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Sheryl · 05-07-2006, 10:58 PM

I'll say it right here, right now: Gord is BACK -- and spellbinding as ever! I had the very intense pleasure of seeing Gord at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada this last Friday, May 5. With me were Brink, Cattail, and Seahawk and his lovely wife.

As the lights dimmed in the showroom and our eyes tried to adjust to the lower lighting, the band came onto the stage, followed by Gord. HUGE applause from the audience. He was happy, jaunty, and feeling (and lookin') fine! I tried to get a picture on my camera phone, but, because he was wearing a white shirt and with the lighting the way it was, he just looked like a blur through the lens, so I gave it up, hoping for a better shot later. After some brief words of welcome, he swung into my 13-year-old daughter's favorite, Triangle, a fun (and surprising) choice for a first song. Really got us toe-tapping. He segued right into Cotton Jenny, a very popular audience choice (judging from the spontaneous applause that broke out when the first few chords were played). Immediately afterward he went into Hangdog Hotel Room, which sent me, Brink, and Cattail into paroxysms of whooping and whistling. Although the boys in the band appeared a tad tired in the beginning, by this song their energy had picked up -- the audience's enthusiasm and joy at seeing and hearing Gord were catching!! I've never seen so many camera flashes. And because we wanted to be "in the moment" and not worry about writing down a set list, I'm relying on memory here (colored by extreme excitement). I'm not listing all the songs I think he sang -- only the ones I'm sure he sang. I'll update this tomorrow after I check with Brink. (She's catching up on some well-needed sleep from that long plane ride and drive home.) The first 3 are in correct order -- after that, I cannot remember the order, but, I know he sang them:

Triangle
Cotton Jenny
Hangdog Hotel Room
14 Kt. Gold
Carefree Highway
Blackberry Wine
Ribbon of Darkness
Let It Ride
Ghosts of Cape Horn
Clouds of Loneliness
I Used to Be a Country Singer
Rainy Day People
Early Morning Rain
Sundown
TWOTEF
If You Could Read My Mind
The Watchman's Gone
Waiting For You

I do not remember the encore song (hey, blame it on old age). I just checked with Brink and edited the set list -- still have to check with Cattail.

Although he's a bit thinner than last year, Gord's breath control has returned and all those vocal "flourishes" at the end of phrases are back in place! It was marvelous to hear! He looked good (very good!)in his long-sleeved white shirt, dark pants, and dark boots.

There were a few shout-outs for song choices in between numbers and it appears that he honored at least one of them. But, heck, you know my feeling on this subject -- the Man could sing from the phone book and I'd gladly pay to hear it.

I was lucky enough to see Gord three times last year -- in late April, early May, and mid-September -- and I have to say that I never saw Gord so happy or as energetic as he was Friday night. His phrasing was perfect, the timing was spot-on, he had an excited, enthralled audience (he said, "Man, you are a *rapt* audience!"), and he was in his glory (as were we!!).

Brink, Cattail, and I should have had hoarse voices from cheering at the beginning and the end of songs -- we were *definitely* the loudest in the house! (but respectful!!) I understand that the casino has a rule of 90-minute shows -- that's because they want us to get out there and spend more money -- but, I have to say that that was the *shortest* 90 minutes I have ever spent. It went by like *that.*

We were about three feet from the stage and Gord was about two feet back from the front of the stage. Twice he came right to the edge of the stage, leaning over a bit and showing us his guitar picking. I reached out my arms in semblance of an embrace for this wonderful man. O.K., so it was goofy -- no one saw anyway, it was dark!!

Brink and Cattail had the extreme good fortune of seeing Gord Thursday night and Saturday night as well. The one high point of Thursday's show was afterward -- a young woman of around 18 actually leaped up on stage after and tried to follow Gord backstage. She succeeded getting backstage, but, was "helped" back out front, courtesy of security and a few others!! I understand neither Gord nor any of the band came out for autographs that night.

HOWEVER, Friday night we had the pleasure of meeting Gord, Terry, Rick, and Mike afterward at one of the bars. I finally got my nerve up and asked Gord if I could take our picture. He is truly graciousness personified. I'm currently waiting (on pins and needles!!!) for Cattail to e-mail it to me, as she took it with her digital camera. As soon as I have it, I'll be happy to add it to this post. I do, however, have pics that I took with my camera phone with Terry and Rick.

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0aQAAANcfXZDsnzQg2FWMF8!vgfMZ*Nc5lwU3iSKiO5RxYlikq Pj01F2OIYhGHj1mlLOUSfOUwA2heZU8HH2GpOGNtfXXgZ28Eou 5Cdb8pXP*a3Ks95T7LIeMKMkYHLZ!DvNO9l!kvxC875Uo6!eUI yE1mrLDbdrX/Me%20and%20Gordon%20Lightfoot!%20May%2006.jpg?dc=4 675572233798015502[/img]

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQDdAkUeoM2!96EXTQT!d!ZmGRRPyUsGlI*9rmaFGIVb4PRH6 BsB4K1tt*10wFVfcmMiy6IKx8y5jPbiE5rmvCA8kK6nqKS6wiz sOf4GuVn0PG3IBWwcjajWoVNJDjvFIN82REjMetk/Lightfoot_concert_may_4_7_020.jpg?dc=4675572232724 989506[/img]

The above picture was either from the Thursday or Saturday night show -- taken by Cattail.

Meeting Gord and the very cool, very sweet guys in the band was such a thrill for me. I still have the smile on my face! You'd think that after years of performing, they'd get tired of googly-eyed fans fawning over them (I really tried not to fawn), but, it's almost unavoidable -- Gord and the guys are legends. They treat each fan with courtesy, respect, and personal attention. What's not to love??

I just ordered tickets for his Los Angeles show (Cerritos) in late August and I can't wait.

[ May 12, 2006, 11:42: Message edited by: Sheryl ]

05-07-2006, 10:58 PM	#1
Sheryl Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: North Hollywood, CA USA Posts: 673	I'll say it right here, right now: Gord is BACK -- and spellbinding as ever! I had the very intense pleasure of seeing Gord at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada this last Friday, May 5. With me were Brink, Cattail, and Seahawk and his lovely wife. As the lights dimmed in the showroom and our eyes tried to adjust to the lower lighting, the band came onto the stage, followed by Gord. HUGE applause from the audience. He was happy, jaunty, and feeling (and lookin') fine! I tried to get a picture on my camera phone, but, because he was wearing a white shirt and with the lighting the way it was, he just looked like a blur through the lens, so I gave it up, hoping for a better shot later. After some brief words of welcome, he swung into my 13-year-old daughter's favorite, Triangle, a fun (and surprising) choice for a first song. Really got us toe-tapping. He segued right into Cotton Jenny, a very popular audience choice (judging from the spontaneous applause that broke out when the first few chords were played). Immediately afterward he went into Hangdog Hotel Room, which sent me, Brink, and Cattail into paroxysms of whooping and whistling. Although the boys in the band appeared a tad tired in the beginning, by this song their energy had picked up -- the audience's enthusiasm and joy at seeing and hearing Gord were catching!! I've never seen so many camera flashes. And because we wanted to be "in the moment" and not worry about writing down a set list, I'm relying on memory here (colored by extreme excitement). I'm not listing all the songs I think he sang -- only the ones I'm sure he sang. I'll update this tomorrow after I check with Brink. (She's catching up on some well-needed sleep from that long plane ride and drive home.) The first 3 are in correct order -- after that, I cannot remember the order, but, I know he sang them: Triangle Cotton Jenny Hangdog Hotel Room 14 Kt. Gold Carefree Highway Blackberry Wine Ribbon of Darkness Let It Ride Ghosts of Cape Horn Clouds of Loneliness I Used to Be a Country Singer Rainy Day People Early Morning Rain Sundown TWOTEF If You Could Read My Mind The Watchman's Gone Waiting For You I do not remember the encore song (hey, blame it on old age). I just checked with Brink and edited the set list -- still have to check with Cattail. Although he's a bit thinner than last year, Gord's breath control has returned and all those vocal "flourishes" at the end of phrases are back in place! It was marvelous to hear! He looked good (very good!)in his long-sleeved white shirt, dark pants, and dark boots. There were a few shout-outs for song choices in between numbers and it appears that he honored at least one of them. But, heck, you know my feeling on this subject -- the Man could sing from the phone book and I'd gladly pay to hear it. I was lucky enough to see Gord three times last year -- in late April, early May, and mid-September -- and I have to say that I never saw Gord so happy or as energetic as he was Friday night. His phrasing was perfect, the timing was spot-on, he had an excited, enthralled audience (he said, "Man, you are a rapt audience!"), and he was in his glory (as were we!!). Brink, Cattail, and I should have had hoarse voices from cheering at the beginning and the end of songs -- we were definitely the loudest in the house! (but respectful!!) I understand that the casino has a rule of 90-minute shows -- that's because they want us to get out there and spend more money -- but, I have to say that that was the shortest 90 minutes I have ever spent. It went by like that. We were about three feet from the stage and Gord was about two feet back from the front of the stage. Twice he came right to the edge of the stage, leaning over a bit and showing us his guitar picking. I reached out my arms in semblance of an embrace for this wonderful man. O.K., so it was goofy -- no one saw anyway, it was dark!! Brink and Cattail had the extreme good fortune of seeing Gord Thursday night and Saturday night as well. The one high point of Thursday's show was afterward -- a young woman of around 18 actually leaped up on stage after and tried to follow Gord backstage. She succeeded getting backstage, but, was "helped" back out front, courtesy of security and a few others!! I understand neither Gord nor any of the band came out for autographs that night. HOWEVER, Friday night we had the pleasure of meeting Gord, Terry, Rick, and Mike afterward at one of the bars. I finally got my nerve up and asked Gord if I could take our picture. He is truly graciousness personified. I'm currently waiting (on pins and needles!!!) for Cattail to e-mail it to me, as she took it with her digital camera. As soon as I have it, I'll be happy to add it to this post. I do, however, have pics that I took with my camera phone with Terry and Rick. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0aQAAANcfXZDsnzQg2FWMF8!vgfMZNc5lwU3iSKiO5RxYlikq Pj01F2OIYhGHj1mlLOUSfOUwA2heZU8HH2GpOGNtfXXgZ28Eou 5Cdb8pXPa3Ks95T7LIeMKMkYHLZ!DvNO9l!kvxC875Uo6!eUI yE1mrLDbdrX/Me%20and%20Gordon%20Lightfoot!%20May%2006.jpg?dc=4 675572233798015502[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQDdAkUeoM2!96EXTQT!d!ZmGRRPyUsGlI9rmaFGIVb4PRH6 BsB4K1tt10wFVfcmMiy6IKx8y5jPbiE5rmvCA8kK6nqKS6wiz sOf4GuVn0PG3IBWwcjajWoVNJDjvFIN82REjMetk/Lightfoot_concert_may_4_7_020.jpg?dc=4675572232724 989506[/img] The above picture was either from the Thursday or Saturday night show -- taken by Cattail. Meeting Gord and the very cool, very sweet guys in the band was such a thrill for me. I still have the smile on my face! You'd think that after years of performing, they'd get tired of googly-eyed fans fawning over them (I really tried not to fawn), but, it's almost unavoidable -- Gord and the guys are legends. They treat each fan with courtesy, respect, and personal attention. What's not to love?? I just ordered tickets for his Los Angeles show (Cerritos) in late August and I can't wait. [ May 12, 2006, 11:42: Message edited by: Sheryl ]