http://worcestermag.com/2015/11/11/g...-theatre/37836
Gordon Lightfoot takes fans on journey at Hanover Theatre
Written by Walter Bird Jr. · 11/11/2015 · 5:01 am
Gordon Lightfoot is right. Rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated. He draws laughs when he uses the line, referring to a death hoax several years ago, near the beginning of his concerts. The Canadian singer/songwriter is alive and well, thank you very much, even if he is betrayed at times by a weathered voice that has been regaling fans for more than 40 years.
Not able to hit many of the high notes he once struck with ease, and appearing to battle a cold, Lightfoot had no problem entertaining the 1,600 or so fans that turned out on a rainy night to see the talented lyricist at the Hanover Theatre Tuesday, Oct. 10. Maybe it was because his 77th birthday was just around the corner.
Or that his first show in the area since 1992 just happened to fall on the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the subject of one of Lightfoot’s most hauntingly beautiful songs. Or maybe it was the solid backing of a four-piece band lifted by a new lead guitarist. Fans were with Lightfoot from his opening song, 1975’s “Now and Then” up until the closing chords of the band’s encore, “Waiting for You.”
In all, Lightfoot played some 25 songs, taking listeners on a tour of his “catalog,” as he called it. He spoke sparingly, but with sharp humor, and clearly connected with an audience that gave him standing ovations, thunderous applause, and even shouted out, “We love you” more than once over the roughly two-hour show, which featured a 20-minute break.
A decidedly older crowd greeted most of the night’s songs with knowing applause. Four decades of songwriting and vocal prowess were on full display - and his 12-string guitar impressed. A slightly weakened voice did nothing to take away from the show. Credit a tight-sounding band, anchored by longtime bassist Rick Haynes, who joined the band in 1969, with helping Lightfoot along. Drummer Barry Keane and keyboardist Mike Hefferman were solid all night, and the new kid on the block, guitarist Carter Lancaster, who came on board in 2011, got in more than a few licks as the “great player” Lightfoot has called him.
Lightfoot took the audience on a tour of three decades with the first three songs: “Now and Then,” from 1975’s “Cold on the Shoulder”; “Sea of Tranquility,” from the 1980 album, “Dream Street Rose”; and “Drifters,” off “A Painter Passing Through” from 1998.
“All the Lovely Ladies,” another offering from “Cold on the Shoulder”; “Shadows,” from the 1982 album of the same name; and “Rainy Day People,” yet another ditty from “Cold on the Shoulder,” were among the next songs.
Lightfoot got toes tapping with “Let It Ride,” off of 1986’s “East of Midnight,” then slowed things down with the first song of the night off “Gord’s Gold” in 1975, “Beautiful.”
For the more casual Lightfoot fans, “Carefree Highway,” from Lightfoot’s “Sundown” in 1974, was instantly recognizable. Also noticeable, however, was the singer’s struggle to hit the refrain spot-on. It hardly seemed to matter to his fans, who clapped and cheered as he sang the opening line, “Picking up the pieces of my shattered dream.”
Lightfoot finished off the first set with three more tunes, leaving the crowd wanting more with the finisher, “Sundown,” from the 1974 album of the same name.
With a nod to Veterans Day, Lightfoot, changing from a red to blue jacket, stood on stage to open the second set with only Hefferman behind him and a black background. He sang “ Drink Yer Glasses Empty,” a poignant tune about heading off to war, from 1993’s “Waiting for You."
After singing the blue-collar, country-tinged “Sweet Guinevere,” the only song of the night off of his 1978 album, “Endless Wire,” Lightfoot observed he was playing in Worcester on the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy. Naturally, his haunting ode to the 29 victims, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” came next.
Lightfoot did not choose to end his show with a hit, with about nine more songs following what, for some fans, may have been the highlight. Hardly a soul left the theatre, however, and Lightfoot rewarded them with songs including “Don Quixote” (“Don Quixote,” 1972), “A Painter Passing Through,” “If You Could Read My Mind” (the 1969 hit that became Lightfoot’s first song to appear on American music charts), “Restless” (“Waiting For You,” 1993), “Baby Step Back” (“Shadows,” 1982) and “Early Morning Rain.”
After walking off stage, Lightfoot and co. reappeared to warm applause, and the singer flashed more humor, saying, “Thank you very much, but we were coming back anyway.”
“Waiting For You” proved an apt way to close out the show. It had been a long time since Lightfoot had been around Worcester. His fans had been waiting, and Lightfoot did not disappoint. With a light show that featured only changing colors behind the band, and just five musicians grouped tightly together on stage, the Hanover seemed almost like a living room, with Lightfoot’s voice sometimes barely above a whisper. And his fans hung onto every word.
NEW CONCERT-Nov.10-2015- Worcester, MA.
