NORMAL, IL. June 24,2014

[charlene]

RICK: Here we are, back at ISU's Braden Auditorium in Normal, IL. Our guys get it all opened up, rigged, and staged, while "we wander 'round backstage".

[Bill]

I alerted my cousin who teaches there, but I don't think he got to go. Too bad!

[paskatefan]

Beautiful venue. How cool of Rick to share the pics of each venue!

[Dave, Melbourne,Australia]

Rick's words "we wander 'round backstage" seem to be a reference to lyrics from "The Load-out" on Jackson Browne's classic 1977 live album "Running on Empty":

We just pass the time in our hotel rooms
And wander 'round backstage
Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came.

[charlene]

Sweet Guinevere
Cotton Jenny
Sea of Tranquility
Drifters
Don Quixote
Minstrel of the Dawn
Clouds of Loneliness
Wild Strawberries
Spanish Moss/Shadows
Beautiful
The Watchman's Gone
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Carefree Highway
BREAK
Now & Then
Ribbon of Darkness
Sundown
All the Lovely Ladies
Never Too Close,
A Painter Passing Through
I'd Rather Press On
Let it Ride
If You Could Read My Mind
Restless
Baby Step Back
Early Morning Rain
Rainy Day People
ENCORE
Cold On The Shoulder

[OldDan]

I attended the show in Normal last night. My seat was in the first row, center. They also had folding chairs set up in the "pit", but they were probably not as comfortable as my upholstered seat.

After a brief introduction by a local deejay, the band took the stage with Gordon following in his now signature blue velvet waistcoat, white shirt and black slacks and boots. He stated his Mark Twain quote about, "Rumors of my death…" and launched into Sweet Guinevere. I thought his voice was strong "right out of the gate" and throughout the evening.

The main floor was only moderately filled, but the Braden Auditorium is quite a large venue seating 3,457. Apparently, no balcony seats were sold for this show as the twin level balcony was darkened and unoccupied.

For this concertgoer, one of the things missing was the familiar lobby bars, popular at other more commercial concerts, but this hall is located in a student social center on the campus of Illinois State University, so it's probably restricted by local laws regarding alcohol use in schools.

Gordon said it had been 19 years since he and his band had played at ISU, but added, it had been "memorable", eliciting laughter from the audience. We are left to wonder.

At one point, Gordon bragged that he was able to go 8 songs without a water break. He said he drinks a lot more water now and then recalled that he "used to drink a lot of other different stuff before that that contained some water", leading to (are you ready) "now I don't drink anything stronger than pop… and my pop will drink anything!"

I really liked Carter Lancaster's melodic riffs behind Gordon's voice on Beautiful and of course he stood and jammed with Gord on Sundown, a nice recently added touch.

Gordon introduced the band and made special mention of bassist Rick Haynes, his "close friend" and the "longest-standing member of the band", and how Rick had played on so many of their albums over the years.

The anthem, If You Could Read My Mind, was met with thunderous applause afterward and Gordon had the band stand-up. Well, Rick is always standing.

I would like to make one correction to Char's set list. The encore was actually Cold on the Shoulder.

Gord announced Rainy Day People would be the last song of the set and after it was over he stayed onstage shaking hands with people, to a standing ovation, while the band left. He spent quite a while working from one side of the stage to the other before motioning the band back for Cold on the Shoulder.

There was quite a large "invitation only" meet and greet crowd after the show waiting for him in a reception area beside the auditorium. I hung around for a little while until a stern-voiced usher announced, "everyone here must have a pass in order to stay". Logistics were not in my favor at this venue for a stage door "hello" either, so I decided to just call it a night.

All in all, a very enjoyable evening of music with Gordon Lightfoot!

[charlene]

thanks for the great report! Did he do Rainy Day People instead of EMR before the ENCORE? I got the setlist from a Facebook friend who went.. thanks again!

[OldDan]

No, he did Early Morning Rain, then Rainy Day People, after which there was a standing ovation and handshaking with the audience. Then he brought the band back onstage for the encore Cold on the Shoulder. I was keeping my own set list as the songs were played and had intended to publish it with my review, but I saw you posted yours first.

[charlene]

awesome - thanks for the update! TWO 'Rain" songs in a row! I love it!