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An old friend returns
Fighting back from a life-threatening aneurysm Lightfoot makes his way back to the Centre
ROBERT REID
CANADIAN PRESS
Gordon Lightfoot, 67, stops in Kitchener on Sunday as part of his national tour.
(Oct 13, 2006)
Gordon Lightfoot's annual Massey Hall concerts are legendary.
However, the iconic Canadian singer-songwriter has a special relationship with Centre in the Square.
He was the first performer with international appeal to grace its stage, appearing two days after it opened in September 1980.
Lightfoot returned eight times (including some double performances), making him one of the centre's most popular performers.
He's included Kitchener on a concert tour with stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Montreal, ending with three nights in Toronto at Massey Hall.
It's the first national tour the 67-year-old troubadour has undertaken in seven years.
Sunday's concert will undoubtedly be the most poignant of all his appearances here.
In September 2002, fans across Canada, and beyond, held their collective breath and sent out prayers as word spread of Lightfoot's abdominal aneurysm that threatened his life.
His convalescence was slow, but steady. One of Canada's most revered recording artists was not ready to take the last canoe ride.
Recent years have not been without their share of accolades and honours.
First, there was the superb tribute album, Beautiful.
No Canadian songwriter has ever been more deserving of a tribute album. Of course, Lightfoot's songs have been covered by some of music's biggest stars across genres from the start of his recording career way back in 1966.
Released in September 2003, the aptly titled Beautiful coincided with the 17-time Juno winner's induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
There has never been a worthier inductee.
The album features 14 songs from Lightfoot's 200-song catalogue, performed by a Who's Who of Canadian music: Bruce Cockburn, Blue Rodeo, Ron Sexsmith, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Tragically Hip, Murray McLauchlan, James Keelaghan, Cowboy Junkies, Jesse Winchester, Quartette, Connie Kaldor, Terry Tuffs, Harry Manx and Maria Muldaur, the only American. Aengus Finnan contributed an original song as a bonus track.
As inspired as the interpretations are, it's the songs -- products of master craftsmanship in the service of art -- that are the album's real stars.
The album acknowledges the seminal role Lightfoot has played in the growth of Canadian music. He casts a long shadow of influence over the country's musical landscape.
Like James Taylor and John Prine south of the border, Lightfoot was one of the artists who heralded the transition from folksinger to singer-songwriter.
Then it was Canadian Idol.
The tepid TV karaoke show aired its most memorable segment in the summer of 2004 with a tribute to Lightfoot. In the process, it introduced the folk laureate to a new generation.
Although the young, earnest contestants are forgotten, a sense of the quality of the songs remains indelible.
Lightfoot appeared fragile, but his graciousness and generosity made the show special.
Despite his success, fame and wealth, Lightfoot has remained intensely shy. He embodies what the late novelist Robertson Davies identified as Canada's introversion (in contrast to America's extroversion).
He has always appeared awkward when asked to talk about himself. In interviews, he habitually refers to himself in the third person. When pressed to discuss his work, he has been reluctant -- or unable -- to penetrate surfaces. He has always let the songs do his talking.
The most touching tribute came by way of posthumous recognition from Johnny Cash -- Lightfoot made a rare TV appearance on Cash's show in the 1970s -- with the recording of If You Could Read My Mind on American V: A Hundred Highways, released earlier this year. Ian Tyson's Four Strong Winds is also included on the album.
Tributes are nice. Lightfoot has had more than his share -- deservingly so.
The best news for fans in the aftermath of his illness was Harmony, his 20th original recording released in 2004.
Lightfoot's best years as a songwriter ended with Endless Wire. Interestingly, his songwriting began to tail off as his voice -- which had been one of his strongest attributes as a performer -- grew weaker.
Although he wrote and recorded a number of excellent songs since the end of the 1970s, the albums lacked the consistent quality of the earlier releases.
Harmony not only holds its own with the best of the seven albums released since 1980's Dream Street Rose, its pared down arrangements featuring his longtime stage band is superior to the lush orchestrations that infiltrated many of the tracks on the previous albums.
It also reflects a work ethic, devotion to craft and commitment to art -- not to mention indefatigable spirit -- that has defined Lightfoot throughout his celebrated career.
In the liner notes for Harmony, he modestly explains his desire to get back to music: "It's the only real refuge I'd ever had."
Many are the fans who have found inspiration and comfort in Gordon Lightfoot's musical refuge.
rreid@therecord.com
