Gordon Lightfoot Forums - View Single Post - Trip & Show report-Hugh's Room-Trib.show-Toronto-1-17-09

charlene · 01-22-2009, 05:52 PM

Jan.17,2009
Up next in their third visit to the shows was DALA.
Two young ladies with the sweetest voices and harmonies.
With one on guitar (almost as big as she was) and one on the keyboard they broke our hearts with “Home From The Forest”.
They said of the next song that they had come to love the lonely person in it. They performed “Go Go Round” with just keyboard and vocal. And again they took our breath away. And it certainly seemed that Lightfoot was entranced.
www.dalagirls.com

Ken Whiteley is a Canadian gospel/blues performer who is well known with the Hugh’s Room patrons.
He was having a ‘cable’ issue so he told a quick story about seeing Sly and The Family Stone way back in the day up at Mosport, north of Toronto. 50,000 stoned out people. Years later he saw Sly again and Sly had been having some big problems in his life and a cable problem onstage..so he now calls his own technical problems his “Sly Stone Syndrome”.
Back in the mid to late 60’s he saw Lightfoot at a place in Toronto called Gates of Cleave. He also got an autograph and a flatpick that he taped into his scrap book. He remembered David Rea and his guitar licks as well.
And then he launched into a blues version of “That’s What You Get For Lovin’ Me”. omigoodness it was fabulous.
The ladies of DALA and Brent Titcomb came onstage to assist with “Cold On The Shoulder.” It was a lot of fun to watch Ken become so immersed in the songs..Wonderful!
And again it seemed that Lightfoot was really enjoying it too.
www.kenwhiteley.com

Jory Nash was next, looking adorable and telling us that he usually allows all the performers to pick their songs first and then he chooses his two. This year his first song was one that hasn’t been done at any previous shows. In this song Lightfoot swears and Jory, as a young lad listening to it was amazed that there was swearing in a song. He thought that was what the schoolyard was for! ”Lightfoot taught me to swear!” he exclaimed.
And then he sang “The Watchman’s Gone” while we all listened for ‘washing the bullshit down’.
oh yeah – Jory sang ‘twenty one coaches THIN’ for those who are wondering about that lyric.
He told us that he put his foot down about his next song, proclaiming it as ‘his’ to perform.
Then while Lightfoot cupped his chin in his hands and listened, Jory sweetly sang “If You Could Read My Mind.”
As usual, I wished that he’d go on singing…
www.jorynash.com

And then Jory told us that Lightfoot was in the house and was going to sing a song..oh my.
The place went crazy as Lightfoot made his way to the stage, picked up Jory’s guitar and sang “Song For A Winter’s Night” as a light snow was falling over Toronto.
I managed to get almost all of it on video.
When it was over he dashed back to his seat as we all stood for a prolonged ovation.
It was beyond amazing.

The first half of the evening was over, the lights went up and I headed over to say HI to Lightfoot and Bernie Fiedler.
As I walked to their table Lightfoot looked up and saw me. He did a little double wave with both hands and smiled. He showed no fear. LOL
There were hugs and hello’s for me and Lisa from Lightfoot, Bernie and his lovely ladyfriend who we’ve met several times over the last few years. I asked Gordon about seeing him in Niagara Falls this year but alas he will not be rolling down the hiway to the Fallsview Casino. Darn! We chatted for a short time only as there were others wishing to speak with him and after a quick picture we spent some time with Bernie. Gordon did tell me that he was in receipt of the medium sized T-shirt I sent along after discovering in Buffalo last September that the large was indeed too large for him!
At previous shows when he showed up he didn’t spend time with any of the folks in the audience so it was great that he did this time and he seemed to be really enjoying it.
The break went quickly and the lights soon dimmed.

David Newland was back on stage and before resuming the emcee duties he sang “Carefree Highway” in a slower, more melancholy way that made me feel how lonely and down the traveler was.
www.davidnewland.com

Anne Lindsay (plays with Blue Rodeo/Jim Cuddy) performed a violin solo of “Softly.” As lovely and romantic as it was I couldn’t tell it was Softly.
She then sang “The Way I Feel” in a soft, slow blues tempo. It was really quite lovely. Everyone was entranced.
www.anne-lindsay.com

Another young fellow was up next – Royal Wood sat on a stool, played guitar and sang “Sit Down Young Stranger.” It was so quiet as he sang the words that sadly are still so poignant after all these years. He received a huge ovation and said “thank you, I didn’t write it.”
lol
His next song was one I hadn’t heard at the shows before (or at least I don’t remember) - “Cobwebs and Dust.”
Royal has a wonderful quality in his voice, perfect for performing Lightfoot songs.
I’ll be watching for any shows nearby that I can get to.
www.royalwood.ca

A duo was the next act.
The Undesirables.
Apparently they have been banned from returning the U.K. for 10 years. It seems they are two young lads who enjoy life to the fullest!
One of them said that Lightfoot music made him think of breakfast because his mum would always put on Lightfoot albums on Saturday mornings while making breakfast of eggs and bacon. “Lightfoot reminds me of bacon! – BACON!”
And then Lightfoot himself yelled out from his seat - “Canadian!”
Everyone broke up laughing..
The boys then sang Shadows. One on guitar singing background and the other singing lead. They were both very emotive with body language and facial expressions.
Before singing “Cotton Jenney” the guitar player told the story of his grandmother who always told him that Lightfoot wrote it about her.
Her name was Jenney Cotton.
Lol
www.myspace.com/undesirables

Oh Susanna came up with Ken Whitely on banjo and Anne Lindsay on fiddle and performed “Old Dan’s Records” and then “Early Morning Rain.”
She had a lovely voice and the songs were definitely country/bluegrass in style.
www.ohsusannamusic.com

Rick Fines then stepped up and recounted the story of his mum taking him to see Lightfoot when he was a young boy at home in Peterborough, Ontario, about an hour east of my place here in Whitby.
Mum took Rick backstage with a couple of albums she wanted autographed but they were stopped by security telling them that Mr. Lightfoot was not seeing anyone or autographing anything.
To which Mrs. Fines replied, “Oh don’t be silly! We’re family!” And they were then led backstage to meet Lightfoot who did indeed sign both albums. Rick’s mum said to Rick as they left “I should have brought all the albums!”
Lol
Rick said his mum taught him not to lie but at times it was okay!
He sang his amazing version of “Bossman” and then did “Ribbon of Darkness.” He has recorded ROD on one of his own CD’s.
As many times as I’ve seen him he still astounds me with not only his take on these Lightfoot tunes but all of his own material. And he’s a hell of a nice guy.
This time around I was happy to meet his very pretty wife. I’ll be watching for a Rick Fines show near me in the future.
www.rickfines.com

Lori Cullen has one of the happiest personas in the world. She’s recorded a couple of Lightfoot tunes on her own CD’s and makes them her own. She told us that Lightfoot was making 25 bucks a play off her CD’s..lol
Before she started singing she exclaimed “Gord did my song!” She then spoke to Lightfoot telling him that he had done ‘her’ song! But she would still do it and that she had changed some of the melody and that he was gonna make a lot of money tonight! Lightfoot was laughing at it all.
Before singing that tune she sang a jazz styled “Rainy Day People” and then she did SFAWN that Gord had done earlier and was accompanied by DALA.
www.loricullen.com

David issued Thank you’s to all at Hugh’s Room, to all of the performers, to all those behind the scenes in Lightfoot’s career and those who have left us and especially thanks to Gordon Lightfoot!
The finale of the show included Aengus Finnan and all performers singing “Rich Man’s Spiritual” with the audience in full voice as well.

Throughout the whole show Lightfoot was completely engrossed in each performance, clapping along, laughing and applauding after each song. It was amazing to sit only a few tables away and see him enjoy the love and respect that filled that room.

Most of the performers then lined up as if at a wedding reception to speak to Lightfoot, shake his hand, get an autograph. It was lovely to watch. He was having a grand old time!

I got a chance for good-byes with Gordon and Bernie, snapped some pics with Jory, Aengus and David and then headed out in the early morning snow to the subway around 1 a.m.

Lightfoot was still inside Hugh’s Room listening to people tell him “the way they feel.”

01-22-2009, 05:52 PM	#2
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 15,913	Re: Trip & Show report-Trib.show-Toronto-1-17-09 Jan.17,2009 Up next in their third visit to the shows was DALA. Two young ladies with the sweetest voices and harmonies. With one on guitar (almost as big as she was) and one on the keyboard they broke our hearts with “Home From The Forest”. They said of the next song that they had come to love the lonely person in it. They performed “Go Go Round” with just keyboard and vocal. And again they took our breath away. And it certainly seemed that Lightfoot was entranced. www.dalagirls.com Ken Whiteley is a Canadian gospel/blues performer who is well known with the Hugh’s Room patrons. He was having a ‘cable’ issue so he told a quick story about seeing Sly and The Family Stone way back in the day up at Mosport, north of Toronto. 50,000 stoned out people. Years later he saw Sly again and Sly had been having some big problems in his life and a cable problem onstage..so he now calls his own technical problems his “Sly Stone Syndrome”. Back in the mid to late 60’s he saw Lightfoot at a place in Toronto called Gates of Cleave. He also got an autograph and a flatpick that he taped into his scrap book. He remembered David Rea and his guitar licks as well. And then he launched into a blues version of “That’s What You Get For Lovin’ Me”. omigoodness it was fabulous. The ladies of DALA and Brent Titcomb came onstage to assist with “Cold On The Shoulder.” It was a lot of fun to watch Ken become so immersed in the songs..Wonderful! And again it seemed that Lightfoot was really enjoying it too. www.kenwhiteley.com Jory Nash was next, looking adorable and telling us that he usually allows all the performers to pick their songs first and then he chooses his two. This year his first song was one that hasn’t been done at any previous shows. In this song Lightfoot swears and Jory, as a young lad listening to it was amazed that there was swearing in a song. He thought that was what the schoolyard was for! ”Lightfoot taught me to swear!” he exclaimed. And then he sang “The Watchman’s Gone” while we all listened for ‘washing the bullshit down’. oh yeah – Jory sang ‘twenty one coaches THIN’ for those who are wondering about that lyric. He told us that he put his foot down about his next song, proclaiming it as ‘his’ to perform. Then while Lightfoot cupped his chin in his hands and listened, Jory sweetly sang “If You Could Read My Mind.” As usual, I wished that he’d go on singing… www.jorynash.com And then Jory told us that Lightfoot was in the house and was going to sing a song..oh my. The place went crazy as Lightfoot made his way to the stage, picked up Jory’s guitar and sang “Song For A Winter’s Night” as a light snow was falling over Toronto. I managed to get almost all of it on video. When it was over he dashed back to his seat as we all stood for a prolonged ovation. It was beyond amazing. The first half of the evening was over, the lights went up and I headed over to say HI to Lightfoot and Bernie Fiedler. As I walked to their table Lightfoot looked up and saw me. He did a little double wave with both hands and smiled. He showed no fear. LOL There were hugs and hello’s for me and Lisa from Lightfoot, Bernie and his lovely ladyfriend who we’ve met several times over the last few years. I asked Gordon about seeing him in Niagara Falls this year but alas he will not be rolling down the hiway to the Fallsview Casino. Darn! We chatted for a short time only as there were others wishing to speak with him and after a quick picture we spent some time with Bernie. Gordon did tell me that he was in receipt of the medium sized T-shirt I sent along after discovering in Buffalo last September that the large was indeed too large for him! At previous shows when he showed up he didn’t spend time with any of the folks in the audience so it was great that he did this time and he seemed to be really enjoying it. The break went quickly and the lights soon dimmed. David Newland was back on stage and before resuming the emcee duties he sang “Carefree Highway” in a slower, more melancholy way that made me feel how lonely and down the traveler was. www.davidnewland.com Anne Lindsay (plays with Blue Rodeo/Jim Cuddy) performed a violin solo of “Softly.” As lovely and romantic as it was I couldn’t tell it was Softly. She then sang “The Way I Feel” in a soft, slow blues tempo. It was really quite lovely. Everyone was entranced. www.anne-lindsay.com Another young fellow was up next – Royal Wood sat on a stool, played guitar and sang “Sit Down Young Stranger.” It was so quiet as he sang the words that sadly are still so poignant after all these years. He received a huge ovation and said “thank you, I didn’t write it.” lol His next song was one I hadn’t heard at the shows before (or at least I don’t remember) - “Cobwebs and Dust.” Royal has a wonderful quality in his voice, perfect for performing Lightfoot songs. I’ll be watching for any shows nearby that I can get to. www.royalwood.ca A duo was the next act. The Undesirables. Apparently they have been banned from returning the U.K. for 10 years. It seems they are two young lads who enjoy life to the fullest! One of them said that Lightfoot music made him think of breakfast because his mum would always put on Lightfoot albums on Saturday mornings while making breakfast of eggs and bacon. “Lightfoot reminds me of bacon! – BACON!” And then Lightfoot himself yelled out from his seat - “Canadian!” Everyone broke up laughing.. The boys then sang Shadows. One on guitar singing background and the other singing lead. They were both very emotive with body language and facial expressions. Before singing “Cotton Jenney” the guitar player told the story of his grandmother who always told him that Lightfoot wrote it about her. Her name was Jenney Cotton. Lol www.myspace.com/undesirables Oh Susanna came up with Ken Whitely on banjo and Anne Lindsay on fiddle and performed “Old Dan’s Records” and then “Early Morning Rain.” She had a lovely voice and the songs were definitely country/bluegrass in style. www.ohsusannamusic.com Rick Fines then stepped up and recounted the story of his mum taking him to see Lightfoot when he was a young boy at home in Peterborough, Ontario, about an hour east of my place here in Whitby. Mum took Rick backstage with a couple of albums she wanted autographed but they were stopped by security telling them that Mr. Lightfoot was not seeing anyone or autographing anything. To which Mrs. Fines replied, “Oh don’t be silly! We’re family!” And they were then led backstage to meet Lightfoot who did indeed sign both albums. Rick’s mum said to Rick as they left “I should have brought all the albums!” Lol Rick said his mum taught him not to lie but at times it was okay! He sang his amazing version of “Bossman” and then did “Ribbon of Darkness.” He has recorded ROD on one of his own CD’s. As many times as I’ve seen him he still astounds me with not only his take on these Lightfoot tunes but all of his own material. And he’s a hell of a nice guy. This time around I was happy to meet his very pretty wife. I’ll be watching for a Rick Fines show near me in the future. www.rickfines.com Lori Cullen has one of the happiest personas in the world. She’s recorded a couple of Lightfoot tunes on her own CD’s and makes them her own. She told us that Lightfoot was making 25 bucks a play off her CD’s..lol Before she started singing she exclaimed “Gord did my song!” She then spoke to Lightfoot telling him that he had done ‘her’ song! But she would still do it and that she had changed some of the melody and that he was gonna make a lot of money tonight! Lightfoot was laughing at it all. Before singing that tune she sang a jazz styled “Rainy Day People” and then she did SFAWN that Gord had done earlier and was accompanied by DALA. www.loricullen.com David issued Thank you’s to all at Hugh’s Room, to all of the performers, to all those behind the scenes in Lightfoot’s career and those who have left us and especially thanks to Gordon Lightfoot! The finale of the show included Aengus Finnan and all performers singing “Rich Man’s Spiritual” with the audience in full voice as well. Throughout the whole show Lightfoot was completely engrossed in each performance, clapping along, laughing and applauding after each song. It was amazing to sit only a few tables away and see him enjoy the love and respect that filled that room. Most of the performers then lined up as if at a wedding reception to speak to Lightfoot, shake his hand, get an autograph. It was lovely to watch. He was having a grand old time! I got a chance for good-byes with Gordon and Bernie, snapped some pics with Jory, Aengus and David and then headed out in the early morning snow to the subway around 1 a.m. Lightfoot was still inside Hugh’s Room listening to people tell him “the way they feel.”