Harris, MI: Sept 15-16

[seafarer62]

Just ordered tickets for both nights Sept. 15-16 (Friday-Saturday) in Harris, Michigan at Island Resort Casino for my wife and myself. The friendly ticket agent informed me that the casino's entertainment building is still under construction and the concerts will be in a climate-controlled tent which seats about 1,000. She said they had their first concert in the tent last weekend and all went well.

The casino hotel is booked already that weekend so we obtained lodging at a nearby Escanaba motel. They said the leaves should be turning so what a great setting to enjoy Gord and the band.

Sunday morning we have to hoof it back to the Twin Cities because my son and I plan to see Gord in downtown Minneapolis on Sept. 17.

3 straight nights of Gord and a lot of driving in between. Hope gas isn't $5/gallon. If I am really brave, I will go to Wausau on Tues. Sept. 19. I put in for vacation from Sept 15-22 and my boss asked me where I was going. Didn't have the heart to tell her. She wouldn't have believed me.

The last time I saw Gord three straight nights was Massey Hall (May 2001) with many of you. Everytime I listen to "Shellfish" and "The No Hotel" on the Harmony album, I remember that we were in the recording studio those evenings. What a great memory.

John/ North Branch, MN

[Kathy in Michigan]

John, I was looking at seeing Gord in Harris also. I looked it up on Mapquest and couldn't get directions or an exact location. I'm thinking that Harris is one of those little 2 person towns, without so much as a gas station, and here comes the Casino! My husband and I usually take our vacation in upper Michigan the 3rd week of Sept. I'm hoping I can talk him into seeing Gord with me again. I dragged him to Interlochen last year and he really enjoyed himself. Gord will be in the Detroit area in July, but the longer I live 'up north', I find it more difficult to go to the Detroit area. It's where I was born and grew up, but doesn't feel like home any more. I'm still hoping for the announcement of an Interlochen concert which is only 20 miles away.
So, maybe we will see you in Sept in Harris. I have to start selling the idea to hubby now so he can get used to it.
Kathy

[RJ]

I also was in Massey during the live recordings which appear on the Harmony album. I had left my seat at one point in the evening to get a drink and walked to (top balcony) stage extreme right just to get a nice view of the historic hall from the vantage point etc., when he introduced No Hotel. This moment stayed with me when we left Toronto to return home to Minneapolis, and I was amazed and delighted when the album came out and No Hotel and Shellfish were included and thus our wonderful weekend on Yonge Street was forever immortalized etc. Listening to the album the other day I remarked to a friend during the No Hotel intro what a brilliant example of public speaking Lightfoot presents there. The way in which he enunciates so beautifully with that voice of his the select key words he wants the listener to take away from the story: Manaus, Sting, Jingu, Nobo Hotel, burnt out, The NO Hotel, ensued, 3 months ago.. etc.. It's really great..

[ May 08, 2006, 11:35: Message edited by: RJ ]

[Jesse Joe]

Yes RJ, I cant agree with you more, hes got a good speaking voice also, when I listen to The No Hotel, it sends shivers up my spine just listening to the intro; those very words you mentioned, Manaus, Sting,Jingu(my fav),burnt out... He is a special genius, and at times I would like to be him...

[RJ]

re: just wondering if you were with us in the Delta Chelsea etc..

No, my only trip to Toronto was May, 2001. I'm slated for the Minneapolis show in a few months (my 27th) and I'm looking at the Wisconsin gigs in September as well depending on gas prices etc., and the Aurora show. We loved it in Aurora at the Paramount Theatre on the Fox River last year (great little town) and stayed at the same motel as the guys and met them all (Rick Haynes was particularly such a lovely guy).. I was looking hard at the Massey shows because I had this sinking feeling he might wrap up the whole thing this year at home at Massey (just intuitively for some reason I thought this might be the end).. but Wayne Francis now reports that EMP's booked some gigs for '07 so.. I might make it back to Toronto yet, we shall see.. perhaps in November.. when the muskie and the old trout too have all gone down to rest.. you know the deal.. Have a great day..

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by Jessi -Joe:
just listening to the intro; those very words you mentioned, Manaus, Sting,Jingu(my fav),burnt outQB]

OK I said before in a topic about Manaus at:-
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/ultimatebb...=002279#000000
(In his concert introduction to The No Hotel Gord said what) "To me it sounded like he met Sting on the "zing-du" river
a "tributary of the Amazon" and he made it sound as though Manaus is the city where these two rivers meet. But I dare to
point out that this is a bit of geographical licence on our hero's part because the other river is in fact the Negro and
that the XINGU (pronounced shin-goo') is indeed a tributary of the Amazon River that is hard to find on maps*** (and) appears to
be rather to the East of Manaus", which makes me wonder why Gord's party (impoverished churchman etc) was staying in hotels hundreds of miles from where he would be meeting Sting.Perhaps Gord just liked the sound of "Manaus" and "Xingu"??
In fact on:-
http://www.mongabay.com/external/gre...vist_xingu.htm
it says:-
"the Xingu river, which flows into the Amazon delta about 250 miles west of Belem in the north of Brazil"
and on:-
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil/manaus.html
I read that:-
"This 1.5 million city...is located 900 miles (1,450 km) inland from the Atlantic coast".
That makes the distance from Manaus to the Xingu to be about 650 miles.
No doubt our resident "mapman" Steve could confirm this rough estimate??
***Since I wrote my initial piece I have done a more careful google image search and found this map:-

JOhnFowles
Another in my series of Geography lessons Ladles and Jellyspoons

[RJ]

re: It would be great if you could make it RJ. I'm sure your presence would enhance the party atmosphere and if you play and sing that's always a plus.

Thanks for the warm invite. I'd love to find myself at Yonge and Shuter again one fine evening. I do play in fact and have for many years. I copped Lightfoot's Bob Gibson-style 6-string guitar picking pattern (Sit Down Young Stranger, Don Quixote, Shadows etc.) when I was a kid and have been playing in this vein since.