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September 21, 2008
Gordon Lightfoot's triumph at Shea's
When I interviewed Gordon Lightfoot by phone from his Toronto home for the story that appeared in Saturday's newspaper, he had a couple of worries about his Buffalo show.
Jokingly, he fretted over whether the crowd would demand he sing "the hula hoop song," the first tune he ever wrote, as a high-school student, about the hula hoop craze of 1955.
But seriously, he expressed some concern about ticket sales. He was well aware of the size of Shea's Performing Arts Center -- just over 3,000 seats. With that big a house, "It's not going to look too good if there aren't many people there," he noted, matter-of-factly, then added, "Oh well. Whoever comes, we'll have a great show for them."
He needn't have worried. I didn't go into the balcony, but the main floor was almost totally filled, with just a few dozen empty seats in the corners.
As might be expected, many in the crowd were in their 40s or 50s -- of the right age to have had Gordon Lightfoot as a soundtrack to their youth. But there were plenty of people in their 30s and even 20s in the audience.
Gord's age and ill health have affected his voice, as I noted in my review today. But the concert was not only extremely entertaining, but also a poignant experience and a testament to his bravery and fortitude.
Keep on singing, Gord, and we'll turn out to hear you.
-- Anne Neville