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charlene · 10-03-2011, 12:50 PM

http://blogs.mcall.com/lehighvalleym...enns-peak.html

October 3, 2011
Gordon Lightfoot shows frailties of life in songs, self at Penn's Peak concert
Penn's Peak
Posted by John J. Moser at 07:58:27 AM on October 3, 2011

Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has spent a 50-year career telling the stories of life and the people in it – often about the adversities they face.

Now nearly 73 and having faced obstacles himself – a heart ailment, six-week coma, tracheotomy and stroke in the past decade – Lightfoot could easily be a subject of one of his songs.

His concert Sunday at Penn’s Peak near Jim Thorpe showed that Lightfoot’s frailties have diminished his voice – in some songs, especially the early “Carefree Highway,” it was a quavering whisper.

But he also has retained the ability to impart the emotions of his musical stories – and in some ways, the change in his voice has enriched that ability. Its aged quality, for example, was more fitting on the ominous and haunting “Sea of Tranquility.”

And his song “A Painter Passing Through” was never been so starkly believable -- it’s tale of bittersweet reminiscing captured in his barely audible whispered rasp: “Once upon a time, once upon a day/when I was in my prime, once along the way.” And he still was able to add inflection and feeling.

It went that way in an 80-minute show, played in two sets with a 20-minute intermission, as the last on the current leg of his tour.

Lightfoot, skeletally thin with long gray hair, stood at the microphone with a guitar and sang 28 songs -- some barely two minutes long, most without comment between them. He was four songs and 15 minute into the show before he spoke to the crowd.

When one song would cause pause at how much Lightfoot had lost, another would be refreshed by that loss.

Never was it more obvious than in the two songs that closed the first set.

His biggest hit (and only U.S. No. 1) “Sundown” was a weak, hoarse whisper rather than the robust warning it once was. But for the following “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (one of the few songs he gave an introduction), his older voice fit perfectly the dramatic tale.

His four-man band, perfectly sympathetic and fittingly quiet for most of the night, also was at its best on that song, setting the ominous tone with echo-y keyboards and dramatic drums.

Both songs got huge cheers from the near-sellout crowd, which clearly was feeling the emotions Lightfoot was imparting. They clapped along to “Ribbon of Darkness,” his song that Marty Robbins took to No. 1.

Lightfoot’s voice would occasionally capture its familiar tone. It was richer on “Sweet Guinevere” and had more texture in his deeper range on “The Watchman’s Gone.” It appeared he was feeling the emotion, as well, as he grimaced while singing.

Nearly all his songs were wonderful tales, presented with wonder. “Never Too Close” was chugging and sweet. “Restless” was quiet and evocative. He played “Let It Ride” with his eyes squeezed shut s he picked his guitar.

“I haven’t done this one for a while; you’ll probably recognize it,” he said before a very nice “Home From the Forest.” He introduced “Make Way for the Lady” by saying, “we’ll do a bluesy tune.”

His first U.S. hit, 1970’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” lost some of the bitterness his voice once carried, but it gained a new strain that seemed to even deepen its meaning. And on it, Lightfoot was his most demonstrative – squeezing his eyes closed and bending over to play.

Played late in the second set, it got the biggest applause of the night.

He closed the main part of his show with his “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” perhaps his most obvious and linear tale, then opened the encore with “Waiting For You” before closing with his lighter hit “Rainy Day People.”

It, too, could be seen as being about Lightfoot, the troubadour whose songs lift people – likely himself as much as his listener.

10-03-2011, 12:50 PM	#1
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	Penn's Peak review http://blogs.mcall.com/lehighvalleym...enns-peak.html October 3, 2011 Gordon Lightfoot shows frailties of life in songs, self at Penn's Peak concert Penn's Peak Posted by John J. Moser at 07:58:27 AM on October 3, 2011 Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot has spent a 50-year career telling the stories of life and the people in it – often about the adversities they face. Now nearly 73 and having faced obstacles himself – a heart ailment, six-week coma, tracheotomy and stroke in the past decade – Lightfoot could easily be a subject of one of his songs. His concert Sunday at Penn’s Peak near Jim Thorpe showed that Lightfoot’s frailties have diminished his voice – in some songs, especially the early “Carefree Highway,” it was a quavering whisper. But he also has retained the ability to impart the emotions of his musical stories – and in some ways, the change in his voice has enriched that ability. Its aged quality, for example, was more fitting on the ominous and haunting “Sea of Tranquility.” And his song “A Painter Passing Through” was never been so starkly believable -- it’s tale of bittersweet reminiscing captured in his barely audible whispered rasp: “Once upon a time, once upon a day/when I was in my prime, once along the way.” And he still was able to add inflection and feeling. It went that way in an 80-minute show, played in two sets with a 20-minute intermission, as the last on the current leg of his tour. Lightfoot, skeletally thin with long gray hair, stood at the microphone with a guitar and sang 28 songs -- some barely two minutes long, most without comment between them. He was four songs and 15 minute into the show before he spoke to the crowd. When one song would cause pause at how much Lightfoot had lost, another would be refreshed by that loss. Never was it more obvious than in the two songs that closed the first set. His biggest hit (and only U.S. No. 1) “Sundown” was a weak, hoarse whisper rather than the robust warning it once was. But for the following “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (one of the few songs he gave an introduction), his older voice fit perfectly the dramatic tale. His four-man band, perfectly sympathetic and fittingly quiet for most of the night, also was at its best on that song, setting the ominous tone with echo-y keyboards and dramatic drums. Both songs got huge cheers from the near-sellout crowd, which clearly was feeling the emotions Lightfoot was imparting. They clapped along to “Ribbon of Darkness,” his song that Marty Robbins took to No. 1. Lightfoot’s voice would occasionally capture its familiar tone. It was richer on “Sweet Guinevere” and had more texture in his deeper range on “The Watchman’s Gone.” It appeared he was feeling the emotion, as well, as he grimaced while singing. Nearly all his songs were wonderful tales, presented with wonder. “Never Too Close” was chugging and sweet. “Restless” was quiet and evocative. He played “Let It Ride” with his eyes squeezed shut s he picked his guitar. “I haven’t done this one for a while; you’ll probably recognize it,” he said before a very nice “Home From the Forest.” He introduced “Make Way for the Lady” by saying, “we’ll do a bluesy tune.” His first U.S. hit, 1970’s “If You Could Read My Mind,” lost some of the bitterness his voice once carried, but it gained a new strain that seemed to even deepen its meaning. And on it, Lightfoot was his most demonstrative – squeezing his eyes closed and bending over to play. Played late in the second set, it got the biggest applause of the night. He closed the main part of his show with his “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” perhaps his most obvious and linear tale, then opened the encore with “Waiting For You” before closing with his lighter hit “Rainy Day People.” It, too, could be seen as being about Lightfoot, the troubadour whose songs lift people – likely himself as much as his listener.