So on Friday night, I went to see Gordon Lightfoot.
Wow. That was depressing.
Now, I will say in his defense that the man has had a very tough road these past few years. He had an aneurism and stomach cancer. He is not even supposed to be alive at this point, let alone be up on stage singing in front of a few thousand people.
But still…it was very sad to watch.
I have seen Gordon Lightfoot in concert more than I have anybody else – even Bruce Springsteen. I have seen him literally dozens of times, dating back to when I was a small child. Unlike Springsteen, you see, who only came to town when promoting his latest album, Gordon Lightfoot came to town every summer, whether he had just released a new album or not. He was a workhorse as far as touring goes.
My point is that I have seen Gordon many times while he was in his prime. To see him now, as a frail old man who appears to weigh about a buck ten, was upsetting. His voice was extremely weak, especially when he tried to hit the high notes. Why he didn’t just give up and perform many of his songs in a different, lower key, I don’t understand.
I could not help but compare him to Merle Haggard, whom I saw two years ago. They are about the same age, I’m sure; yet Merle’s voice still sounded like that of a young man, except wiser for the years he has behind him.
On the other hand, I should be happy for Gordy, that he is well enough to be touring and performing at all…
It was just, again, very sad. It all upset my blonde sister most especially. She has seen him even more times than I.
His music has just been such a loud backdrop to so much in our lives, and his concerts have been marking points. They are remembered fondly, along with the people we shared them with. This is especially true for my blonde sister. Seeing Gordy in this frail condition was especially poignant for her.
Add this to the fact that the Big Man had to sit down through much of the Springsteen show I saw in town recently and it’s enough to make a gal feel very old.
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