Anyone familiar with Gordon Lightfoot or Julie Collins/Steven Stills?

[Wade Lippman]

A small hall near me will have them in June.
They are all in their 70s. I loved them 40 years ago, but that was a long time ago.
Anyone know if they can still sing? Don't want to blow $120 on seeing old people who sound like my dog.

I saw JC in 1980 and she was terrible.
A girl friend insisted on seeing her in 1985 and she was great. She said she had giving up smoking and gotten her voice back.
But that was 33 years ago!

I know this is a woodworking forum, but I figure there are a lot of old men here who probably liked that kind of music and might know.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Gordon Lightfoot had several hits in the late 70s. Sundown was one and The Edmund Fitzgerald was the other. I had several of his albums on 33 rpms. I saw him on a televised special a few years ago. Age had affected him but it does to all of us.

Steven Stills might be interesting but I haven't seen him on TV in quite awhile.

It sounds like a folk music evening to me. I'd go.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

saw Gordon Lightfoot for free a day or two before his first hit was released. Still love Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Can't help you otherwise. Friends paid through the nose to see Davy Jones about six months before he passed. They paid a lot to say the saw him. i understand his voice was gone. Heck I bought tickets to see Elvis, gave them to my ex-wife for our anniversary and the guy had the audacity to die the very next day.

I did see a bunch of older country and Western singers. I was very surprised that they could still belt them out. Kitty Wells, Tom T Hall, Marty Robbins, Kitty had to be sort of propped up at the microphone and still sang like she was 30 yrs old.

[Marshall Harrison]

Gordon is worth seeing even if his voice has changed. Listen to his music on Amazon Prime all the time.

[Frederick Skelly]

Valid concern Wade. I saw Paul McCartney on TV for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles in America. I felt very sad for him because (IMO) he just didn't have it any more. Everybody gets old, if they're lucky. It's just hard to watch it happen to an icon like Sir Paul.

I wonder if you could google reviews or recent utubes to see if those performers are still kickin butt (or not)?

Fred

[Barry McFadden]

I like Gordon's music and still think he sounds pretty good.... an interesting tidbit....he grew up in a small town about 20 minutes north of where I live. When my dad was young and single he worked for the railroad and rented a room in the Lightfoot's house and babysat Gordon as needed when his parents went out for the evening....

[Dave Zellers]

Geeze Louise- 5 replies and almost 2 hours and no one has corrected this to point out that it's JUDY Collins?

The subject of Crosby Stills and Nash's huge hit: Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.

All three of these people are music legends. Go see them before it's too late. Of course they will have lost a step! So have you! If they weren't a big part of your life 40 years ago, then let it pass. If they were, then go and enjoy the memories.

[Dave Zellers]

I know this is a woodworking forum, but I figure there are a lot of old men here who probably liked that kind of music and might know.

Actually, this kind of tells me that you have no passion re this time and these performers. If that's the case, I would pass and spend your money on a current performer at the top of their game.

Lyle Lovett perhaps? One of my personal favs. Seen him live 4 times and this summer might be #5.

[Bill Carey]

Hell, I'd go see them. And of course the won't sound the same. But still ok I bet. And if Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen are ever around your area you'll never see a better show.

[mark kosse]

Loretta Lynn came here about 10 years ago. I was sorry I went to see her. Kinda ruined my memories.

[William Adams]

My wife and I saw him a couple of years ago --- he's being careful of his voice and exertions --- "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy" is only performed every other show (unfortunately the Hershey performance was an off one) and I feel that his voice and music are well-suited and have aged well. Sadly Terry Clements passed away, but the young man who was playing his guitar parts, Carter Lancaster?, was amazingly talented, and had a real feel for the music.

I've been considering going to his upcoming show in State College in hope of catching the trilogy.

[Mike Henderson]

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were big about the time I was in Vietnam. I have good memories of listening to their album "Deja Vu" while barely coherent. I'd go to see them.

Mike

[Rod Sheridan]

Of course I would go see Gordon Lightfoot.

If I didn't the government would cancel my passport :D

They won't be the same as they were 40 years ago, however neither are we. Regards, Rod.

[John K Jordan]

I don't know how their voices are holding up but knowing the songs I'd probably go anyway.

We saw Simon and Garfunkel in Atlanta when they were 60-something and it was wonderful just being there and hearing the familiar songs, but their voices were excellent.

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

...I saw Paul McCartney on TV for the 50th anniversary of the Beatles in America. I felt very sad for him because (IMO) he just didn't have it any more. ...

But did you see Ringo? The guy never ages - still recording albums at 77!

JKJ

[Stan Calow]

I've heard that GL's voice is pretty rough now (recalling review of concert in our local paper a year or so ago). Stills never had a good voice, but a great guitarist. I'd go just to say I'd seen them.

[Wade Lippman]

I wonder if you could google reviews or recent utubes to see if those performers are still kickin butt (or not)?

Fred

I put "Gordon Lightfoot Live 2017" into youtube and came up with a few. That gorgeous deep commanding voice is completely gone.
Collins isn't as bad, but since I heard her in her prime, this might just be sad.
Stills sounds the same as ever, but singing was never really his strong point.

I guess I will let them go and remember them as they were.

There is a current duet of Collins with Joan Baez, and Baez sounds great. She will be 90 minutes away in September.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I'm 68 and I've been Lightfoot fan for as long as I can remember. My wife and I went to see him at an outdoor concert last year, and I have never been so disappointed. Not only has he lost most of his voice, but he shortens long time hits because he can't do the longer versions any more.

I wish he had gone out on a high, but like the rest of us, he has bills to pay.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I sit and watch the music of Your Life series on public television. Some of the old singers still have it and others don't. A few times they are accompanied by younger singers so they can be bolstered by the back up singers. I also wonder how much might be lip sync'ed. Jay Black was amazing for his age. (Jay and the Americans-"Cara Mia") Ronnie Specter was great although, I wondered if it was too good and lip sync'ed. Other groups sang hits that I am sure the members of the group were not yet toilet trained at the time of the hits. The lead for the Tokens could still manage the falsetto from Lion sleeps tonight. There is a concert hall nearby that specializes in some of the 1960's singers and groups, but for what they charge, I, like others, do not want to be disappointed and be forced to listen to screech owls.

[Mel Fulks]

if Joe Cocker was still around he'd probably just sound like Pavarotti

[Greg R Bradley]

A friend keeps insisting he is buying us tickets to this show when they perform on my birthday in Pasadena. He is like most other people in that they want to believe they still sound like they do on the albums. They almost never do......

Judy Collins was great in 1960 and around 1970 when i first saw her. I saw her for about the tenth time in 2013 and she was still incredibly good. That's a span of 50+ years which is remarkable. The evidence is that she may not be worth seeing at this point. Her Grammy performance last year wasn't great and there seem to be no recent great performances. The above mentioned duet with Joan Baez was 4 years before I saw her in 2013. That isn't recent. She is a treasure, perhaps one of the very best ever but........

It could be worse, I remember being disappointed at seeing Grace Slick only a dozen years after she had been "great".

Stephen Stills was almost the entire instrumental talent of CSNY. Since he was never a great singer, perhaps he still has the instrumental ability. He could be worth the show.....

Gordon Lightfoot is mostly a WRITER/singer so maybe worth seeing.

[Edwin Santos]

I've heard that GL's voice is pretty rough now (recalling review of concert in our local paper a year or so ago). Stills never had a good voice, but a great guitarist. I'd go just to say I'd seen them.

I guess good is a relative term. Stephen Stills was one third of what many consider to be the greatest three part harmony in rock/pop music, so he couldn't be all that bad.

Was George Harrison a mediocre songwriter because at most he was only the third best in his particular four man band?

[David Helm]

Never much liked Gordon LIghtfoot. I would definitely go see Judy Collins and Stephen Stills. Stephen wrote Suite-Judy Blue Eyes for Judy after (or while) they broke up. Stephen was one of the best guitar players of his time; right up there with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. I think he has Parkinsons so his skills may certainly be diminished. As Edwin said, he was part of the greatest three part harmony ever in rock music. Oh yeah, I thought the Harrison songs were the best the Beatles ever did.

[Tom Lang]

I saw Lightfoot about 40 years ago at Tanglewood in Western MA. We left before it was halfway through as we could not discern his lyrics or music. It was just a collision of sound. My point is that if you are seeing him at a large or small venure its all going to come down to acoustics. I always liked his music but that day I was diappointed. "Early Morning Rain" one of his best.