It鈥檚 a drizzly Sunday afternoon in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
The roadies spent the morning setting up the stage equipment at the Port Theatre and everyone is preparing for the show called 鈥淟egendary Lightfoot鈥�.
The band knows every song, every lick, everything their boss, Gordon Lightfoot, will demand of them in a few hours. They鈥檝e performed with him hundreds of times.
The night before, they鈥檇 played in Vancouver. But here they are, a few hours later, on stage doing another thorough sound check. Because that is the way Lightfoot works. He鈥檚 been performing for more than 70 years and still everything needs to be checked out.
Ask anyone around Lightfoot what his routine is on show day and they鈥檒l talk about the hours he spends tuning his guitars. And, when I have a chat with him backstage, he is quick to tell me, 鈥淚 still need to tune my guitars.鈥�
Now 79 years old, Lightfoot has just wrapped up his latest tour. He toured North America performing 78 shows starting in Texas and ending in Burlington, Ontario. And every night, Lightfoot says he wants one thing: 鈥淚 really want it to sound good. I want to continue鈥� Our output is pretty good right now. We鈥檙e really pouring it on.鈥�
His very first performances were as a boy standing on the dining room table in Orillia, Ontario singing for his family and friends. He was only around eight years old when he sang on the local radio station and just 13 when he lit up the stage at Massey Hall in Toronto for the first time.
That performance earned him a mention in The Toronto Star. The reviewer noted that one of the highlights was 鈥淕ordon Lightfoot, 13 year old boy soprano of Orillia singing Schubert鈥檚 鈥淲ho is Sylvia.鈥� Lightfoot would go on to play the venerable Massey Hall more than 160 times during his hugely successful career.
Back in Nanaimo, the fans at the sold-out show can鈥檛 wait to see and hear the music of one of Canada鈥檚 most revered singer-songwriters. One concert goer gushes, 鈥淚 just love Gordon Lightfoot. Period.鈥� And another sums up her feelings about Lightfoot: 鈥淗e鈥檚 just so Canadian.鈥�
And when Lightfoot takes the stage, he begins a two-hour show, 26 songs from his legendary songbook.
His drummer Barry Keane recognizes how privileged he is to be on the stage with Lightfoot: 鈥淟ucky me,鈥� he says, 鈥淚鈥檓 part of greatness.鈥� And Keane acknowledges that greatness every show.
As the crowd applauds Lightfoot鈥檚 number one hit, 鈥淚f You Could Read My Mind鈥�, Keane stands at his drum kit and applauds his boss for a song Keane says, 鈥淚s one of the greatest songs ever written.鈥�
