Gardener meets singing idol
When I was in my early teens, I listened on the radio to the popular rock music of the early 70s and bought the K-Tel records with their abbreviated versions of the hit songs.
But I remember like yesterday the very first time I heard Go Go Round by a young Canadian singer-songwriter named Gordon Lightfoot.
This was a song with substance, about a girl away from home “in love with someone who didn’t care.” When a melancholy tune about a broken relationship by the name of If You Could Read My Mind hit the airwaves, I became an official fan.
I started buying the albums, saw Mr. Lightfoot in concert for the first time in 1976 (at the Pacific Coliseum) and bought a 12-string guitar. During this almost 40 year relationship I’ve attended 17 Lightfoot concerts and have every album he’s ever produced.
Those finely crafted songs, the soaring voice and the jangly guitars have been the soundtrack of my life.
And yet there was one aspect of our connection unfulfilled, one entry that I hadn’t crossed off my bucket list. I had never met Gordon in person.
It was never a burning desire until he nearly died back in 2002 after suffering a stomach aneurysum and being in a coma for six weeks.
When he returned to the stage, I wondered how much longer he would perform and at the end of each concert I’d think “Is that it?” Would I never get to meet the artist whose songs play in my head almost daily?
I tried, but could never figure out how to get that elusive backstage pass. I would see those fortunate souls gathered after the shows with the coveted pass in their hands and see my opportunity fading away.
Thankfully, Gordon is still doing the shows at the age of 75 and Oct. 29 in Kelowna I crossed a monumental item off my bucket list.
I had a backstage pass in my hand and I was standing beside a legend, Gordon Lightfoot, while someone took a photo of us.
Was I excited? Absolutely! We were told that he was fighting a cold and that it probably wasn’t a good idea to shake hands, but I had been rehearsing this encounter for weeks and it definitely included a hand shake. I extended my right hand, he shook it and I looked him in the eye and said “Thank you” just like I had imagined. I thanked him for all the great songs and told him that this was my 17th concert. His response? “Thank you. We love the work!” The work, the two-hour show that preceded this moment, was wonderful. Gordon was more relaxed and engaged with the crowd than I had ever seen him. Two songs in he stood in front of the mike and announced “I’m Gordon Lightfoot and reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated!” It wasn’t always the case in the past, but it seems that he realizes that the privilege of playing isn’t going to last forever. Enjoy the moment while you can; he’s likely written a song about that.
He and his four piece band played my two favourites (Restless and Canadian Railroad Trilogy) and my wife’s favourite (Beautiful) and a couple of dozen more gems, ending with the magnificent Song for a Winter’s Night.’ If this was indeed the last time. it surely was memorable.
Scott Austin is nursery manager at Art Knapps Plantland and a frequent contributor to The Penticton Herald. Email: scottaustin@artknapp.com.