TRAIL, BC-Oct.31-2014

[charlene]

RICK: Great fun flying VFR today, comin' 'round the mountain, dropping in to the Kootenay - Columbia river valley to land in Castlegar / YCG.

[charlene]

RICK: Time for sound check, in Trail, BC, just about 10 minutes from the state of Washington, North of Spokane

[charlene]

NEW-TRAIL BC review- (I've known the journalist/photog since she was a young kid living here in TO !)
http://www.traildailytimes.ca/ourtown/281481661.html Lightfoot serenades Trail crowd
by Liz Bevan - Trail Daily Times
posted Nov 4, 2014 at 11:00 AM
PHOTO info: ordon Lightfoot and his band were centre stage at Charles Bailey Theatre on Friday night for a show the audience won't soon forget. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee played many of his famous hits, including, “Rainy Day People,” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Carefree Highway” and “If You Could Read My Mind.”— Image Credit: Liz Bevan

Songwriter and folk music legend, Gordon Lightfoot, graced the stage Friday evening for a nearly sold-out performance at Charles Bailey Theatre.

Opening the show with the 1975 release, “Now and Then,” the 75-year-old played through two hours of classic hits that any fan could sing along with, and many fans did.
“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” singer also took a few moments to joke around with concert-goers between songs.
“As you can see, reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” he said, while laughing along with the audience.

The performance was part of his 2014 Canada-wide tour, and after releasing music and performing for nearly 60 years, Lightfoot is a seasoned performer and it showed.
Playing with Lightfoot were some familiar faces. Rick Haynes, on the bass, has accompanied the folk singer since 1969, while drummer Barry Keane joined the band for studio sessions back in 1972. Keyboardist Michael Heffernan has spent over 30 years on stage with Lightfoot and lead guitarist, Carter Lancaster, the newest addition to the ensemble, joined only recently to replace quintet regular, Terry Clements, who passed away in 2011.

The show happened to fall on Halloween night and during an intermission, Lightfoot had a costume change from a blood red velvet blazer with white patent leather shoes to a black silk vest, paying homage to the holiday and apologizing for any Halloween plans that may have been cancelled or changed for the show.
After the small talk, Lightfoot launched into some of his biggest hits, including “Beautiful,” “Much to My Surprise,” “Carefree Highway,” “Restless,” “Sundown,” and plenty more, with many songs receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
When Lightfoot and his band played the opening chords for “If You Could Read My Mind,” one of the singer-songwriter's biggest hits, the whole audience broke into applause, and some got out of their seats. There was a din of Lightfoot fans singing along with one of his most recognizable songs.

To close-out the evening of classic tunes, Lightfoot played a seven-minute song that he holds near to his heart, “The Canadian Railroad Trilogy.”
“I wrote this one in 1967 for Canada's birthday,” he said just before the band launched into the history-inspired ballad, chronicling the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
The house lights stayed low after the show was over, with the audience all on their feet, signalling an encore, and Lightfoot delivered.

Lightfoot fans took their seats, once again, while he and his band played a perfect rendition of “Song for a Winter's Night” to round out the 26-song set list.

[charlene]

https://johngabourel.wordpress.com/2...usic-turns-76/

Gordon Lightfoot, the King of North American Folk Music, Turns 76

Gordon Lightfoot Live at the Charles Bailey Theatre 31 October, 2014

NOVEMBER 17, 2014
The dimming lights of the Charles Bailey Theatre hush the sell-out crowd… but only for the briefest of moments. Onto the stage walk the aging Gordon Lightfoot band, all masters at their trade, and the crowd erupts with applause and cheers. These men, Gordon’s long time backup players, quickly step to their marks, while the audience waits a timeless moment for the Canadian folk music hero to enter the spotlight. No one knows what to expect from the aged troubadour, if he can still play and sing, yet few care. To merely spend an evening with the legend is enough. We wonder, as we wait in the dark, if there is a doctor in the house… just in case.

Then from shadows of stage right a gaunt, hollow man with thin, gray locks ambles into the light. Time has replaced the once hale, deep-chested musician whose career has spanned six decades with a thin, frail senior in a red velvet dinner jacket. The crowd erupts. The man hefts his twelve-string, slings it over his shoulder and steps up to the microphone.

“My glass may be nearly empty, but the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated,” he laughs in a soft, gravely voice.

And thus began another show for Gordon Lightfoot. Yet it was no ordinary show. I have had the good fortune to see him play twice when we were much younger, and October 31st, 2014, in Trail, B.C. was no ordinary night. While his voice is no longer robust, it remains as smooth as fine Pendleton Whiskey, and his thin fingers still dance along his twelve-string guitar with an easy grace. Instead of performing an ordinary selection of hit songs, Gordon carefully selected a song cycle that told the story of his long relationship with and deep appreciation for his fans, without whose support he was nothing. He did not play what he thought we wanted to hear, rather he played what story he wanted to tell us. He was saying ‘thank you,’ and for many of us who may never be afforded another opportunity to watch him play, he was saying ‘goodbye’ in a most genuine and heartfelt fashion.

He played two long sets and the show, including the intermission, was a solid two hours. His autumn Canadian tour includes a grueling twenty-four concerts in thirty-nine days, and that does not include any additional dates he plays American venues. It is an incredible feat and I feel blessed to have been a part of it, so close I could nearly reach out and shake his hand. When it was finally over, he returned to the stage for one final bow, giving everyone the thumbs up. His glass is not empty yet, and as exhausted as he is, he plans on enjoying every last drop.