Lightfoot Shines In Return To Toronto

Throughout my life, I have been given many opportunities to experience events, shows, sports and personal choices; many of which I have taken advantage of, others I have passed up. Some of these opportunities were given to me when I was very young, so despite having experienced them at a young age, I cannot say I have a vivid recollection of many of them. At the age of six and seven, attending Toronto Blue Jays World Series games in 1992 and 1993 as well as a number of playoff contests during the Maple Leafs’ magical run in the spring of 1993 stand as the more prominent events of which I hold a very strong memory of from my childhood. Most concerts, plays, musicals, and even family parties are very fuzzy when I try to recall them now.

One of those concerts I attended as a young child, but have almost no memory of seeing was a performance by Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall. Having furthered my musical taste over the last few years, the Canadian Folk Legend from Orillia, Ontario has become one of my favourite artists, not only because of his Canadian roots but also because of his sheer musical genius that can be heard in virtually every song he has ever written. I had made up my mind that I would relish another opportunity to see him in concert, despite having already seen him as a young child. Now fully appreciating what he is musically capable of, I wanted to be able to experience his true genius in person. Lightfoot, who routinely makes visits at Massey Hall in Toronto for a few performances each spring, had scheduled that yearly visit for the spring of 2003 and I had decided I would take advantage of it this time around.

Suddenly on September 7th, 2002, while rehearsing for a concert Lightfoot collapsed due to an exploded aneurysm. He underwent several surgical operations and spent over six weeks in a coma. For 19 months, very little was known about the health of Gordon Lightfoot. Upon hearing how sick he had become, I was devastated. Not only did I feel for the dire situation that Lightfoot was in, but I also assumed I would never get that opportunity to see him perform in person.

On May 20th, 2005, I, along with about 3500 other Gordon Lightfoot fans, got the chance that many thought we would never get. Performing in his third of a four shows, Gordon Lightfoot took the stage last night at Massey Hall looking better than anyone could ever have imagined. For the first part of the show, he was dressed in a white shirt, dark slacks and a sharp leather vest that made him look far younger than his 66 years. He took the stage for the second part of his performance in a Hawaiian t-shirt, indicating a new found sense of humor, something he never showed before during performances (or so I’m told by my mom and dad).

Lightfoot appeared energetic and seemed to enjoy and cherish each moment he had up on Massey Hall’s legendary stage as he sang his way through a performance that lasted over two hours. Usually one who performed with little on-stage movement, he seemed to be a completely different person as he walked about the stage playing his guitar and joking with his band members. In past performances, anything he spoke into the microphone was either the lyrics to a song or the words “thank you” to acknowledge the audience. It was not that he had a bad attitude or did not want to be viewed as personable but it simply was not his style. When you went to a Gordon Lightfoot concert, you went for the music and the music alone.

Yesterday evening however, he shared several stories with the audience including memories from his treatment during his severe illness and even responded playfully to shouts of approval from the capacity audience in the intimate Massey Hall. The most memorable exchange occurred when Lightfoot was explaining what inspired him to write the song Harmony, the title track featured on his newest album. Lightfoot said, “I was inspired to write this song during a tough time in my life when I was really down because of a number of things that had happened.” A fan assuming he was referring to his recent illness yelled back, “Welcome back Gordie,” to which Lightfoot laughingly retorted, “No, no, this was before that,” drawing considerable laughter from the audience.

Among the songs he played during his performance, favourites including The Canadian Railroad Trilogy, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, A Song for a Winter’s Night and Early Mornin’ Rain drew enormous approval from the audience.

Even after recovering from his nearly fatal sickness, Lightfoot could still play and sing like he could twenty years ago. During a few tunes he struggled to reach a couple of higher notes, but that is almost certainly attributed more to age than to his illness. In fact, most of the audience agreed, as conversations were started between fellow fans at the end of the concert as people filed out of the theatre, that Lightfoot had looked better than he had before his illness. And with his new found energy and sense of humor, Lightfoot put on a show that will not soon be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it last night. I cannot wait for May 2006!