[seahawk11]

We were a little late in getting out to the show, as we wanted to see if the Twins would win their play-in game or not (they did). Boulder being Boulder, you are punished for driving a car in their city. You are expected to walk, run, bike, parachute-in, or worst case, ride a bus to the venue - but for God’s sake, DON’T drive your car there, as parking is almost nonexistent (we ended up leaving the car in a bike lane at an intersection and were surprised that we weren’t towed, and the car hadn’t been ‘keyed’). Nice up-hill hike to the venue, then another surprise: no cocktail bar! Oh well, Gord and the guys put on a nice show for us.

Is it me, or is Gord getting even thinner? He now appears almost skeletal. And, shades of the Unfortunate Orange Sports Coat Tour, has anyone seen Gord’s new jacket yet? It’s bright and red and velveteen, and made me think that Halloween isn’t too far off. He looked just like a skinny Jack Palance vampire up there, in need of lots of blood….but, to the show:

As usual, Gord’s voice was a little sketchy to start, almost whisper quiet, but warmed up as he went along. Most of the usual suspects were played, including favorites ‘Triangle’, and the lyrically complex ‘Restless’, which he pulled off just fine as fine can be. Speaking of fine, I’ve been watching the setlists for this leg of the tour and noticed that they’ve been playing ‘If Children Had Wings’, so I told my wife they were going to pull a surprise song out of the hat for this show - then they didn’t play ‘Children’ for us! Oops. But, they did play ‘Fine as Fine’, which is rarely performed, and was a nice substitute. ‘Sundown’ came off extremely well: Gord’s microphone is so responsive that Big Blue’s (Rick Haynes) background singing was easily picked up, which fattened the vocals a bit, and made for one of the high points of the night. ‘Song For a Winter’s Night’ was especially nice, too. He didn't attempt CRT at this altitude.

I shouldn’t diss Boulder too much. In their defense, this was one of the most superior audiences I’ve ever encountered at a Lightfoot show: quiet, respectful, knowledgeable – not a hint of clapping at all during that pregnant pause towards the end of Don Quixote! Gord was chatty and funny, talking about his ex-old ladies, kids, and songs. He explained that ‘Hangdog Hotel Room’ was written during a 3-day binge with Jerry Jeff Walker. And, after some confusion, said that Clouds of Loneliness was written for his 8 year old kid.

One encore, ‘Old Dan’s Records’, a final bow, then off to Billings, Montana. All part of the longest tour leg they’ve ever attempted. The guys just keep plugging away.

Best,

Tony