With his first show in four months, Gordon Lightfoot filled out Bass Concert Hall Tuesday night with a patient audience. There were noted rough patches to the 70-year-old Canadian songwriting legend’s set, but the crowd was forgiving and clearly there for the nostalgia, which Lightfoot delivered with warm humor. Bearing a strong resemblance to Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lightfoot’s voice took a couple of songs to warm up, scratching through “Cotton Jenny” and “Carefree Highway,” though the more traditional, almost Irish folk sound of songs like “Sea of Tranquility” and “14 Karat Gold” sounded more comfortable.
The requisite hits like “Sundown” and “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” were the most engaging, the brief moments when his backing quartet came alive. Maintaining the soft, country rock feel to “The Watchman’s Gone” or “Rainy Day People” would have been less disappointing if he hadn’t shown flashes of acoustic solo strength. The transition from “Ribbon of Darkness” into “Sundown” was a highlight, and allowed his lead guitarist to stretch out some bluesy notes that lifted the band beyond their simple, underwhelming rhythm.
Then again, it’s hard to fault Lightfoot for the easy sound he’s known for, even given the moments that hinted at something more. “Triangle” opened the second set with its winding balladry, along with a decent take on Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” and a moving “If You Could Read My Mind.” “Baby Step Back” added some comparative fire to the set, along with “Make Way for the Lady,” but it was tunes like “Early Morning Rain” and “Waiting for You” that reminded of Lightfoot’s timeless songwriting.
This article appears in March 6 • 2009.
