AUSTIN, Texas, June 21,2016

[charlene]

RICK: And No folks, we're not taping the show tonite.


RICK: Today, on the first official full day of Summer / 2016, we're at 310 Willie Nelson Blvd in Austin Texas. Here at the South end of downtown Austin is The Moody Theater, home of Austin City Limits. Always a great music town, we played here at the Moody in Feb / 2014.





CARTER: I'm performing tonight with the amazing Gordon Lightfoot at the Austin City Limits Moody Theater in Austin Texas. What a great venue! I love the sound in this hall!






[URL=http://s660.photobucket.com/user/inspirationlady/media/Austin-TX-June%20212016-
[URL=http://s660.photobucket.com/user/inspirationlady/media/Austin-TX-June%20212016-

[charlene]

RICK: Later Tuesday, sound check / rehearsal at The Moody Theater in Austin, TX - Thanks Kim!

[charlene]

Dan O mentioned this video to me! -

You Tube

[Dan O'Malley]

"Drink Yer Glasses Empty" is a highlight of the shows for me now Wonderful song!

[charlene]

https://austinmusiccity.com/2016/06/...s-of-quitting/

“Hi…I’m Gordon Lightfoot and I’m not dead yet…” was the first bit of stage patter from legendary 77- year old Canadian songwriter Lightfoot after he nonchalantly cruised through the first 3 songs, ” Now And Then”, “Waiting For You”, and “The Watchman’s Gone”. That he was there was a minor miracle. The world almost lost him several times over to the Grim Reaper, which included his surviving an abdominal aortic aneurism , as well as dealing with the weird peripheral social damage he suffered from his ex-lover Cathy Smith’s involvement with the tragic overdose of one John Belushi. It’s been a long, strange trip for the spiritual Canadian. Reported dead more than a few times, he is anything but. He’ll likely tour until the very day the pine box claims him.
The show had no opening act, just background music of Lightfoot’s Greatest Hits. I was at first put off by this. But after the show began, it made sense. It helped to guide you through his incredible collection of songs he’s authored in 5 decades of writing and recording.
Gone was his rugged handsome looks that made his face so well-known in his 1960-1970-era heyday. Gone was his booming folk voice, replaced by a whisper. But not missing was his red velvet jacket, his deep emotional vault of lyrics and hooks, his dry humor stage patter and delivery, the lyrical cadence that sits atop of the layered melodies… still in tact was the memory and ability to play the acoustic guitar, and he more than deftly played a few leads when he saw the need to. Lightfoot is a master songwriter, a peer and associate of early Dylan. He has a revered Godlike status among folkies and Canadians that has lasted for decades. I recall as a kid first his huge breakout song, the haunting, beautiful lyrical masterpiece “If I Could Read Your Mind” in a time of wakening adolescence, followed later by his bigger hit song “Sundown” in the early 1970’s that ignited a cult following and made him a household name. All the girls swooned over him. And if the girls liked him, ok, then the guys did, too.[ “Sundown” plays out just as fresh now as it did when it originally climbed the charts. It’s timeless.] He was so popular he was even lovingly mocked by the then- early Saturday Night Live in one commercial skit [“Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written!” ]

His popularity waned after the mid-1980’s as tastes veered away from singer songwriters, as well as the untimely demise of the traditional AM Top 40 format. But he still had a rabid following in America, England, and his home country Canada over the decades. That was obvious looking at the crowd, a mostly older bunch that grew up on AM radio and remembered when Gordon was a hot ticket on the pop-folk circuit. Many of them probably listened to the record “Summertime Dream” or “Gord’s Gold” on the way there. ACL-Live was set up with chairs in the floor section for the older crowd who wanted to be seated and the mix was, as usual, perfect. What a great venue for an intimate concert. The staff rollout the red carpet for ticket buyers. The full house crowd came to see a musical icon, and got what they paid for.
Backed by a talented 4- piece band that nuanced everything Lightfoot to perfection, they laid off to allow his diminished voice to be heard. They played to his strengths and helped to cover some weaknesses that advanced age and risky health cannot undo. I missed his warm, rich voice from his earlier days, ok. But I was grateful I got to see him perform. He was supposed to be dead, after all, being the Abe Vigoda of pop and folk…Armed with a roster of music dating back to 1962, Lightfoot can cherry-pick the ones he loves the most. Some were obscure, some were new, and some were the chestnuts; “If I Could Read Your Mind”, “Rainy Day People”, “Sundown”, “Ribbon Of Darkness”, “Carefree Highway”, “Did She Mention My Name”, “14 Karat Gold”, “Don Quixote”, “Baby Step Back”, “Let It Ride”, ‘Never Too Close”, “Shadows”, “Christian Island”, ” A Painter Passing Thru”, “Sweet Guinevere”, “All The Lovely Ladies”, “Early Morning Rain”, “Beautiful”, “I’d rather Press On”, and an especially powerful version of his monster hit “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” were all well-received. He closed with “Cold On The Shoulder”. You could hear Lightfoot enunciate well, even if he was having periods of difficulty. It’s an amazing feat that he could even go out on the road with his past health history. He and the band played two sets with a 20 minute break in between. Here is a snatch of a live show a few months ago[courtesy of motis76.]

This will likely be his last tour, a ten city leisurely bus ride this go round. Touching that the poignant, aging troubadour can still spin gold and wants to play. He doesn’t have to do this, he wants to do this. And yet, because he wants to do this, it’s what keeps him alive and kicking. I know some of you Get That. I hope his music gets rediscovered by a new generation of folkies. He’s a great storyteller and love song composer of the first-rate and there are some beautiful records waiting to be discovered for new, young folk ears.

REVISED SETLIST TO COME:

[dray7austin]

The above review is great except for one big thing it failed to mention. Gordon received three standing ovations during the course of the show and two more at the encore and then the end. That's five total. And for someone such as myself who's probably seen over 200 shows alone in the past ten years, Austinites just don't give an ovation to anyone. I was at this show and these ovations were not just for a few seconds but averaged probably 45 seconds each. Which is a long time in the world of ovations. After the show, my wife and I met Gordon for the third time. And I've never seen him looser and as joyful. A great show and audience will do that to you. I myself felt the magic and was so honored to be there in the front row center stage for have the show. The first half of the show we sat next to the soundboard. It was great for my wife and I to see him at two different vantage points. God bless you Gordon! And bless Charlene for making this a great home for his fans. Please excuse and grammar and spelling errors for I'm typing on my phone.

[charlene]

good to hear about the ovations and Gordon's mood.. what a fabulous night for all of you!

[johnfowles]

Originally Posted by charlene

(from the newspper review):-
“14 Karat Gold”, “Don Quixote”, “Baby Step Back”, “Let It Ride”, ‘Never Too Close”, “Shadows”, “Christian Island”,
(from Char's SETLIST):-
Set 1:
Minstrel of the Dawn
Christian Island

It would appear that Char got the setlist from the listing on setlist.fm. but unfortunately that list appears to be the figment of somebody's imagination, that is unless the good ship Silverheels was not being blown by the summer wind but was instead Drifting around Georgian Bay, if you get my Drift.
Let me explain. I had noted that her original postings both here and on Facebook included no set list at all and decided to concoct one from the evidence presented by the video which I realised looked suspicously short at 1:16 (or even 1:17).
In fact that recording mysteriously stops before the end of I'd Rather Press On, thereby omitting no less than six songs
Just as signifcantly after Gord finished Minstrel Of The Dawn there is not a shred of evidence that "She's a good old boat and she'll stay afloat" instead he launches directly into Drifters
Perhaps whoever thought up that setlist had had too much "whiskey of the Highlands" as had the Newpaper's Author: mmencken
whose otherwise nice review also shows that he for one seems to have thought that he had heard not only Christian Island but 14 Karat Gold as well!!
He included a link to the setlistfm setlist (that Char must have cribbed from) whose editor:livemusicfan has apparently now written up 153 Lightfoot setlists I just wonder how many others are inaccurate
I checked his Englewood NJ one against my own posted and known accurate set list and it agreed.
Some other points I noted when I was abortively trying to make my Austin setlist
On Let It Ride
In one verse although he sang its opening "here's to the girls of London" correctly the first time round he then stumbled and continued "La La La La" but ever the professional he tried it again and the second time he was no longer in La La Land and sang the correct second city "Montreal"!
Introducing I'd Rather Press On he admitted
"I wrote all my songs with the capo in the second position"

[brink-]

Likely be his last tour???? Where the hell did that come from?

[Melissa]

Likely from the same place as the incorrect setlist..........
I was there - and there was definitely NO Christian Island.
But there was lots of other great stuff, and a bunch of standing O's.
Best GL show I've been to in many years.
I'll post more soon.
Melissa

[johnfowles]

Originally Posted by brink-

Likely be his last tour???? Where the hell did that come from?

Hopefully only yet another imaginative figment

[Melissa]

Sorry for being so tardy in posting this. I’ve been traveling and haven’t really had a chance to come in here for longer than a minute here and there.

The show was awesome! Gord and the guys really outdid themselves in Austin last week. The sound was the best I’ve heard in years - flawless, and with a feeling of electricity. I've not heard the guys playing through a sound system like the one last Tues. night in years. You may think I'm biased, since I live here, and the Austin City Limits Moody Theater is my hometown venue. But I've seen Gord and the guys 87 (I know, I'm still a rookie, compared to some!) times now, and that's included a wide assortment of venues, all with varying degrees of sound production quality. I guess, when you think about it, it would be appropriate for the "theater/studio" where Austin City Limits is produced and recorded to have state-of-the-art digital equipment and a powerhouse sound system. It rang true Tues. night. I don't know if the band knew how incredible they sounded from out in the audience, but I hope so. The audience was really “into it,” too, offering standing ovations on several songs (as previously noted) and singing along with all the “Gord’s Gold” tunes. Gord's voice was strong and steady, and his fingerpicking was precise and clear. The “orchestra” was perfect. From Rick's subtle-yet-powerful bass notes, to Carter's flawless lead licks, to Barry's ingenious and varied percussive additions, to Michael's perfectly flowing undertones (played in ALL keys!) - they were brilliant. When Gord said, "I've got 4 geniuses here onstage with me," he meant it, and he was right. They were having fun, and it showed. And it proved the validity of a group of guys who have been together for a long time and take what they do very seriously. Carter may still be the “new kid in town” to some, but he has proved his worth and continues to be such a vital element of the GL sound. From Red to Terry to Carter - Gord sure knows how to pick a lead guitarist.

I’m still in awe of how strong and smooth Gord’s voice was Tues. night. I'll never know how he keeps up the energy to continue to do it, but I'm sure grateful that he does. And I really can’t figure out how his vocals can be stronger now than they’ve been over the past few years. But they are.

Seriously, I’m still shaking my head at how incredible that show was.

So, in case you're wondering whether or not Gord's still "got it?" Yes, yes he does.
And how!

Melissa

[dray7austin]

Melissa! Beautiful post. When I wrote mine above, I just didn't have the time to say all I wanted to. But your posting capture the evening as it needed to be told. I'm also glad that they are starting to sell Gordon souvenir programs, CDs and t-shirts. In fact, it was my program and the boys signed after the show. Well, everyone signed but Hef. I never see him after the shows. Thanks for a great posting Melissa. Peace and love. David

[Melissa]

I didn't realize, until after my post here, that someone had posted the whole concert on YouTube and that it was also right here, just a few posts above. Wow.

Oh, and, yes, that's me, at 41:40 in the video, singing "over me." Yeah, I was a little flat. But I couldn't help it - it's not my key!!!!

Melissa

[charlene]

Esther Garcia photos: (and review http://news.bandsintown.com/view-art...t-in-austin-tx