Gordon Lightfoot in Calgary

[drathbun]

Here are a couple of shots of Gordon Lightfoot tonight at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary, Alberta.

 

It was a terrific evening and he played some of my very favourite Lightfoot songs:

 

Canadian Railroad Trilogy

Song For a Winter's Night

A Painter Passing Through

If You Could Read My Mind

Beautiful

 

and lots more!

 

 

 

For those guitar geeks (there are a few here)... he has two identical Gibson sunburst 12 strings. One was at capo 3 for "Canadian Railroad Trilogy". The other and his Martin six string is capo 2 for his entire catalog of songs.

 

His lead guitarist was playing a very nice Gretsch Country Gent. Fender Twin Reverbs all around. Excellent sound in one of the best concert halls in the world.

[J-50Jeff]

Thanks for posting the pictures! I saw Gordy here in Vancouver last Friday at the Centre for the Performing Arts.

 

I have to agree with you - he can still put on a great show. I've been to quite a number of his concerts over the past 30 years and I enjoyed them all!

 

Cheers,

Jeff

[Hall]

drathbun,

 

Thanks for the word and the photos. He is skipping the Cincy downtown theaters for one of the river casino plush hotels down the river about 50 miles. My best friend is disabled and it's just too far for me to take her so we don't get to see him this year. We moan about it daily. First time I will have missed him at any "Cincinnati" area concert. The river casinos are nice and the hotels even nicer. I can't blame Gordon, but boy this one hurts.

 

Glad you got a good show. It's great to know so many folks still dig his simple no frills performances. It's all right there to see and hear. Those are the performance sets I truly enjoy. Good for you!

[Gilliangirl]

Well, that hall looks familiar. Gee, I didn't even know he was in town? Thanks for the photos.

 

Are you going to see Jorma Kaikonen this month? I can hardly wait for that one. He's playing at Knox United.

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

That is one guy I have to go see before one of us dies. I loved his stuff while growing up.

[Hall]

Gary,

 

He runs the simplest setup, all right in front of you to check and hear. Plays that same Gibson 12 and Martin he has since his coffee house days, and was Neil Young's inspiration to try acoustic. Gordon says, Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) is his favorite songwriter through the years and oddly enough, Justin Hayward says Lightfoot is his favorite songwriter. It's one you have to get done while he is still performing live. He defines, the professional no nonsense performer.

[macaibhistin]

I saw and met Gordy years ago in Halifax. He is THE MAN! I just wish he would swing up north once in a while. I haven't seen a good concert in years. Gord's set up - gear and band members - hasn't changed since who knows when. I wonder if he'll ever trade the keyboard player in for the steel guitar he used in the '70s. Anyway, thanks for posting. Bye the way, does anyone know what model that old sunburst 12 is?

[drathbun]

I think they are both Gibson B45-12's from the early 60's. I swear I didn't know until last night that he had two identical Gibson 12's! And they are truly identical from what I could see. They both have a very subtle amber burst. I've only seen photos before, and live they don't look like any of the photos I remember. They are much paler amberish rather than reddish bursts. Both headstocks are pretty banged up. Both have extra pickguard material over the original pickguard to protect where he does most of his strumming (to prevent them becoming like Willy's Trigger I suppose).

 

The sound was truly excellent last night. I know this is a concert hall renowned for its excellent acoustics but a bad mix cannot be helped with a great acoustic chamber. The balance of the instruments and Gord's voice (no harmonies) was masterful. Crystal clear and subtle. The test of excellent sounds systems is no how much air it can move when set to 11 (Spinal Tap?) but how well it can handle subtle expression across the spectrum and wide dynamics.

 

I was so glad to hear every nuance of guitar articulation from Gord's upstrokes on the shimmering Gibson 12 string, to Terry's beautiful fingerstyle on his Martin OM-18 and Gretsch Country Gent.

 

Kudos to the engineers!

[drathbun]

I saw and met Gordy years ago in Halifax. He is THE MAN! I just wish he would swing up north once in a while. I haven't seen a good concert in years. Gord's set up - gear and band members - hasn't changed since who knows when. I wonder if he'll ever trade the keyboard player in for the steel guitar he used in the '70s. Anyway' date=' thanks for posting. Bye the way, does anyone know what model that old sunburst 12 is?[/quote']

 

Pee Wee hasn't played steel for Gord on tour since the mid-80's. He does however sit in with Gord and the band when he plays Massey Hall in Toronto. Gord will be finishing his tour in November with four performances at Massey Hall in four nights.

 

The Band:

Terry Clements - Lead Guitar

Rick Haynes - Bass

Barry Keane - Drums

Mike Heffernan - Keyboards

Gordon Lightfoot - 6 string and 12 string guitars, vocals

[Fred_Engr]

Drathbun

 

Did he play Sundown and if he did darn, I would have loved to see his concert?

 

Fred

[drathbun]

Drathbun

 

Did he play Sundown and if he did darn' date=' I would have loved to see his concert?

 

Fred[/quote']

 

He sure did! And Carefree Highway and Edmund Fitzgerald and Cotton Jenny and If You Could Read My Mind and Beautiful and Ribbon of Darkness... and ... and ...