OK.
Side 2.
One of the things that made last Tuesday's concert so great was the fact that Gord's voice was very strong. He had, obviously, gotten past his dilemma with the Flagstaff altitude, after having had a couple of days off before the San Antonio show and having gotten some rest. The elevation of Flagstaff is 6910', the elevation of Austin is 489' ----- and if you didn't already know what a difference that can make to a singer who has some respiratory issues, well, I can tell you, it certainly does! Many of you can attest to the fact that it sometimes takes Gord several songs into the first set before he finds his vocal strength. On this night, the voice was there by the second song. So, between the excellent sound system in the hall, the fact that Gord was singing up close to the mic and, also, the strength of his voice that night, I would've sworn that I was in a time machine and it was 10 years ago. Yep, his voice was THAT good!
Gord threw in a lot of his usual banter, along with a few things I'd never heard before. He's often offered up the line, "......this one is sorta like....Sweet Betsy from Pike...." when he's introducing "Waiting for You." But, on this night, in addition to saying that and singing the first part of Sweet Betsy, he then lit into a rap thing (hard to describe in words) and made a bit of a "shhhuuup, puh, puh, huumph, huumph......" sound, or something like that. It was a riot! (Gord was obviously feeling really good that night!)
He then started talking about how he worked at a summer resort when he was in high school, and was part of a floor show, singing and dancing. Then he started singing the opening number from that variety show - ".....Back again, back again, among the dear old friends we know....." He sang all 8 lines of that one! And that was a riot, too.
2 songs later, as he was about to start "Clouds of Loneliness," he paused a moment, and was reaching toward his mouth. Then he said, "did you ever get a hair in your mouth?" The audience roared. Then he said, "I think it's time for a haircut!"
A few tunes later, he sang "Beautiful." When he was done, he said, "......actually, there are 2 ways of relating to that song - think about what I say in the 3rd verse. If it's said between lovers, it's "and when you hold me tight." But when I'm talking to the audience, it's "and in the darkest night." So, for whatever you might be going through, it's really meant for the audience. Thank you for coming out." There was a big sigh in the audience and a collective, "Awwwww" followed by huge applause.
When Gord was introducing "The Wreck" he mentioned that it was up for a couple of Grammy Awards, but that he was "up against Barry Manilow, who won!" He then said, "I attended, and it was a fun event but I was glad I didn't have to go up there. I was still drinking at the time and, yeah, I'm real glad I didn't have to get up there!"
In the 2nd set, Gord introduced the band after singing "Sundown." He acknowledged that Rick had been with him since 1968 and Barry since 1976 (I thought Barry was there a little before that time, actually, but I may be thinking about the fact that he played on a few songs, on the album versions, before actually joining the band). He also mentioned that Rick's wife, Marilynn was in the audience (sitting next to us!) and that his wife, Kim, was there, too. I thought that was a nice gesture.
A few songs later, after "Rainy Day People" a lady yelled out "Cotton Jenny!" and Gord replied, "anything's possible!" Although they'd planned something else for the encore, they actually came out and did Cotton Jenny for the encore, and I thought that was such a nice thing to do - and, man, it sure made THAT lady's night!
As I've mentioned, the crowd was wildly enthusiastic all night, and I was amazed at how many songs received such response. The opening chords and lyrics of "Did She Mention," "Don Quixote," "Beautiful," "Watchman," "The Wreck," "Carefree," "Ribbon," "Sundown," "Minstrel," "Rainy," "IYCRMM" and "Early Morning Rain" all got thunderous applause and many got standing O's.
Here's the setlist:
Set 1
Guinevere
Did She Mention
Waiting for You
Never Too Close
Don Quixote
Clouds
Painter
Spanish Moss/Shadows
Beautiful
Watchman
The Wreck
Carefree
Set 2
Now & Then
Ribbon of Darkness
Sundown
I'd Rather Press On
14K Gold
Minstrel
Rainy Day
Let It Ride
IYCRMM
Restless
Baby Step Back
Early Morning Rain
Encore - Cotton Jenny
OK, my hands are tired! I think I've mentioned all the important stuff, but, believe me, there was a lot more. And, like I said before, I wish you all could have been here!
See you all down the path -
Melissa