I am a Lighthead and saw him last weekend

[TxJudy]

I saw Gordon Lightfoot in concert last weekend.  I have been a fan for more than 40 years and it was the first time I have seen him in concert in 25 years.  I keep asking myself what I have been doing for 25 years...living life, I guess.

He is 73 years old and still touring.  I knew his voice would not be the voice of his 1970/80's recordings...the high notes are harder to get to, but his songs are timeless.  And he has one helluva tight band...of course most of them have been with him for thirty or forty years.  Terry Clements passed away last year, so he does have a relativley new lead guitarist, Carter Lancaster.  Interesting guy, who absolutely meshes with the rest of the band.  Carter also plays a "harp guitar" on his on time (http://carterlancaster.com/Home.html).

If you are a Lighthead of any capacity (I am a big one), go see him.  Odds are he won't be touring many more years.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.315446395169027.74152.100001110083301&type=3&l=0cc4b3c679

[Johnny75]

  He's on my short list of artists that I want to see. Always loved his music.

[gruenetx]

His songs are, indeed, timeless.  I am so glad I had to opportunity to see him a couple of times.

[sunflower]

Love his songs, his voice, his ruggedness.  Great songwriting.  Used to be able to play and sing The Pony Man on guitar.  I'd love to hear Raul do this, yeah.


The Pony Man

When it's midnight on the meadow
 And the cats are in the shed
 And the river tells a story
 At the window by my bed
 If you listen very closely
 Be as quiet as you can
 In the yard you'll hear him
 It is the pony man
We're always there to greet him
 When he tumbles into town
 He leads a string of ponies
 Some are white and some are brown
 And they never seem to kick or bite
 They only want to play
 And they live on candy apples
 Instead of oats and hay

And when we're all assembled
 He gives a soft command
 And we climb aboard our ponies
 As in a row they stand
 Then down the road we gallop
 And across the fields we fly
 And soon we all go sailing off
 Into the midnight sky

And as we gaily rock along
 Beside a ripplin' sea
 There's Tom 'n Dick 'n Sally
 And Mary Joe and me
 And the pony man is leading
 Cause he's travelled here before
 And he gives a whoop and a holler
 At Mr. Moon's front door

And as we stop to rest a while
 Where the soda river glides
 Up to the slip comes a pirate ship
 To take us for a ride
 And the pony man's the captain
 And the children are the crew
 And we go in search of treasure
 And laugh the whole night through

And when the hold is filled with gold
 And the sails begin to strain
 And the deck's piled high with apple pie
 We head for port again
 And down the whirling starcase
 So swift our ponies fly
 And we're safely in our beds again
 When the sunbeams kiss the sky

When it's midnight on the meadow
 And the cats are in the shed
 And the river tells a story
 At the window by my bed
 If you listen very closely
 Be as quiet as you can
 In the yard you'll hear him
 It is the pony man

 

[TxJudy]

I like his songwriting too.  Gord has received numerous Canadian awards including being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.  I am very pleased that he is finally being inducted into the US SHOF this year.

He does four shows every 18 months at Massey Hall in Toronto.  The Grand Ol’ Lady of Shuter Street, as the Hall is called, is his musical home.  I have tickets for two nights this November.  As I said before, he is not going to be making appearances for much longer and I want to see him in this venue that he cherishes so much.

New CD is being released later this month.  Since he is no longer under contract, he is really not doing much songwriting anymore, so the CD is taken from live performances at Massey over the past twenty or so years. 

[elainesangel]

Yes, Gord is one of our national treasures I grew up listening to him in the late 60's and have been a life long fan. I have seen him at Massey Hall and he owns the crowd. (I saw The Mavs there too for their live album - awesome)
Back in the day not many Canadian artists saw success across the border but Gord surpassed all. Glad you enjoy him too.
Blessings,
Elaine