Gordon Lightfoot

[augusta]

I recently went to see Gordon Lightfoot when he came to Detroit's beautifully refurbished Fox Theatre. He had had a stroke about two years ago, and he isn't as young as he used to be. Sadly I realized that this may be my only chance to see him. I was never that interested in seeing him in person before, but since then I bought a CD of his and enjoyed the older songs and got to know some of the newer ones. What lovely poetry he uses. He's a legend.

So 8 of us went. It was around my birthday, so I paid for everyone's ticket. I told my husband that was my birthday present (he still got me a great gift). Five of us were family and I invited one couple and their son. That night Eminem and others were doing a big 'gangstas' concert across from the Fox at Comerica Park (isn't that a rotten name for a baseball stadiium? There's one called "Fifth Third" stadium, too.). Us five took our seats about two minutes before the show started. Our friends arrived about 45 minutes late, because of the traffic.

It was a beautiful concert. We had good seats. He is looking older now, even older than when I saw him in concert on PBS a couple years ago. He always was a small man, and he seemed especially thin. He sang great, tho I notice he didn't attempt the high notes.

When he came to my all-time favorite, "If You Could Read my Mind", the guy in back of me decided to sing along - loud. It was ... really ... uh, ... appreciated ... I waited for that song to be played - I came to the concert because of THAT song, and this guy is entertaining -- who?

At the intermission, our friends walked around the aisle to talk to us. I decided that I'd go sit with the wife for the second half of the show. She is one of those rare 'giggle' friends - I don't know what it is, but whenever we are together we get each other laughing over almost anything - and it's hard to stop because the more we laugh, the more we laugh!

It was so HOT that night, I had brought with me this small, battery operated fan. It was a step up from the two-plastic-bladed kind. This was square, about 6" square, and was almost as good as sitting in front of a fan at home. When we took our seats, I showed Lisa the fan and showed her how to operate it. "Cool," she said. I told her to let me know if she needed to use it.

Well, intermission was soon over. The guys had gone to the lobby and brought me a nice, cold diet Coke. I was juggling several things at once. My husband says I always overpack, and it really is all stuff I need. Getting situated with all my stuff, my diet Coke came frighteningly close to getting dumped on this bald guy sitting in front of me. Whew! That was close, I thought.

Here comes Gordon Lightfoot back onstage. "Way to go, Gordo!" I hear my son yell out. I'm telling you, Detroit LOVES this man.

So he starts in with a good song, and nobody's singing along because it's one of his lesser-known ones. Ha Ha, I thought to the guy in back of me.

I wasn't real hot, but I was a little warm. I thought I'd use my great little fan and get real comfortable and enjoy the show. I had to shuffle some items to find it, but with not much trouble I had it and put it in position.

I don't know what in the heck happened. There is no explanation for this that I knew of. But when I turned my little fan on, the propellers were hitting something and this LOUD sputtering, grating, electric-sawlike sound came from it. I tried to turn it off, and in the dark I was feeling on the wrong side of it for the switch. Lisa starts to giggle. Then we both could not stop laughing. And we had to laugh without using our voice - we couldn't laugh out loud, we had to laugh like crazy, as quietly as we could. I think it was about a minute before I was able to turn it off and hid it away in some bag I brought.

The bald guy in front of me said something about smoking. Well, I have something wrong with an ear - hopefully soon to be fixed - and have some trouble hearing right now. So I leaned forward. I thought he said we were smoking. I said, very nicely, "Oh, no. That was my little fan that I carry." And he said something again about smoking. ??? Lisa started coughing loud, and I asked her if she was all right.

Afterwards, she told me what went on. The guy had said, "That's as bad as smoking a cigarette!" And when I leaned to him to tell him it was just my fan, he repeated it even nastier. Lisa was coughing to stick it to him a little.

I felt like an idiot. But then I got mad. Unfortunately this was now after the show and the guy in front of me had left. I would have said something appropriate to him, like "Lighten up, Baldy," or worse.

Gordon Lightfoot had played thru my noisy fan, ignoring it and singing his song like the pro he is. (God, I gotta get that ear fixed ...)