an abdominal aneurism a few years ago. Daryl and I first heard of it when we were in Vancouver BC shooting a Kohl’s Christmas commercial. I picked up a local paper, and there was an article about Gordon’s illness, and how he was struggling to recover so he could sing and write again. My heart just sank at the thought of possibly losing this wonderful songwriter, whose music was so much a part of my past. Thank God he made it through, and began writing, and even touring again. Last night’s concert was his eighth concert in nine days... a tough schedule for even a very healthy person. - Within minutes of the scheduled start of the concert, Gordon and his band, without fuss or fanfare, took the stage. He was backed by a keyboardist, a drummer, a bass player and a lead guitarist, all of whom were superb musicians. - Gordon was so very thin and frail in appearance...certainly not the robust and strong young man I remember. The familiar baritone was a shadow of its former self... possibly because this was his eighth concert in a row, but the heart and soul of the man were still there in full force. He sang for 90 minutes.... songs I knew and loved, and wonderful songs that were unfamiliar (to me), but bearing his unmistakeable stamp. He varied the mood and the tempos, and carried the audience along with him as he sang and talked. - Often, during the show, flashes of the fiesty and mischievious Gordon I remembered from the past would emerge, mostly as he talked about how the ideas for songs came to him. “Once,” he joked, “I was playing golf with my ex brother-in-law, and when we got to the first tee, he pronounced to the rest of us, ‘Either step up or step back,’ and that gave me an idea for this song,” a bluesy, mid-tempo number which he proceeded to sing with humor and gusto. - But it was when he strummed the opening chords to BEAUTIFUL that I found myself swept back to those early days in The Smokehouse with Daryl. And as he sang the well-loved words, I was absolutely struck through the heart, and I found myself in tears. I glanced over at Daryl, and as our eyes met, I could see that he was right there with me, remembering. So much time has passed so quickly, but here we are, and the words mean even more to us now. Before the show, a young woman took a seat next to us, and I thought she was probably a wife or girlfriend of a band member, because the front-row seats were very difficult to come by. As we waited, we chatted a little bit...she did not recognize us.... and she told me that she had gotten the ticket by going to the casino website. She said it is not that difficult to get single tickets at the last minute, and that you often end up with terrific seats, as she did. - Her name was Gwen, and she told us that she had seen her first Gordon Lightfoot concert when she was ten years old, and had been a fan ever since. In fact, she had seen him in concert three times in the past year! But what was most wonderful to me about her story, was that she was a Marine Biologist... a professor at Cal State Long Beach... and that she had been inspired to become one because of a song Gordon wrote about the sea and the creatures in it. She heard him sing it when she was a little girl, and it changed the course of her life. - After the show we went backstage to thank Gordon, but it was incredibly crowded in the Green Room.... at least fifty people were in there, waiting to shake his hand, or have their photo taken with him. There were the head honchos of the casino, two Canadian Senators and their wives (very charming people), and various other Lightfoot fans. I had told Gwen that I would tell Gordon about how much his song had meant to her, and how it changed her life, but it was a zoo backstage, and I could see he was tired, so I just gave him a quick hug and Daryl and I thanked him. I don’t think we really needed many words to express how we felt about him. I’m sure he could tell. - His show was simple, quiet and intimate, even in that huge room. Just the man and his incredible songs. It was all that was needed. Gordon, may you live, sing and write for many, many more years. We are forever grateful to you. GORDON in 1974 / GORDON Today - By the way, I did not ask permission to reprint part of Gordon’s lyrics for BEAUTIFUL in this week’s column, but I don’t think he would mind. [ May 12, 2007, 07:55: Message edited by: Blackberry John ]