Milwaukee Pabst Theater 09/20/07

[louisemnnpls]

Originally Posted by purnellt

Wow...I can't believe how out of touch some of you are. You would pay to hear him read the phone book? That sounds about as entertaining as what we experienced last night. Bye the way...this is not simply an age issue or a lack of compassion. Last year we saw Tony Bennett who is 81 - he played for two hours, no break, smiling, dancing, good voice (weaker than it once was, but solid), good attitude, very talented band. Last night felt like watching a trainwreck.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

purnellt -

I don't know if you know who John Hartford was, or not, but he played up until about one
month before he passed away from a 20 year battle with leukemia. He performed even when he could not play the banjo anymore (he was a musical genius), and had to resign himself to sitting on a chair on stage and singing along with the audience singing his own songs, when he was able to do so. But the audience came time after time. There is a bonding between a musician and his (her) audience, that is not blind to physical, vocal, and mental decline, but embraces it as a part of life. Going to see and hear Gord is going to see an old friend. We have never refused to listen to, appreciate, and communicate with any of our friends, simply because they have become old. Life is fragile, beautiful, and oh so precious. I want to appreciate anything that Gord has to offer. To see and hear him will forever be an HONOR.

[Kathy Number Four]

Originally Posted by louisemnnpls

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

... Going to see and hear Gord is going to see an old friend. We have never refused to listen to, appreciate, and communicate with any of our friends, simply because they have become old. Life is fragile, beautiful, and oh so precious. I want to appreciate anything that Gord has to offer. To see and hear him will forever be an HONOR.

A HUGE "ditto" to that!!!

Originally Posted by RM

This happens......RJ posted that...not RM

Wooooops. Sorry.

Originally Posted by Gitchigumee

You know what, Brink, he was saying something last night which I did not understand, but now that I have read your last comments, it makes more sense. It went something like this:

"Last year I had the hand thing going on and now I've got the head thing." My friend thought he was joking about losing his mind, but I had thought it meant that he had a head cold or something like that.

Oh how I wish that it is just catching a cold that made the voice sound the way it did. When I saw him last year, he seemed to get stronger as the night wore on. Last night, the voice seemed to get more strained as the night wore on. His voice was actually "crackling" you know like when a person is losing one's voice.

Anyway, I hope this is the reason, and that he had a good night's sleep last night and was able to rest up for the concert in Sheboygan tonight.

You know, I took it as a joke like your friend did. However, that does make a lot of sense in the context of this discussion. Hopefully you are correct and he is feeling better.

[Gitchigumee]

OK here's the set list from Milwaukee. I'm embarassed to say there were a few (not many) songs which I do not know the names of. Maybe someone can help me out, I jotted down some notes on those songs.

Cotton Jenny
Carefree Highway
Sea of Tranquility
14 Karat Gold
Never Too Close
Painter Passing Through
In My Fashion
Rainy Day People
Shadows
Beautiful
The Watchman's Gone
Ribbon of Darkness
Sundown
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

***Intermission***

Triangle
Hangdog Hotel Room
Don Quixote
Waiting For You
If You Could Read My Mind
Baby Step Back
The Pony Man
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Blackberry Wine
Old Dan's Records

Encore: Early Mornin' Rain (this time, the story he told about Elvis was not about Elvis changing the lyrics, but about his failed attempt to meet Elvis) He said that when he made his way back through the backstage area, he heard a booming voice that said "Elvis Has Left The Building" I think Gord may have been pulling our legs, don't you? Either way, it was really funny the way Gord told it.

OK all you experts, help me out with those question marks above. I'll keep editing my post until I get the titles right. Evidentally I have a long way to go before I know every lyric and title of all his tunes. Something to look forward to in the future.

Another funny part of last night's concert. At one point Gord was saying how you know tonight he's in Milwaukee, tomorrow he's in Sheboygan, then Rochester, then Minneapolis (he called it Minnie) and then Duluth, and then that was the end of 53 (I think it was 53) shows. I shouted out "I'll be there!" when he mentioned Rochester and Minneapolis. Anyway, then after the concert was over and the lights went up, I was just checking out the notes I had been writing of which songs he had sung, and this guy sitting next to me was looking at me like I was a weirdo or something. And I looked at my notebook, and then I looked at him, and then I said, "I'm an obsessed fan" and he said "I thought so." It was pretty funny. Had to be there.

[brink-]

#3 Nature song ? Sea of Tranquility?
remember when - Never too close
Let it go - Shadows (great song)
jazzy hotel - Hangdog Hotel Room
off again on again - Waiting For You
ponies? - the Pony Man?

[brink-]

I love the story, glad you are going to Rochester, I heard it was sold out. You'll have a great time.
Check out the two songs I questioned and see if they are right. I am pretty sure of Sea of Tranquility (although you didn't give me a very good hint ! ) The only one I can thing of with Ponies is the Pony Man and he does on occassion sing that, not often though.

[sunshine]

As someone has mentioned before on this site, if one wants to hear the perfect young voice of Gordon Lightfoot, there are always the CD's. But there are many great reasons for attending a Gordon concert in person at this stage of his career. All you have to have is a realistic and non-judgmental spirit. Who among us can perform as well as we did 30 or 40 years ago? But there are also very few who have created the body of work, have command of the lyrics, and can produce the magical, soothing, some would say therapeutic sound that those five performers create on stage. What precision and achievement! I am inspired in my own life by Gordon's willingness to share himself as he is. A lesser man could keep the talent on the down low because it isn't as it once was, but what Gordon is doing now is even better, all the great music plus a lesson in how to adapt, adjust, and accept oneself. I think that persons who are "angered" at what the passage of time can do are reacting out of fear for themselves. It is unfair to compare Gordon to his former self or to any other performer, although even on his worst day, I think the comparison would still be favorable. To come back from serious illness, in good spirits, motivated to work and share himself, to keep his organization and band together year after year, to endure the hardships of the road, . . . I admire the man greatly. Having seen Gordon in Colorado and just last week in Nashville, Gordon still has a lot of performing left to do. It sounds like things didn't go that well in Milwaukee but let's put it in perspective, as an off night or a bad day at work, and not be calling for his premature retirement or "fading away". He still has lots to give, the evenings in the concert halls are still wonderful, and I can't wait to learn more about what is in store for 2008.
________
lolol

[Kathy Number Four]

I believe the "#3 Nature song" was most likely "Restless", as he has included it in the set of all 8 concerts I have attended this year (GordQuest 2007), and he always intro's it by joking that it's so close to nature, it was reviewed in "Field & Stream".

[Gitchigumee]

Thank you Brink and Kathy Number Four. I've plugged in your suggests to my set list, and challenge anyone to correct me/us. Tomorrow I will try to listen to the snippets on Amazon to see if they sound familiar from last night's performance.

But what could that Irish sounding tune be?

Thanks!

[brink-]

Originally Posted by sunshine

As someone has mentioned before on this site, if one wants to hear the perfect young voice of Gordon Lightfoot, there are always the CD's. But there are many great reasons for attending a Gordon concert in person at this stage of his career. All you have to have is a realistic and non-judgmental spirit. Who among us can perform as well as we did 30 or 40 years ago? But there are also very few who have created the body of work, have command of the lyrics, and can produce the magical, soothing, some would say therapeutic sound that those five performers create on stage. What precision and achievement! I am inspired in my own life by Gordon's willingness to share himself as he is. A lesser man could keep the talent on the down low because it isn't as it once was, but what Gordon is doing now is even better, all the great music plus a lesson in how to adapt, adjust, and accept oneself. I think that persons who are "angered" at what the passage of time can do are reacting out of fear for themselves. It is unfair to compare Gordon to his former self or to any other performer, although even on his worst day, I think the comparison would still be favorable. To come back from serious illness, in good spirits, motivated to work and share himself, to keep his organization and band together year after year, to endure the hardships of the road, . . . I admire the man greatly. Having seen Gordon in Colorado and just last week in Nashville, Gordon still has a lot of performing left to do. It sounds like things didn't go that well in Milwaukee but let's put it in perspective, as an off night or a bad day at work, and not be calling for his premature retirement or "fading away". He still has lots to give, the evenings in the concert halls are still wonderful, and I can't wait to learn more about what is in store for 2008.

Well said. I couldn't agree with you more, you said it with a beautiful eloquence. Next time someone refers to the "vocal changes" I think I shall refer them to this post. Thank you.

[Kathy Number Four]

Originally Posted by Gitchigumee

Thank you Brink and Kathy Number Four. I've plugged in your suggests to my set list, and challenge anyone to correct me/us. Tomorrow I will try to listen to the snippets on Amazon to see if they sound familiar from last night's performance.

But what could that Irish sounding tune be?

Thanks!

If the "nature" song included in a couple of spots, some percussion from Barry that sounded like a woodpecker, then it was definitely "Restless".

"Triangle/Fingertips/Irish sounding tune" would be "Triangle", although I never thought of it as Irish sounding, but there is a line in it that goes: "With some luck tonight, I might have her at my fingertips." (And it also includes a very cute line that I just love: "A tuna fish turned to a mermaid in bed and said, 'There goes another sand bar.'")

Hope this helps.

[Tim]

At the risk of continuing this thread beyond it's usefulness, I'd like to add a bit of perspective. I was at the Aurora Concert on Sunday, Sept 16. It ended up being a very special family experience which I will post as soon as time permits.

The Aurora,IL show on Sunday, Sept 16 was the last show prior to the Milwaukee performance on Sept 19. At the Aurora show there was not a single instance where Gordon forgot any lyrics, or seemed "out of it" in any way. With regard to his voice, I thought it was fine throughout the performance. Was it exactly like it was 30, 20, or 10 years ago? No, it was a bit weaker, but very pleasant to listen to, and very much in tune.

Something that also amazed me was Gord's memory for lyrics. At a Joan Baez concert a few years ago, I noticed that she brought out a music stand during the performance and jokingly said "The memory is the first thing to go." After 30 years of Gordon concerts, I never remember a single instance of Gord making the concession of bringing out a memory crutch.

I have to wonder about the expectations of the original poster with regard to Gord's voice. My dad (God rest his soul) had a beautiful Irish tenor voice. For many years we loved to sing as a family, and I remember his strong voice gracing our family gatherings. (one of his favorite songs was "Hangdog Hotel Room"). Anyway, as he go into his 70s, it was obvious that the voice wasn't quite as strong or clear as it had been. But, I cut him some slack, with the realization that time does not freeze for everyone as we age. Maybe we need to do the same for Gord. It is not reasonable to expect Gord to sound just like his recordings from 30 years ago.

Speaking of "years ago" I remember Gord sharing at a concert in 1978 that he likes to do a string of shows and the take a few days off, and that the first concert after a few days off is usually the toughest one of the string. After the Aurora show on Sunday, he flew back to Toronto for a couple days before returning to Milwaukee to start the next portion of his tour. Maybe, the difficulty of the layoff contributed to whatever sluggishness that might have been perceived. I will be curious as to the reviews of the follow-on shows from the Milwaukee performance.

I apologize for the delay in posting a detailed review of the Aurora performance, but it will indicate a somewhat higher level of performance than what was reported at Milwaukee. And I am very confident that the follow-on shows (to the Milwaukee performance) will also be somewhat better than what we heard here.

Thanks for listening.

[Paul Farnham]

I think a good portion of the disappointment some folks experience in regard to Gord's recent vocal performances stems from the fact that he raised the bar so high in his prime. You never hear anyone say "Geez, that Bob Dylan sure doesn't sing as well as he used to!"

Originally Posted by Paul Farnham

I think a good portion of the disappointment some folks experience in regard to Gord's recent vocal performances stems from the fact that he raised the bar so high in his prime. You never hear anyone say "Geez, that Bob Dylan sure doesn't sing as well as he used to!"

I'm sure that might be true with some. But, if you read my posts about the Milwaukee show or posts of others beside the thread starter, you would know that the comments weren't from people who hadn't seen him recently and couldn't put it in proper context.

I don't expect 1970s Gordon. And, I don't think I could have been clearer that I was comparing this show to shows of just a year or two ago, not shows from his prime. I pretty much mentioned that in every post. As I noted, I wouldn't have written anything if folks who weren't there hadn't explained that the original poster didn't know what he was talking about. I agree with all of you that the original review was harsh, and somewhat unfair, but his voice was significantly weaker in Milwaukee than in RECENT concerts. This isn't a slam and it doesn't mean I think any less of the man. It just is.

I understand that it is typical on a fan board to be defensive over the performer we are all here to enjoy. But, that doesn't mean those who thought he was somewhat off don't have proper context. It just means he had a bad night, and likely was feeling a bit under the weather. That happens to the best of them.

Tim - I'm glad he had a good performance In Aurora. I saw him there a couple of years ago and had a blast. Great show and a fun night out.

[Gitchigumee]

I agree with the statement made about the bar being set so high. It's alot tougher than one might realize. I sometimes struggle, singing along with his tunes like CRT, to keep it all in one octave, and find myself switching octaves frequently because I can't hit the high or low notes. To his credit, he does not do that in concert, but tries to be true to the original way the song was written, when perhaps it would be easier to lower or raise the key or switch octaves on those difficult notes.

[AnneOK]

Originally Posted by Kathy Number Four

I believe the "#3 Nature song" was most likely "Restless", as he has included it in the set of all 8 concerts I have attended this year (GordQuest 2007), and he always intro's it by joking that it's so close to nature, it was reviewed in "Field & Stream".

Interestingly enough, at Meadow Brook last Saturday he did introduce "Sea of Tranquility" with the "Field and Stream" joke I've always known him to reserve for "Restless". (I had already written down "Restless" on my setlist and had to scratch it out when he actually started playing. Confessions of a Lightfoot fan.)

[shadowlady]

I am sure it was Sea of Tranquility.

Been a long time lurker here. Have seen GL quite a few times in Milwaukee over the years , love his music and so, enjoyed the show very much.

It was quite bittersweet watching him perform A Painter Passing Through.

My dream songs to hear him perform live are Seven Island Suite and Song for a Winter's night.

[louisemnnpls]

Originally Posted by shadowlady

I am sure it was Sea of Tranquility.

Been a long time lurker here. Have seen GL quite a few times in Milwaukee over the years , love his music and so, enjoyed the show very much.

It was quite bittersweet watching him perform A Painter Passing Through.

My dream songs to hear him perform live are Seven Island Suite and Song for a Winter's night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shadowlady,

Welcome to the board. Thank you for the beautiful sentiments.

[Gitchigumee]

Here's the final version of the set list for Milwaukee. I checked out the tunes from the ideas you gave me, and have confirmed each song is correct. Thanks to all your help!

Cotton Jenny
Carefree Highway
Sea of Tranquility
14 Karat Gold
Never Too Close
Painter Passing Through
In My Fashion
Rainy Day People
Shadows
Beautiful
The Watchman's Gone
Ribbon of Darkness
Sundown
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

***Intermission***

Triangle
Hangdog Hotel Room
Don Quixote
Waiting For You
If You Could Read My Mind
Baby Step Back
The Pony Man
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Blackberry Wine
Old Dan's Records

Encore: Early Mornin' Rain

[Moosedog]

I was also at the Milwaukee show, and had a wonderful time! As long as Gordon continues to perform, I'll be there. I also went to the Sheboygan show last night. I regret I was only able to get to two shows this year.

I had the opportunity to speak to Gordon both nights, and he signed a wonderful vintage poster for me and the picture of he and I from Whitewater last year. I also had Terry sign a picture. What a great couple of days I just had!

[shadowlady]

Originally Posted by Moosedog

I was also at the Milwaukee show, and had a wonderful time! As long as Gordon continues to perform, I'll be there. I also went to the Sheboygan show last night. I regret I was only able to get to two shows this year.

I had the opportunity to speak to Gordon both nights, and he signed a wonderful vintage poster for me and the picture of he and I from Whitewater last year. I also had Terry sign a picture. What a great couple of days I just had!

Moosedog,
I am jealous, but happy for your wonderful experiences. How did the Sheboygan show compare to the show at the Pabst?

[Moosedog]

The shows were very similar in set lists, other than he included Restless, Clouds of Loneliness, and Ring Them Bells in Sheboygan. I can't recall an exact set list - sorry, but I just can't bring myself to do anything but sit there and listen. LOL

I enjoyed both shows so much, so it's difficult to make a comparison. I tend not to analyze, and just appreciate the fact that Gordon still enjoys performing for all of his fans.

Vickie

[louisemnnpls]

Originally Posted by Moosedog

The shows were very similar in set lists, other than he included Restless, Clouds of Loneliness, and Ring Them Bells in Sheboygan. I can't recall an exact set list - sorry, but I just can't bring myself to do anything but sit there and listen. LOL

I enjoyed both shows so much, so it's difficult to make a comparison. I tend not to analyze, and just appreciate the fact that Gordon still enjoys performing for all of his fans.

Vickie

Vickie ~

Your last paragraph sums it up just perfectly.

[BILLW]

Interesting discussion, eh ? Thanks for posting purnellt - it takes a brave or naive poster to do that on corfid. And while I would have suggested a slightly different tone for your post I have to say that I have heard similar comments at nearly every show I've attended. Sometimes right in the seats but most often on the line for the men's room or at the concession stand.

I was one of the first on corfid to post that I'd pay to hear him read the phone book - and I stand by my statement. But I also understand that at any given concert people like us are probably in the minority and probably in fairly large measure. Many folks I have chatted with at shows have loved his music forever but are attending their "first show" for any number of reasons. (in my own case I could not afford to see as many concerts as I would have liked in my teens and 20s). Later when money was no object many of the folks I wanted to see were dead - gotta hate when that happens.

We just don't often hear the other side because this is a fan site and we're all fairly devoted to Gord. If I could I would attend every show that he performs - and if he ever lost his voice and could only play with the band I would still go.

But lots of people still enjoy the show even if it startles them. How many attend a second time after hearing what he sounds like now ? It would be fun to see some figures on that.

But people don't know what they're missing. The next show might just be his best of the year, eh ? You have to keep coming back !

In that vein I attended a show last Sunday night at the Keswick Theatre in PA. (Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer and Johnny Winter) I'm a blues/rock fan on the side, LOL. Anyway it was great, but not exactly like when I saw them in 1971 and 1975. They all did sets with their own bands and then closed the show with about 5 numbers together. But since Johnny has to sit and play now (sort of sits like Terry) people started making jokes and some of them left early (his was the last set). But those that left missed what had to be some of the finest examples of the genre that I'd ever seen (ever) and they don't know what they missed.

I guess my point is that I understand what you're saying purnellt but I'd suggest you go to at least 2 or 3 more shows - you'll never know what you might be missing. And in the spirit of diversity, which is popular these days, I humbly submit we have room for opposing viewpoints under the big tent we call CORFID !

Peace Be With You All,

Bill