http://www.thecasket.ca/archives/38378
Lightfoot leaves indelible mark
Posted on May 8, 2014 by Corey LeBlanc
coreyleblanc@thecasket.ca
Selfies have become commonplace – with countless ones, of all sorts, snapped continuously.
But, how many people can say they have a selfie with a Canadian music icon?
Put Sheena DeCoste at the top of that list.
“He loved that I asked to take a ‘selfie’ with him,” she said.
DeCoste, a server as Justamere Café and Bistro, met Lightfoot during his stay at the Claymore Inn & Suites while in Antigonish for an April 29 performance.
“I was working in the restaurant the evening they checked in,” she said.
“I served some of the band members and the tour manager without even knowing who they were.”
Lightfoot joined the group while they ate.
“He said he was going to eat later,” DeCoste said.
Eventually, Lightfoot decided to relax and dine in his room, so the server offered to take his food to him.
DeCoste said Rick Haynes, his bass player, was “thrilled” she did that for Lightfoot.
“At this point, we were buddies and I told them I would bring them all room service in the morning.
“I pretty well treated them like gold,” she added.
Having struck up a quick friendship, DeCoste said Lightfoot, along with the band and crew members, asked to have her bring them their food the next morning.
“They loved the food,” she added, noting the coconut cream pie was a particular favourite.
“I sold the crew a whole pie once word spread how good it was,” DeCoste said.
In return for her kindness and service, she said they treated her “like gold.”
“I never expected though to what extent,” she added.
They gave DeCoste floor seats – six rows from the stage – along with VIP passes to meet Lightfoot and the band.
“I took my parents and grandmother, who I knew would enjoy the music, as it was a bit before my time,” she said, with a laugh.
“But, I did know some of the songs and I really enjoyed the show. We all loved it.”
DeCoste said it was “pretty monumental to think that just a little server got to hang out with such a legend.”
“We chatted about everything from my marriage to places they have been,” she added.
DeCoste said she “felt pretty special” at the concert.
“Especially when Gordon remembered my name and gave me a hug, saying he was happy I was being taken care of,” she added.
DeCoste said the feedback she received from her newfound friends made her proud.
“They said they never had a server make them feel so at home in a restaurant before,” she added.
Memorable night
DeCoste and her family were members of an appreciative crowd that enjoyed the two-set performance by Lightfoot and his band.
“Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” the legendary singer-songwriter said to laughter during his opening collection of tunes.
Each song from his 40-plus year catalogue drew warm applause, but with fan favourites such as Sundown and Rainy Day People the volume of the response increased.
Before doing his rendition of Bob Dylan’s Ring Them Bells, Lightfoot dedicated to the “sisters of the cloth” he heard were in the audience, alluding to Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Martha members on hand.
Talking about being a “product of the folks revival” of the early 1960s, along the evolution of descriptors of his music – from folk, to contemporary, to singer-songwriter, Lightfoot eased into the crowd-pleasing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Lightfoot also spoke of his preparations for touring.
“Exercise is part of the job, which helps with the singing,” he said.
Lightfoot, who is 75, noted he was “not getting any younger.”
“The high-end goes but the intonation is still good,” he said to applause and cheers.
For fans, such as Ken Farrell, it was a great experience to see a “legend.”
“It was also great to have a chance to meet him; it was quite something,” the general manager of 989 XFM told the Casket.
“He was such a soft-spoken and very pleasant man.”
Farrell and others, including Francis Arsenault, had the opportunity to meet the superstar at a VIP event after the concert.
“It was a memorable night,” the Antigonish singer-songwriter said.
Along with his wife, Debbie, they posed for a photo with Lightfoot.
“We put him in the middle, but he suggested that should be the place for Debbie,” Arsenault noted, with a laugh.
Meeting the performer topped off a busy night for Arsenault, including taking centre stage for a pre-concert reception.
“It was great. I really enjoyed it. It went well for me,” he said.
“I was nervous but I think it turned out the way I wanted it to.”
Arsenault said he received “really good feedback” from those who heard his set.
“He put on a great show. Everyone was really impressed,” Farrell said of Arsenault.
Leaving his mark
Lightfoot left his signature on Antigonish in many ways. Before leaving, he signed a poster and guitar, which will be offered as prizes for the 2014 XFM Hospital Help Day in support of Saint Martha’s Regional Hospital.
“We are really excited about it,” Farrell said, describing the Lightfoot prize package as “unique.”
“It is going to be a popular one that’s for sure.”
Antigonish NS-St.Francis Xavier U.-Apr.29-2014
