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Sunday, October 3, 2010
Went to see Gordon Lightfoot tonight, in Concord
I feel like a heel saying it but he was bloody awful. His voice is shot to hell and what little of it's left is not really under his control. We bolted at the break between the sets. I was uncomfortable for the guy. Others seemed not to mind the fact that what they were hearing bore little resemblance to the quite serviceable baritone of yore, most of the audience (or at least a sizable chunk of it) applauded and cheered enthusiastically. I have to suppose it was recognition of it being done, rather than it being done well. I truly hope it was just the way he was tonight rather than the way he's gotten to be entirely. If that's what he's routinely like, he really needs to stop booking shows.
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Full lasting is the song, though he, the singer, passes (his prime)
ReplyDeleteYeah, the thought crossed my mind that regardless of what happens to a singer/songwriter's voice, the songs are untarnished and remain however good (or not) they ever were. If I could go to my grave having written a song as good as "Early Mornin' Rain" or "For Lovin' Me" I would not consider my talent to have lain entirely barren.
ReplyDeleteMy spouse had the same reaction when we saw John Sebastian at the Paramount Theatre in Peekskill, NY, last year. His voice (which really used to be quite melodious, back in the 60s and 70s) was nothing more than a hoarse croak. (His guitar and banjo skills were undiminished, however, as were the mandolin skills of his co-star, David Grisman.) My wife was appalled. It's true -- some of these old-timers need to face reality and stop performing lest they become mere objects of pity.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand - of course, there's always that other hand - I've recently seen Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Bill Staines and Leo Kottke and they were all better than ever. And Chris Smither of course. Granted the last three are not quite up with Golden Gord in terms of seniority, being only 60-somethings, but Paxton & Collins are right in the same category, and they're truly golden. And I hope they never stop.
ReplyDeleteYes, different performers age differently. To take the example of two singers whose voices were truly silvery in their youth, Judy Collins's voice is virtually undiminished, while Joan Baez's voice is but a husky shadow of its former glory (although still beautiful). I think that growlers like Chris Smither have an advantage in that they never had high, sweet voices in their youth and their growls have just deepened and mellowed in a good way. (Tony Bennett virtually stands alone as a singer whose was incredibly high and sweet in his youth but hasn't lost its beauty and power even though he no longer hits the high notes.) I saw Tom Paxton in 1967 in Greenwich Village and again in 1981 at The Ark in Ann Arbor. Time for me to go see him again at some point. I saw Bob Dylan in the Village in 1967, and at Madison Square Garden (with Paul Simon and an absolutely fabulous backup band) in 1999; and my daughter is going to his concert at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena soon. Talk about longevity. I'm talking about spanning six decades (60's through 10's) -- staggering.
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