Memories linger as Lightfoot prepares for Massey Hall gig
TORONTO — Gordon Lightfoot’s ties to Massey Hall stretch back to his childhood, so it’s fitting he will be the last performer at the legendary venue before it undergoes major renovations this summer.
The 79-year-old singer plays three concerts — Friday, Saturday and Canada Day on Sunday — before Massey begins repairs that are expected to last two years.
“It’s a time of joy for us, it’s a spiritual thing,” says Lightfoot of performing at the Toronto venue, which he’s done countless times throughout his career.
“I have an affinity for Massey Hall that’s very strong. It’s been my venue since 1966.”
Actually, if you count Lightfoot’s appearances there as a teenager, it’s been his venue for much longer. He first stepped onto its stage at 13 years old after winning a music competition for young singers. The performance set alight a career of songwriting that left an indelible mark on the Canadian music canon, helped by tracks like If You Could Read My Mind and Sundown.
In 1967, he started a tradition of playing annual concerts in the venue, something that he continued for years before scaling back to appearances every two years.
Lightfoot says he doesn’t consider his upcoming run of shows a farewell to Massey, only a brief parting of ways.
“When it’s open and ready to go, we’ll go back in there again,” Lightfoot says.
Q Was Massey Hall your first very large crowd?
A You could say so. I was doing events all around. I was playing at weddings, all the various clubs, the ladies’ auxiliary in the Orillia area. My dad took us all out to dinner at a restaurant in Toronto when we were down. My father did all the driving.
Q How long was it before you returned to Massey Hall to perform again?
A I did an event with the (Orillia barbershop harmony quartet) sometime around 17 years old. One of the events we were on featured the Buffalo Bills, one of the great quartets of barbershopping. We got on the front end of one of their shows. The third time would’ve been with Oscar Brand, a musicologist and performer. He presented a show there in the hootenanny era between 1960 and 1963.
Q As a performer, is there anything that makes Massey Hall one-of-a-kind to you?
A It has a character all its own and it breathes when you’re up there. It’s the way the audience of this place surrounds you. It sweeps around you. I love halls that go right up into the ceiling.