Memphis Show Was Kinda Rough-Lyric Change

[spocksbrain]

Gordon's Memphis show was a bit rough. He began with Triangle and there were obvious sound problems from the start. Both the lead guitar and keyboards were occasionally buried by the bass. The vocals were rough throughout the show, even by last year's standards. He struggled to hit any notes during Never Too Close and Cotton Jenny.There were musical screw ups during Spanish Moss and at the very beginning of Carefree Highway Rick played the bass intro to The Watchman's Gone. I wondered if they'd stop and start over, but the boys pulled it off. The musicianship was great for the most part and these tidbits of incidental mishaps come from the ears of a die hard. The crowd didn't seem to notice or care.

"At 7 p.m. it was dark and was then," were the reconstructed lyrics on the Fitz. The lead guitar was played clean, much as 2007's Nashville show. It was also noticeably clean on Hangdog.

Noticeably absent was Rainy Day People.

The guys did a fantastic guys on Watchman. Shadows was also well done. The new arrangement removes most of the kick drum. I can still hear brushes, though.

In the second half he sounded a good bit better vocally, but the phrasing is shorter and some tempos faster. He struggled on IYCRMM, which my wife really loved. She also waited with baited breath on SFWN, which was well done, but with very short phrasing.

No Trilogy. I have not heard that one live since 2007. I was also hoping to hear Did She Mention My Name and East of Midnight, but no such luck. I'm just glad he came so close to my home in Central Mississippi.

I do believe this may be my final Gordon show, though. It pains me to see and hear a hero of mine struggle with nearly every note. My wife said at one point that she wanted to go and help him. He still has a great deal of charisma on stage, but that voice is shot. What seals it for me is the phrasing, though. SFWN was too strange, as was Restless. The band seemed frustrated occasionally with the way things were going. I hope Gordon quits smoking or does whatever he needs to do to help the vocal situation.

[southern_gl_fan]

My wife and I attended last night's show in Memphis. I agree with spocksbrain that the sound was rough, especially in the first half. With all of the past physical ailments that Gordon has battled I was not surprised at his vocal struggles but it was still somewhat saddening to realize that the golden voice just isn't there anymore. Even with that said it was a very enjoyable evening and Early Morning Rain was simply and wistfully beautiful. I've been blessed to see him a few other times and am glad I saw him again. But like spocksbrain this will most likely be my last time as I too find it hard to watch him struggle. I still have my lp's and cd's and the memories of his live magic in better days so I'm well satisfied. May God bless Gordon and the band as they continue to do what they truly love to do.

[charlene]

I'd heard that Gord and the band were all suffering from chest/headcolds of some sort for a few days. Sounds like he was struggling with his vocals but hopefully he can get past it.
They have tonight off and they're in Savannah GA tomorrow..then 4 nights in Florida.

[imported_Ordinary_Man]

Thanks for lyric update Mr. Spock. I think I will continue to use the original when I play it though.