How fortunate one can be to experience such special moments.
A couple of evenings ago two lovely ladies helped me to celebrate another year on the right side of dirt by arranging for us to attend a Gordon Lightfoot concert at the magnificent old Colonial Theatre in Keene, NH.
This is a mature building that has housed vaudeville acts in the past and is still a beautifully kept up venue that shows films and hosts a wide variety of performances. It may house 700 or so, but maintains an intimate atmosphere while providing excellent acoustics and a clear view of the stage from all angles. We had wonderful seats in the orchestra, center aisle and only a few rows back.
I have always been impressed by the persistence of Johnny Cash, who continued to perform for so many years and was still active almost up to the day of his death. Saturday night was eerily reminiscent of “the man in black”.
Gordon Lightfoot, the aptly described “Canadian troubadour”, has been one of my favorites since he first became well-known in the 1960′s. He is a true story-teller who could have stepped on stage straight from a medieval country path that carried him from village to village. His style is unique, although many of his songs have been covered by an eclectic bevy of other artists, and there will be one left to take his place.
When he walked on stage Saturday night his appearance was arresting. He was …… gaunt, I suppose would be accurate, and his movements stiff and a little uncertain. But the audience response was hearty and he soon seemed to draw vitality from that energy.
The stage setting was simple, but the lighting was soft and projected intimacy. His backup group is small – a lead guitar (a new member to the group: Lightfoot confided that his longtime lead guitar player had recently passed away), electric bass, drums and keyboardist.
The accouterments were simple, brilliantly staged and designed to support the singer, who has only limited voice left. But that did not matter; indeed, his lack of vocal power seemed to enhance the performance. The music of Gordon Lightfoot is so well-known that many members of the audience were just as familiar with the lyrics as he is and the performance soon took on the easy, comfortable patina of an old friend giving an off-the-cuff rendition of some of his favorites to a few of his close acquaintances.
It was fascinating to watch as Lightfoot fed from the enthusiastic applause that followed every number. My wife was the first to mention that for several very brief moments forty years would seem to slip away and the vibrant, magnetic artist of yesteryear would peek through the swirling fog of too many years and too many miles. I saw it, too, and so I’m sure did many others.
The concert flew by, as do so many magical moments. One leaves a bit wistfully, hoping for just a little more, but treasuring the very special time that has been granted.
Gordon Lightfoot is on tour once more, for a limited time and for a small number of carefully selected venues. If you have the opportunity and enjoy his beautifully crafted music don’t miss what I suspect may be this last opportunity to pay homage. His like will not pass this way again.
“The Legend Lives On”
March 28, 2011How fortunate one can be to experience such special moments.
A couple of evenings ago two lovely ladies helped me to celebrate another year on the right side of dirt by arranging for us to attend a Gordon Lightfoot concert at the magnificent old Colonial Theatre in Keene, NH.
This is a mature building that has housed vaudeville acts in the past and is still a beautifully kept up venue that shows films and hosts a wide variety of performances. It may house 700 or so, but maintains an intimate atmosphere while providing excellent acoustics and a clear view of the stage from all angles. We had wonderful seats in the orchestra, center aisle and only a few rows back.
I have always been impressed by the persistence of Johnny Cash, who continued to perform for so many years and was still active almost up to the day of his death. Saturday night was eerily reminiscent of “the man in black”.
Gordon Lightfoot, the aptly described “Canadian troubadour”, has been one of my favorites since he first became well-known in the 1960′s. He is a true story-teller who could have stepped on stage straight from a medieval country path that carried him from village to village. His style is unique, although many of his songs have been covered by an eclectic bevy of other artists, and there will be one left to take his place.
When he walked on stage Saturday night his appearance was arresting. He was …… gaunt, I suppose would be accurate, and his movements stiff and a little uncertain. But the audience response was hearty and he soon seemed to draw vitality from that energy.
The stage setting was simple, but the lighting was soft and projected intimacy. His backup group is small – a lead guitar (a new member to the group: Lightfoot confided that his longtime lead guitar player had recently passed away), electric bass, drums and keyboardist.
The accouterments were simple, brilliantly staged and designed to support the singer, who has only limited voice left. But that did not matter; indeed, his lack of vocal power seemed to enhance the performance. The music of Gordon Lightfoot is so well-known that many members of the audience were just as familiar with the lyrics as he is and the performance soon took on the easy, comfortable patina of an old friend giving an off-the-cuff rendition of some of his favorites to a few of his close acquaintances.
It was fascinating to watch as Lightfoot fed from the enthusiastic applause that followed every number. My wife was the first to mention that for several very brief moments forty years would seem to slip away and the vibrant, magnetic artist of yesteryear would peek through the swirling fog of too many years and too many miles. I saw it, too, and so I’m sure did many others.
The concert flew by, as do so many magical moments. One leaves a bit wistfully, hoping for just a little more, but treasuring the very special time that has been granted.
Gordon Lightfoot is on tour once more, for a limited time and for a small number of carefully selected venues. If you have the opportunity and enjoy his beautifully crafted music don’t miss what I suspect may be this last opportunity to pay homage. His like will not pass this way again.
Posted in culture, entertainment, Music, Political and Social Commentary, Values | Tagged entertainment, family, Gordon Lightfoot, Keene, music, NH | 2 Comments »