The Band, The Weekend And Everything
By John Swartz
The Lightfoot Days Festival (Round II since the first run ended, oh about pandemic time) was about twice as big as last year, and twice the fun.
We might as well start with the heavyweights, since the Lightfoot Band was the opening act for the weekend. They played the Opera House October 31. There was anticipation, guarded by many in the audience.
The concert goers knew the repertoire was going to pass muster, all Gordon Lightfoot tunes, all evening, but the looming question was what about this guy Andy Mauck? Will he be as good a replacement for Gord? (Before you get persnickety, no one can replace Gord, but you know what I mean, or should)
How does his voice sound? Will he sing the songs the way Gord did? Gord had a unique delivery of the lines he wrote and assimilating his diction and phrasing and emphasis is kind of crucial.
Check three yesses.
Andy is as good as it gets and the band made the right choice getting him on board. I had the feeling at one point, it could have been during their rendition of Canadian Railroad Trilogy, if Gord had been sitting in the empty seat (paid for, but last minute travel disruption) beside me, he might have said, “Not too bad.” Which, off stage, you have to hear Andy’s impression of Gord’s speaking voice. Rich Little couldn’t have been so on point.
Not too bad, and variations on the theme was Gord’s limit of approval given to others. He was not the most eloquent finding words of praise as he was finding words for lyrics. The band illustrated that take the next day at workshop and Memories of Gord events when recounting words Gord said when they delivered what he wanted.
The music itself is authentic as can be. The guys on the stage (Rick Haynes, Barry Keane, Mike Heffernan) have collectively been making music with Gord for over 45 years or more, and Carter Lancaster for 13. They created the parts we’ve been listening to for decades so it would be foolish to have doubts of how the music would sound.
Andy was the key to the success of the whole thing. Not to diminish the band, but no one bought a ticket to hear the music without Gord’s words. To the band’s credit, shepherding Andy into their way of playing the tunes is an unqualified success.
Andy has been playing Gord’s tunes for 50 years, and has known the band members for almost as long. But playing the tunes by yourself and without the inside knowledge of how they tick is vastly different than playing with the guys who made the music – and Andy will tell you that.
The band helped him find every nuance of singing and guitar playing needed to replicate the songs as we expect them to sound. I had a tear when they did Beautiful, just like I did the many times I heard Gord sing it. I cried (figuratively) when the show ended and they didn’t do Song For Winter’s Night (they subbed in Daylight Katy). They did just about everything else you’d want to hear them do, including a couple songs Gord, in later years, never put on the set list.
This was a performance like no other the band did while Gord was alive. No disrespect but they were pretty invisible on stage back then. Gord ran a tight ship. For example Carter stood throughout this show; Gord only let him leave the stool he sat on for two songs (but did give him creative license to modify guitar parts and solos, wisely realizing Terry Clements wasn’t playing them anymore and they should sound like Carter). In fact most of the parts the band recorded they made up, with Gord’s yea or nay.
Getting back to stage presence, Rick wandered all the way across the stage to where Carter was once or thrice, in time with the music. In fact I saw him bopping to his own parts often, which never happened before.
They even had smiles on their faces; you should have seen Barry’s in the first tune. That was all new. It felt like they allowed themselves to get into the music they were playing in a way they couldn’t before.
And they told stories. Each member had a chance to relate something about Gord and their time in the band. It was like getting to know people you’ve known of from a seat in the middle of the house, or front row, or on a screen for most of your life.
Heck Rick and Carter sang harmony vocals – on stage! That never happened before, that we noticed. Rick said they always did sing the harmonies, but Gord figured his mic would pick up their voices, but of course that never was the case. (On record Gord sang his own harmony vocals) This added a new dimension to the music. Before, probably no one noticed in concert the harmonies they knew from the records were missing. I heard them before I saw them because it was a bit of a foreign, yet familiar sound to me.
They left the stage at the end of the first half to a standing ovation, another at the first ending and then another after the encore. Along the way people cheered, cat-called and whistled, sometimes at the beginning of certain tunes
In the past Gord was the focus, he was the reason people bought tickets. He knew where the bread and butter was and carefully managed where the spotlight should be. There’s nothing wrong with that, it was very smart.
What we all found out is the band has personality. This is new chapter for the band. Gord is not there, and the band figured out how to deliver a show people would like enthusiastically (some people in the audience have already seen the band in concert 5 times, some travelled great distances to see the show, none of them were disappointed). Kim Lightfoot, Gord’s wife, was there; she told me it was the first time, and she loved it.
At the festival wrap up event the committee announced the band is coming back next year. They had a few dozen successful outings of sold out or nearly sold out shows in 2024, and by then there will be several dozen more. The Opera House gig was close to sold out, with only a few seats in the balcony up for grabs. All year, as ticket sales trickled in the committee was hoping it would be a success and tirelessly promoted the show, as did the band. I think next year they won’t have to work so hard. No one should have trepidation about getting a ticket to see them anywhere they play.
The Rest Of The Weekend
Friday had a late addition to the menu of festival offerings. They always planned to have a Memories and Music of Gordon Lightfoot event at Creative Nomad Studios where people like me who had some history with Gord would tell favourite stories and people like Steve Eyers and Steve McEown would play some of his music.
The initial concept got out of hand, so to speak, because while Rick Haynes was suggested as a participant early on, Rick and Barry Keane both agreed to do the show, then two weeks before the festival the committee announced the whole band would be there. Wow. But it gets better.
The audience got to hear stories from the evening’s emcee, Linda Leatherdale, Ronnie Hawkins’s wife, Wanda, Gord’s booking agent for many decades, Bernie Feidler and Gord’s nephew Steve Eyers. Eyers and McEown sang (I won the pool) I Used To Be A Country Singer, which McEown wrote and Gord recorded. Don James and Steve Porter also sang tunes in between stories.
Only days before the event it was made known that Kim Lightfoot, who I knew was coming for the festival and was attending the event, was going to get up and tell story. It was a story as old as time – how they met.
The band went to the stage together and passed the mic and told the stories of how they were brought into the band. It was good, but those who went to either, or both of the workshops earlier in the day got an earful about how some of the songs developed, how each musician came up with parts, and how they made it all work as a collective effort, plus some of their more humourous memories, though I did not get to hear Mike tell his airplane story. The band will be doing it again next year, so maybe then.
Nicholas Jennings, author of Lightfoot, was on hand all day with copies of his book to be autographed. Many people were thrilled to meet him.
Saturday I missed all the daytime gigs at venues; lots of writing to do. Next year better planning will help; I had no idea Thursday and Friday would be so full, hectic and tiring. In the evening I made a point of seeing Chris Scott play at Brewery Bay Food Company. He had two sidemen with him and I have to say he did a credible job singing and playing Gord’s music.
Sunday, I got promoted forward three rows from the back row for St. Paul’s service revolving around Gord. The highlights were a rendition of a song recorded when Gord was 12-years-old, accompanied by the Orillia Community Children’s Choir, A video reminiscence of Gord by Liona Boyd, and a new hymn written by Jim Lewis in memory of Karen Hilfman Millson. Karen was the minister at St. Paul’s for many years, the one who had the idea to revive the Lightfoot Days Festival and officiated at Gord’s funeral.
Next it was off for cake and speeches and music at Mariposa Folk Festival for the closing (almost) of the festival. Steve Porter sang tunes, of course he did Canadian Railroad Trilogy, and thanks for changing his set list to do a request for Song For A Winter’s Night.
One more event happened mid afternoon with the High Steppin’ Strutters at Picnic. Steve Porter, Michael Martyn and Scott Thompson (Scott came up with the name borrowing a phrase from Rainy Day People) doing Bob Dylan’s music. just Kidding. This is a good band to take in next time they play anywhere.
There were people who travelled to Orillia from as far away as Georgia and California, several Midwestern States, Quebec and all parts of Ontario for the festival. The committee needs tons of thanks for expanding the festival offerings, being a presence in the community all year long and generally providing a great party for us all. I suspect they started on next year’s festival (they have to the band is coming back) yesterday.
November 17 is Gord’s birthday. The committee is hosting a party at Brewery Bay Food Company at 1 p.m.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia) Main: The Lightfoot Band – Andy Mauck, Mike Heffernan, Barry Keane, Rick Haynes, and Carter Lancaster at Creative Nomad Studios for the 2024 Lightfoot Days Festival Memories Of Lightfoot event.
