[seafarer62]

Hello again:

After Gord's battling of a cold in Thunder Bay, my wife Debbie and I didn't know what to expect in Sault St. Marie the next night. But like Gordon said, "I gotta press on.... "

After a night at the Super 8-Thunder Bay with a motel full of hockey players (thanks for slamming doors all night), we took off before first light. We had heard there was rain and snow to the east, but ever onward. The first road sign said: Sault Ste Marie - 688 KM. Ugh.

We thought we would drive into brightening skies. Not. Instead the Trans-Canada Highway winds around the north side of Lake Superior, up and down, ears popping, stomachs dropping. The dawn indeed came late and breakfast had to wait. The skies never really brightened the whole morning. Fog and then rain. Turning to snow. Back to rain. Having grown up in northern Minnesota, this didn't overly bother me. The speed limit of 90km/hour on that road is the joke. I was going close to 100km and a train of cars and semis would pass me as I entered the extra-lane passing area where slow traffic is supposed to stay right to let the speed demons go.

We then ran into heavy wet snow, snowflakes like pancakes. The drive became more than a chore, not being familar with the road. Longing for a break, we stopped for lunch at a place in White River, Ontario - with nearly 200 miles more to go. Cold, wet -just plain yuck. We stopped at several spots to take pictures of the massive ice formations that had formed on the shorelines. The north side of the lake was frozen. When we stopped on the east side of the lake at Montreal Bay looking out towards the Wreck, the water was open. Truly a marvelous lake.

We fought the last 200 miles or so experiencing a variety of sunny skies, gloomy skies, rainy skies, and the cold wind that chilled us to the bone. At about 5 p.m., we pulled into Sault St. Marie like Lawrence of Arabia arriving at the oasis. Man it felt good to be there.

After checking into the Super 8, we went downtown near the St. Mary's River, had a light meal at a sports bar with cheering hockey fans, and then walked into the Essar Centre. It is a small hockey arena right downtown. I bought some popcorn at the concession stand and the young gal said that Neil Young had played there the night before and it was LOUD. I told her that tonight would be much more mellow.

We had seats on the main level, (9th row front and center). In retrospect, I would have sat in the hockey seats. The main level chairs were very uncomfortable and cramped. We sat right in the middle of a row and felt we were in a vise. Not worth whatever I paid for them. We had people all around us filming, taking pictures and one talking on a cell phone during the concert. (What has happened to manners to others??)

The arena looked like it was still set up for hockey, with championship banners hanging from the rafters. At 8 pm, the lights dimmed and out came the band. And then the smiling, saunter of the legend himself. Here is the set list:

1) Cotton Jenney
2) Carefree Highway
3) Sea of Tranquility
4) 14 K Gold
5) Never Too Close
6) In My Fashion
7) A Painter Passing Through
8) Rainy Day People
9) Shadows
10) Beautiful
11) The Watchman's Gone
12) Ribbon of Darkness
13) Sundown
14) Wreck of the E. F.
Intermission
15) Triangle
16) Hangdog Hotel Room
17) Restless
18) Minstrel of the Dawn
19) Waiting for You
20) If Children Had Wings
21) If You Could Read My Mind
22) Don Quixote
23) Baby Step Back
24) Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Encores:
25) Song for a Winter's Night
26) Old Dan's Records

Warerobe notes from Debbie: First Set- Blue Velvet Jacket, White Shirt, Black Jeans Second set- Burgundy silk vest, White Shirt, Black Jeans

Observations and Tidbits:

* Gord's vocals were much, much better than in Thunder Bay. Sounds like his cold was gone about the time the tour was done. He started out very strong, was weak during In My Fashion and Painter, but then generally improved as the evening progressed.

* In the first set, he mentioned that it seemed like only yesterday when he and Terry Whelan as the Two Tones used to come up to the Soo to play at a hotel that I didn't catch the name. He mentioned two names who had promoted them but I didn't recognize or write down the names.

* The first set (as in Winnipeg and Thunder Bay) seemed to be tighter with less banter.

* Before the Edmund Fitzgerald, he said that after Thunder Bay last night, their plane had taken the same route that the Fitzgerald had sailed that last time. He said that some leaders of the Ojibwe Nation had spoken to him in Thunder Bay. He said that the leaders had told him that the reason that the lake never gives up her dead is that the lake is so cold, that bodies are preserved at its bottom.

* A couple of months ago on the newsgroup, someone posted an article from the Sault Ste. Marie newspaper and Bernie Fiedler that a major announcement concerning the Edmund Fitzgerald would occur at Gordon's concert in Sault Ste. Marie. That seemed to be a dud- nothing happened.

* The crowd of 2,800 appeared to be correct. As a CPA, I'm trained with numbers and I had told Debbie around 3,000. It was not a sellout with some seats way in the back (behind the hockey goal judge booth area) empty.

* Gord acknowledged the hockey venue and said that there were many famous hockey players who played for the Sault Ste Marie Grayhounds. He said one name was obvious (Gretzky) but tried to name others and said, "I can't name any of them right now." He then said Barry Keane would know. Gord then had his sound man turn on Barry's mike and then Barry called out "Ron Francis, John Vanbriesbrouck, and Bob Probert." Barry must be quite a hockey buff.

* Waiting for You and If Children Had Wings were inspired by the ex-wives. He talked about Brita, his first wife. How she was from Stockholm Sweden but came to Canada when she was 21. After their divorce, she had left for France with his two eldest children.

* He did his hair on the rabbit and moon is pale bad jokes. Bad as the drive we had been through.

* He said he was going to try Trilogy. He mentioned how their plane had just flown over the Canadian Rockies and he was still awed that they were able to build the railway through the mountains in just three years. He said the name of the guy who had led the building of the railway and he had to have been a slave driver.

* The Saturday night crowd was very rowdy and the beer was flowing. Friday night in Thunder Bay was more polite and dignified but this crowd had its share of whistles, Gord I love you and other semi-obnoxious comments. I just hate it when you pay good money to hear someone perform and some idiots are clapping and shouting through performances. People- clap and shout when he's done, not when he's singing. Thanks- just had to vent.

* Encore # 1: Song for a Winter's Night- He mentioned he was staying in an apartment owned by the guy who owned the club he was playing at in downtown Cleveland. He said he was missing his first wife, a thunderstorm blew up and he wrote this song. This time he did not do the vocal re-arrangment with "If I could only have you near," instead trying the traditional arrangement. The ending of it is just fantastic with Michael on the synthesizer with a harmony track and Barry on the jingle bells. Great job guys !!

* Encore #2: Old Dan's Records - fit the crowd - Gord sounded great - and the guys were really having fun.

Southeastern USA next month should expect great shows, assuming he avoids colds.

We had left our camera in the car for both shows- no pictures to send. We left Sault Ste. Marie early Sunday morning, driving another 500+ miles straight through to home. And to cap a lousy weather weekend, we had another stretch of heavy snow near Hurley Wisconsin on the south side of the lake. Made it home exhausted with 1,290 miles in about 2 1/2 days. Our 2009 Gord tour is over. Waiting for the 2010 tour dates !!

Sorry to be so long winded. I really enjoy reading similar posts from others who describe their concert experiences. Thanks to all who do so and I hope to read some more from folks out east later this year.

John and Debbie / Forest Lake, MN