For those of you who also read the alt.music.lightfoot newsgroup, I apologize for the repetition!
But here is my report from tonight's concert:
Good evening all!
As I think I've mentioned before, on the Cowboy Junkies' website, they talk
about the Mountain Winery, and say that if they were ever offered a permanent
gig, they'd like it to be there. And you can see why--it's on the top of the
hill, with a spectacular view of the south bay area, it's a lovely facility
with a really nice outdoor stage and seating area.
The weather can get chilly up there, but it was very comfortable all night.
One lovely thing was to hear the crickets chirping during quiet songs like
"Restless," or during the break in the last line of CRT.
A couple of people have talked about the new sound system they are using-- and
it really is beautiful. It adds so much depth and clarity. It appeared they
were using the house speakers and not their own, but even then, it sounded
terrific.
I think a few people have mentioned this too--the arrangements have been
changed slightly. Nothing dramatic, but certain sections have a bit more
punchiness to them (the chorus of "Drifters" is a good example), where they
emphasize the on-beat, and then leave a lot of musical "air." This, coupled
with the clarity of the sound, really adds another dimension. I went with my
bandmates and one of them asked me if all his songs were that densely
textured...so it wasn't just me who was hearing it.
Speaking of my bandmates, we managed to find Roy Entin, and exhange some
pleasantries with him--I'm hoping Roy and I can jam soon! Always a pleasure to
see him! And my bandmates were actually reasonably civilized towards him too!
Who'd-a-thunk it?
Anyway, here is the set list from tonight's performance, GL in a dark blue
Hawaiian-patterned shirt and jeans:
1. Triangle
At this point, asking people to come on in (it was a late-arriving crowd), he
said "We're gonna be here awhile. Well, maybe not as long as a show by The
Boss, but still..."
2. All the Lovely Ladies
3. Drifters
4. Let it Ride
5. I'll Prove My Love
6. A Painter Passing Through
7. Baby Step Back
8. The Watchman's Gone
9/10 Ribbon of Darkness, straight into Sundown
11. Sit Down Young Stranger
12. Beautiful
13. Carefree Highway
14. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzerald
For the second set, GL was in the black t-shirt and jeans, and opened with...
1. Never Too Close
2. Waiting For You
3. Rainy Day People
4. Ring Them Bells
5. If You Could Read My Mind
6. Don Quixote
7. Early Morning Rain
at this point the band was introduced
8. Restless (under the stars, the half moon, and hearing the crickets
chirping...well, it doesn't get much more magical than that)
9. Blackberry Wine
10. Old Dan's Records
11. Canadian Railroad Trilogy
A standing ovation ensued, followed by:
encore: Cold on the Shoulder.
GL, while perhaps not as talkative as I've seen him other times, was clearly
having a good time. With the additional clarity from the sound system, the
interplay between his guitar and Terry C's (who played beautifully all night)
was very easy to hear and enjoy--in addition, the sound of the drums was great.
It was a lovely, fun show, which, as always, ended far too soon. I hope they
come back to the Mountain Winery too--it's a particularly wonderful venue for a
Gordon Lightfoot concert.
I'll report from Jackson in a few days!
Derek