{"id":311,"date":"2014-02-14T20:00:36","date_gmt":"2014-02-14T20:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=311"},"modified":"2015-10-07T18:52:19","modified_gmt":"2015-10-07T18:52:19","slug":"gordon-lightfoot-cullen-performance-hall-houston-tx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2014\/02\/14\/gordon-lightfoot-cullen-performance-hall-houston-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"Gordon Lightfoot – Cullen Performance Hall – Houston, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Dave Clements <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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\"Image\"Houston’s weather had turned nice for what seems like the first time in months.\u00a0 I had my beautiful wife by my side, two tickets, and a photo pass for the Gordon Lightfoot concert at Cullen Performance Hall on the U. of H. campus.\u00a0What a very nice way to spend Valentine\u2019s Day!<\/p>\n

We had the pleasure of meeting the gracious folks at University of Houston Sports and Entertainment, including our lovely host Beckye Levin.\u00a0Experiencing this Cullen Performance Hall venue for the first time was another unexpected pleasure. With so many enjoyable aspects of the evening to share, it\u2019s hard to know where to begin!<\/p>\n

So I\u2019ll just jump right in. The venue!\u00a0The Cullen Performance Hall holds 1600 and every seat had been sold for the show. What a treat for us and I\u2019m sure all of the other patrons of the arts there on this night.\u00a0The stage lighting was marvelous and spot on, the sound equaled the lighting in terms of quality, and best I could tell there wasn\u2019t a bad seat in the house.<\/p>\n

As you can tell from my photos I was all over the place before putting down my camera and I could hear Gordon\u2019s unique voice perfectly from every vantage point. And not to overstate it, all of the staff we met we very nice, helpful, and courteous.<\/p>\n

Frankly, I don’t know what Beckye or the others could have done to make our experience more delightful. Thank you folks! We can’t wait to come back and cover another show for Houston Music Review.<\/p>\n

\"Image\"Now \u2013 the music! Seventy-five year old Canadian Gordon Lightfoot punctually arrived on stage at 8 pm.\u00a0Early in the show he decided he needed to set the record straight.\u00a0 He announced that, although several reporters had recently stated that Gordon Lightfoot was dead, he wanted to assure us he was in fact very much alive and happy to be standing before this sold out crowd in Houston this night!<\/p>\n

That wit surfaced several times during his performance. And I can vouch that he was not only standing before us, he was working hard, putting heart and soul into entertaining us. And entertain us he did.<\/p>\n

His band was on their A game.\u00a0The familiar tunes sounded just like I remembered hearing them so many times before on the radio.\u00a0I can’t share specifics with you about the four guys that accompanied him.\u00a0They stood behind him and supported him beautifully, doing a stellar job throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

And speaking of stellar jobs, Gordon Lightfoot still has that great, melodious voice. It rang clear and true through about 25 songs total during the two sets that were separated by a short intermission.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t disappoint the fans, playing all of the songs I hoped he would including If You Could Read My Mind, Carefree Highway, Rainy Day People, and Sundown.\u00a0On the other side of the coin, Mr. Lightfoot also sang a tune, a huge hit for him that for many years caused me to change the radio station whenever it came on – The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it a lot in this setting, hearing him sing it live, and having it be part of his whole repertoire. I know that may sound a little weird.\u00a0 He simply had the presence to keep and hold my attention and appreciation from beginning to end.<\/p>\n

\"Image\"Before closing let me share that besides being a very successful recording artist since 1957 he has been a world class songwriter.\u00a0He has penned many songs that have been recorded by most \u2018who’s who\u2019 in contemporary music. I’m talking about the likes of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams Jr., The Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Barbara Streisand and many more.<\/p>\n

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to photograph this musical legend and to have finally had the opportunity to see him live.\u00a0 I obviously missed a lot by not taking the time to have gone to one of his concerts earlier in my life.\u00a0 But as I find myself saying a lot these days\u2026better late than never! And again, the same goes for this theater.\u00a0 Our first time will not be our last.\u00a0 This was a great venue to enjoy music and we look forward to experiencing it again at future events.<\/p>\n

Until next time, remember there is no time to kill.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Dave Clements Houston’s weather had turned nice for what seems like the first time in months.\u00a0 I had my beautiful wife by my side, two tickets, and a photo pass for the Gordon Lightfoot concert at Cullen Performance Hall on the U. of H. campus.\u00a0What a very nice way to spend Valentine\u2019s Day!… <\/p>\n

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