Gordon Lightfoot Forums - Austin show

http://inblognegro.blogspot.com/2009...s-mind-of.html
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
How Gordon Lightfoot Massages the Mind of This Musician.
Yes.
One of the perks of working in the marketing department is the
leftover swag that prize winners leave behind. Well, todays booty
yielded a couple of Gordan Lightfoot tickets. My friend couldn't give
them away so she just asked if anyone wanted them.

After all the "skewing old" jokes, I thought about one of my personal
maxims:

I will go see anyone for free. Anyone.

So scooped up the opportunity and I'm writing this sitting by myself
in some nosebleed seats in Bass Concert Hall in Austin Texas. So...

The music is mellow and the audience is as expected, older white baby
boomers. Gordon himself is 70 and I must say in fine form. It is what
it is, but as I sit hear listening to him run through the tune I know
him from "Sundown", I realize I am really watching a legend and one
should respect a man who has the fortune to do what he loves for over
40 years, make a significant amount of money and have the respect of
his peers. For me to be snarky would be stupid.

I have spent most of my life playing music and pursuing it as a
career. Would I take a gig with Lightfoot? Hell ya! I have played with
some great "should be well known" people- Jim Lampos, Kevin Johansen,
Michael McGlone, Daniel Yetnikoff to name a few. By the way, I'm a
damn fine bass player, guitarist, vocalist, arranger, songwriter and
overall music impresario. Ya, just like every else you know.

All I'm saying is that I have respect for all musicians who make it. I
do harbor some jealous feelings for some becuase I feel in my heart
some of the mentioned musicians above and those that are unnamed
should have the same chance to be heard.

I learn something from every show I see and this show is no different.
I have played hundreds of gigs myself and I can relate to all shows
as a professional musician. I played with a number of singer-
songwriter types. I know how hard it is to over play and Gordan's band
is so light and subtle, it's really impressive. The hard thing to do
in music is to underplay and Gordon's songs need to breathe. That is
what his fans respond to. The sound mix was odd because of how soft
the band was playing. The snare drum was too loud. Perhaps the drummer
could've used brushes or dampen the snare.

Gordan's amp broke down and his guitarist filled the switch time with
some flamenco guitar styling. The crowd react well. Then Gordan didn't
do the one thing every front person show do, acknowledge his
guitarist. Maybe Gordan was so put off by the disrupted flow of the
show, he wasn't thinking clearly. I have been on both sides off the
situation. I did learn that Gordon is good friends with Kris
Kristopherson and that Kris wrote " Me and Bobby McGee". I have played
that tune hundreds of times and never knew that. Gordan proceeded to
play it in a soft manner that worked very well. In the na nana na
refrain, the crowd sang along and harmonized in tune. Very cool. I
took this as my cue to leave, so I took off and finished tapping this
post in my iPhone.