Well, how rude (Albany Times Union article)

[Auburn Annie]

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...storyID=700310 (scroll down halfway) - anybody here attend?


Fans pan Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot drew about 2,000 to Proctors, but a half-dozen couples exiting the theater told me the singer had lost his pizzazz.

Joe Suhrada, a Schenectady County legislator and longtime Lightfoot fan, agreed. "When I saw him in 2002 at Albany's Palace, he was dynamic," Suhrada recalled. "Since then, he suffered a serious illness that took its toll."

About 100 fans hung out to meet Lightfoot. I spotted Suhrada, one of only a handful granted an audience. Some turned-away fans were disgruntled. "Go back to Canada," one hollered.

After meeting with Lightfoot, we headed toward our parked cars. Out of nowhere, youths in a passing vehicle hurled two water-filled balloons at us.

Both bombs were off-target. For a moment, we wondered if the bombing mission was at select targets or at random. Moments later, a couple women at a nearby bus stop said guys in a SUV fired two balloon bombs that missed them.

[charlene]

Jenney was at that show..

and Gord came home to Canada...

[BILLW]

so there you go - I guess we can stop all this silly hero worship jazz now that we know he's lost his pizzazz ! At first I thought they were saying "pizza" and I wondered "now how would he lose his pizza ?" But I've come around now and I'm glad someone set us straight. Think of all the time we're going to save, and money...

j/k carry on !

Bill

[charlene]

Originally Posted by BILLW

At first I thought they were saying "pizza" and I wondered "now how would he lose his pizza ?" Bill

He didnt' lose it..he brought it home with him..
lol

too funny..

[brink-]

I think that it is really too bad that "Joe Suhrada, a Schenectady County legislator and longtime Lightfoot fan" was granted an audience - he didn't deserve it.
2,000 people and 1/2 a dozen couples complained. Ungrateful bastards.

[RM]

Originally Posted by brink-

I think that it is really too bad that "Joe Suhrada, a Schenectady County legislator and longtime Lightfoot fan" was granted an audience - he didn't deserve it.
2,000 people and 1/2 a dozen couples complained. Ungrateful bastards.

They just don't "get it".

[Dream Street Rose]

Originally Posted by brink-

I think that it is really too bad that "Joe Suhrada, a Schenectady County legislator and longtime Lightfoot fan" was granted an audience - he didn't deserve it.
2,000 people and 1/2 a dozen couples complained. Ungrateful bastards.

Brink,

Very well said. There are usually not very many people allowed backstage anymore.

DSR

[Moosedog]

DSR, I was thinking just the opposite. There were more people backstage in Toledo than I had ever seen before! Looks like there definitely should have been one less in Schenectady though! LOL

Vickie

[Jenney]

I don't get this either! I was at that show, and not only did Gord sound great, the crowd loved him! They were very vocal and appreciative. Much more so than the night before in Waterbury.
Afterwards there was a lot of confusion about the backstage thing. It appears that there was some type of radio promotion, and some winner and sponsors from that got a chance for a meet and greet. There were a hanful of us that had passes, and the woman that was trying to control the crowd insinuated that she didn't know where we got those, and they might not be legit.
There was a couple of teenage boys that were quit loud and obnoxious, one claiming to be an "old friend" of Gordies. He really tried hard to push his way in, literally, and actually got to the doorway. He might have even scored a pass at one point, but I noticed that he didn't get to stay long after that. They were very obnoxious. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one that yelled something later. I'm not even sure they were at the concert!
Sad to read something like this, when someone is out there pouring his heart and soul into doing a good job for the simple pleasure of it.
Jenney

[Jesse Joe]

Some people must think that he is supposed to sound exactly like he did in the mid 70's, "The Sundown Days"...

[Dream Street Rose]

Hi Vickie,

I think there are more people backstage when we are at a casino or a radio contest has been run.

Gordon does sound very strong with a lot of feeling in what he sings. As I have said in the past, the "Joe Suhradas" are welcome to stay home and give us Lightheads who love Gordon more room. It might make it easier to get a better ticket or be the one chosen to go back stage.

I think Gordon likes to keep it lighter backstage so he and the orchestra can get back to their rooms and rest for take off in the morning. Just my thoughts on the subject.

DSR

[spocksbrain]

Ha! Watch the Martin Scorcese film "No Direction Home" for the crowd reaction to Dylan and the Band. They said things like "Crap, he's just crap!" and "He's got that incredibly CHEEZY rock band backing him up" and "That bastard!". They felt that Dylan had lost his pizzaz in 1965! Fans can be fickle when they don't quite understand something.

Gordon's current show is not just about nostalgia. He, for the first time, is having to "reinvent" some of his songs to fit his vocal changes. He is repainting some of his old pictures, just as Dylan and so many other artists do for whatever reason. To me, this makes each performance interesting. Lightfoot is not a nostalgia act. When he sings, he is never just going through the motions. He is putting his emotions to work to express feelings. That's why he gets standing ovations after IYCRMM every night, not just because Joe Blow remembers putting the 45 on the turntable in 1970. The songs really mean something.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, and there is a valid argument that Gordon has lost it. His voice is tattered and torn, not the husky, velvet instrument that Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings wrote about in 1969. But, this is a different person we see now. The voice fits the man. THAT IS ART.

[Shutup and Deal, I'm Losin']

Originally Posted by Jesse Joe

Some people must think that he is supposed to sound exactly like he did in the mid 70's, "The Sundown Days"...

That's the problem with people nowadays. They don't seem to realize that a singer will get older and his voice will change.

But at least he can still play the guitar.

[Nightingale]

I think he's kind of like the Velveteen Rabbit story.
He's been through a whole lot of livin' and lovin'...it kind of rubs some of the fur off of you and tatters your ears up a little, but it makes you more loved and special than any of the others

To the ones that don't get it?
I guess they're entitled to their opinions but I personally think they are shallow, insignificant pissants to say such things

[jj]

Originally Posted by BILLW

so there you go - I guess we can stop all this silly hero worship jazz now that we know he's lost his pizzazz ! At first I thought they were saying "pizza" and I wondered "now how would he lose his pizza ?"

BillW, although he has eluded typical press celebrity smothering, I think the media still keeps a pulse on Gord happenings much like we do ....are we sure the 100 folks gathered werent actually alleyway papparazzi ...or make that pepperoni

thanks for the more accurate reviews, Jenney and co!

[geodeticman.5]

Brink and Spocksbrain, et al - so right, and hello !. The unimaginable obnoxiousness of some malcontents that do not know they are listening to a living legend - and the priveledge of that. And, even if the performace was a notch off "perfection" or what some nostalgia-show hopefuls think do not sound like his old LP's in the 70's need to remember the humanity of gracefully growing older, and admiring GL , who is doing so with more vigour, grace, aplomb, and energy than most his age, not to mention performers.

Long live Gordon, and I believe most of us in corfid value watching his adaptations to his changing ranges and vocal mechanics - and still turning in a heartfelt performance drawing standing ovations. Cut him a little slack water-balloon bombers, could U sing or write songs like that at ANY age ?, probably not... respect your elders, and talent - the hooligans. Bydingies ! I sound older, but g**da**** it pi**es me off to hear people panning the Man and quite possibly hurting his feelings in his quest for perfection in performance. ~ geo steve

[lighthead2toe]

Hey geo steve. You rock man! I was really p..off when I first heard about this but held off with a response because I could not find a correct way to take a strip off those.... without making an offending remark, and I really wouldn't to venture into that territory . And this is coming from an old school guy who has his senior citizen's card as proof. Keep telling it like it is man. RJ.

[geodeticman.5]

Thanks & High 5 Light2toe ! Yeah ! Da** right ! Whippersnappers need a good verbal thrashing..... I think I got it out of my system.
good to hear from u 2 ~ geo steve

[timetraveler]

Originally Posted by Auburn Annie

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...storyID=700310 (scroll down halfway) - anybody here attend?


Fans pan Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot drew about 2,000 to Proctors, but a half-dozen couples exiting the theater told me the singer had lost his pizzazz.

Joe Suhrada, a Schenectady County legislator and longtime Lightfoot fan, agreed. "When I saw him in 2002 at Albany's Palace, he was dynamic," Suhrada recalled. "Since then, he suffered a serious illness that took its toll."

About 100 fans hung out to meet Lightfoot. I spotted Suhrada, one of only a handful granted an audience. Some turned-away fans were disgruntled. "Go back to Canada," one hollered.

After meeting with Lightfoot, we headed toward our parked cars. Out of nowhere, youths in a passing vehicle hurled two water-filled balloons at us.

Both bombs were off-target. For a moment, we wondered if the bombing mission was at select targets or at random. Moments later, a couple women at a nearby bus stop said guys in a SUV fired two balloon bombs that missed them.

I got my ticket for his show here, in Little Rock, in October. After reading about the appalling
behaviour of the people in Albany, I can only pray that the people here won't behave in such a terrible fashion.

[LadyA]

Fans pan Lightfoot

Obviously, not true fans & certainly not enlightened people. Maybe we should pity them because they can't see what his music's really all about