In 1972 I went to NYC with some Princeton classmates to see Gordon Lightfoot at Lincoln Center. I'd only heard him before on a tape during a trip from NJ to Boston, and fell in love with Canadian Railroad Trilogy, especially the "We are the navvies" part.

We got to the Port Authority bus terminal and had an archetypical experience: I asked a Port Authority cop how to get to Lincoln Center, and he actually smiled at me and said, "Practice." Got to the concert late and as I nearly fell into a man's lap I apologized and he said, "Anything for Gordon!" The concert was wonderful. I remember he started the intro to a brand-new song, and the audience started applauding as if they recognized it. He just grinned and shook his head.

I bought his first two songbooks when I was teaching myself to play guitar as a second-year med student, and I still love to play from them, though the bindings have long since fallen apart. Great to hear he's still performing. Thanks for the memories...

Aloha,
Mark