Massey Hall Thursday 15 November 2012

[johnfowles]

After entertaining about a dozen guests on our Pantages Hotel suite (including playing through the DVDs of the 1971/1972/2011 BBC concert and the 1979 PBS Soundstage and playing a variation on our famiy fun game version of Pass the Parcel usually called "Its a crying shame" but renamed for this occasion "I'm not ashamed".it was time to stroll over in the chill to the grand old lady opposite.Once inside I was soon on nodding terms with an Antipodian visitor who found himself in the front row ensconsed between the two most active ladies in the Lightfoot internet world (Char and Valerie Magee).On strolled a familiar figure in an unfamiliar and brand new royal blue velvet jacket
I do not have the Moderator's grasp of description so will confine this report to the setlist and let Char add more detail as she undoubtedly will in her own inimitable style later. including corrections to my attempt to recall the complete setlist
what followed was a most interesting concert with one wild surprise
First Half
1.Sweet Guinevere
2.Cotton Jenny
3.Waiting For You
4.All The Lovely Ladies
5 Nevet Too Close
6. Wild Strawberries
7.Let It Ride.
8 .Shadows
9.Beautiful
10. A Painter Passing Through
11.I'd Rather Press On
12 The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald
13 Carefree Highway
Intermission
Second Half
1.Drink Yer Glasses Empty
2.Ribbon Of Darkness
3. Sundown
4. Hangdog Hotel Room
5.Restless
6 and/or 7 my writing is indecipherable. and my memory system has failed here .
Anyway at about this point Gord's demeanour became positively quizzical . and after stating that they would be doing four recyled songs and had done two in the first half he pretended not to know how the fourth went and turned to the band for help.There was by this time a palpable air of expectation in the audience one of whom yelled out "Spin Spin" (I wish)
and Carter could be heard protesting "Don't ask me: I don't know!!" then finally Gord began
8."Circle Of Steel"
9.In My Fashion
10 If You Could Read Mind
11 Rainy Day People
12. Canadian Ralroad Trilogy (the full version not the imminent truncated Grey Cup version)
Encore 13.Baby Step Back (I think)

[KHester]

Thanks for the post ...hope everyone is enjoying the shows

Kevin

[seafarer62]

Does anyone remember the second set? In 33 years of concerts, I can't ever remember Gordon doing "Circle of Steel."

[Jenney]

He said it was the first time they had done it live. I've never heard it before either. He did it again on Saturday night. Just great hearing some of this "recyled" stuff!

[charlene]

I got it on video the second night..will put it on youtube asap.

I have: (I'd Rather Press On was #19 on my written list)
1. Sweet Guinevere
2. Cotton Jenney
3 Waiting For You
5. Never Too Close
6. Wild Strawberries
7. Let It Ride
8. Shadows
9. Beutiful
10.A Painter Passing Through
11.The Watchman's Gone
12.The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald
13.Carefreeway Highway
BREAK
14.Drink Yer Glasses Empty
15.Ribbon of Darkness
16.Sundown
17.Hangdog Hotel Room
18.Restless
19.I'd Rather Press On
20.Circle of Steel
21.In My Fashion
22.If You Could Read My Mind
23.Rainy Day People
24.Canadian Railroad Trilogy
ENCORE
25.Baby Step Back

[seafarer62]

Char: Was The Wreck done Thurs night?

Thanks for posting Circle of Steel. This will be quite a treat. The shake-up of the set lists give even more excitement and anticipation to the 2013 tour.

[charlene]

Originally Posted by seafarer62

Char: Was The Wreck done Thurs night?

Thanks for posting Circle of Steel. This will be quite a treat. The shake-up of the set lists give even more excitement and anticipation to the 2013 tour.

I just added it in..I am SO freaking tired..lol
off to bed and will try to sort things out tomorrow...

70 U.S. dates are planned with more to come...

WE LOVE THE WORK!!!!
lol

[johnfowles]

Originally Posted by Jenney

He said it was the first time they had done it live. I've never heard it before either. He did it again on Saturday night. Just great hearing some of this "recyled" stuff!

　
Gord's claim can be verified by listening to his protracted intro on the Saturday as included in Char's superbly comprehensive YouTube video

Originally Posted by val@gordonlightfoot.com

Another highlight was the first ever live performnce of Circle Of Steel, on Thursday night, which he repeated on Saturday night. All I can say is, Wow! Someone asked me several months ago if Gord might do it and I said, "Not very likely; he's never done it live to my knowledge". How nice to be wrong!

Yes well we all make mistakes,as the hedgehog said as he dismounted the scrubbing brush!!
I did wonder about Gord and Val's confident statements that claimed that Thursday November 25 was the very first time that Circle Of Steel had been sung "in public" because it never figured in Jones The Younger's list of unsung songs that he made and posted at:-
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showpost.p...70&postcount=5
after fairly meiiculously combing the internet sources and sure enough Jimbo WAS correct as a quick check of the setlists of the Sundown year (1974 ) revealed that at the Port Huron Michigan concert on April 6 Circle Of Steel was performed see:-
http://www.lightfoot.ca/740405.htm
there are not many setlists for 1974 on Wayne's 1974 page so it is quite possible that it was performed more than once that year.
For example "plumguru" Doug felt sure he had heard Circle Of Steel live in San Diego see
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showpost.p...6&postcount=11
that could well have been the January 25 1974 concert (noting that the Sundown album was recorded in November 1973 and released in january 1974)
I have checked tbe Newsgroup for relevant setlists but found none but I did find a lengthy maiden 1997 posting by Andy T at:-
https://groups.google.com/group/alt....n&dmode=source
Actually as with most Gordsongs a search on the Google Group/Newsgroup alt.music.lightfoot for any song title will often as in this case unearth a host of interesting threads thereupon, in this case it includes a few learned treatises by one Steven M Dunbar better known hereabouts as a "geoman" for example there is a fine thread from 1997 that he initiated at:-
https://groups.google.com/group/alt....n&dmode=source
in which he starts off by saying innociously:-
"Lightfoot imagery and more rambling on my part...." and proceeds to say amongst many many other things:-
"Circle of Steel - Cold snowy dawn in England at sunrise, Christmas time; a sort of Dickens-like setting, almost blue-delft (spelling ?) colors. The "and the sun hits the handle of her heirloom cup" is particularly striking imagery. Wintertime, snow, blueish light. I have never known what the actual "circle of steel" is supposed to be. Its probably quite obvious, and I will smack my forehead when someone kindly tells me A roulette wheel ?"
That Christmas connnection was one that our James neglected when he compiled the tracklist for Gord's famous Christmas album

(image from the entertaining thread at:-
http://www.corfid.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=11951
Discuss!!
　

[Bill]

I forget the venue, but I have heard him do Circle of Steel live...either Wolftrap, Roanoke VA, or Raleigh NC.

[jj]

quite a post, john!

yeah, not the first time ever
probably just meant first time his current group of band members i.e. "we"

i think only rick was with them for prior live renditions
love to hear a recording of any of those...but love this one..thx, char!