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charlene · 10-09-2008, 11:34 AM

Mr. Jack Hill very kindly sent me the review from the paper..It was available only with a subscription..

MUSIC REVIEW

Lightfoot’s concert shows love for work

BY JACK W. HILL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Returning after the intermission, Canadian singer-songwriter-guitarist Gordon Lightfoot explained “We love the work,” perhaps in answer to an unknown shouted question at his Sunday night concert at Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock. Anyone could see that Lightfoot — who had first walked out on stage in a red velvet jacket — loved his work.
That was obvious to all the fans who turned out, nearly filling the place, at least the downstairs portion. And Lightfoot seemed delighted to be back in Little Rock, after some 14 years, he announced. Lightfoot is back in good health and able to sing and play after a near-fatal illness six years ago.
Opening with a complex and lengthy song, “Triangle,” Lightfoot showed that he could still pull up line after narrative line of the songs he has written for half a century. Following with the lighthearted “Cotton Jenny,” Lightfoot began what turned into a twohour concert, minus a 20-minute intermission, and he gave fans a string of hits they came hoping to hear, including “Ribbon of Darkness,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Sundown,” “Minstrel of the Dawn,” Rainy Day People,” “Beautiful,” “Alberta Bound,” “A Painter Passing Through,” “Baby Step Back” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and more.
The 69-year-old singer, who could have elected to sit on a stool but instead remained standing for his entire show, had a visage that was a blend of fabled movie icon Kirk Douglas, and a bit of Jack Palance, along with a classic Indian face and a tad of the nowcrumbled granite Old Man of the Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Alternating between his 12- and 6-string guitars, ably backed by his veteran bandmates on keyboards, drums, bass and lead guitar, Lightfoot was light on the chatter. He occasionally threw out a wry line or two, with the best anecdote being about the time he “almost” met Elvis Presley in Buffalo, where he no doubt would have thanked EP for recording “Early Morning Rain.”
The fine show drew to a conclusion with a version of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” which was followed by a quick two-song encore of “Blackberry Wine” and “Ol’ Dan’s Records,” and Lightfoot was done. And it was all well-done.

10-09-2008, 11:34 AM	#1
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Little Rock review Mr. Jack Hill very kindly sent me the review from the paper..It was available only with a subscription.. MUSIC REVIEW Lightfoot’s concert shows love for work BY JACK W. HILL ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Returning after the intermission, Canadian singer-songwriter-guitarist Gordon Lightfoot explained “We love the work,” perhaps in answer to an unknown shouted question at his Sunday night concert at Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock. Anyone could see that Lightfoot — who had first walked out on stage in a red velvet jacket — loved his work. That was obvious to all the fans who turned out, nearly filling the place, at least the downstairs portion. And Lightfoot seemed delighted to be back in Little Rock, after some 14 years, he announced. Lightfoot is back in good health and able to sing and play after a near-fatal illness six years ago. Opening with a complex and lengthy song, “Triangle,” Lightfoot showed that he could still pull up line after narrative line of the songs he has written for half a century. Following with the lighthearted “Cotton Jenny,” Lightfoot began what turned into a twohour concert, minus a 20-minute intermission, and he gave fans a string of hits they came hoping to hear, including “Ribbon of Darkness,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Sundown,” “Minstrel of the Dawn,” Rainy Day People,” “Beautiful,” “Alberta Bound,” “A Painter Passing Through,” “Baby Step Back” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and more. The 69-year-old singer, who could have elected to sit on a stool but instead remained standing for his entire show, had a visage that was a blend of fabled movie icon Kirk Douglas, and a bit of Jack Palance, along with a classic Indian face and a tad of the nowcrumbled granite Old Man of the Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Alternating between his 12- and 6-string guitars, ably backed by his veteran bandmates on keyboards, drums, bass and lead guitar, Lightfoot was light on the chatter. He occasionally threw out a wry line or two, with the best anecdote being about the time he “almost” met Elvis Presley in Buffalo, where he no doubt would have thanked EP for recording “Early Morning Rain.” The fine show drew to a conclusion with a version of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” which was followed by a quick two-song encore of “Blackberry Wine” and “Ol’ Dan’s Records,” and Lightfoot was done. And it was all well-done.