elaine roberts

Gord's Gold

Earlier in June I bought tickets for my mom and I to go see one of her favorite musicians of all time: Gordon Lightfoot. I grew up listening to Gordon Lightfoot songs. When I was a kid, I was kinda like "eh" about it all. It sounded too folksy, and it didn't sound like Duran Duran, so overall I was unimpressed. It was what my parents listened to, and when you're a kid anything your parents listen to has got to be bad, right? At my wee young age of eight, the storytelling went over my head. I was in search of an 80's glam pop beat, not soulful baritone and twelve string acoustic guitar. Well, I don't know exactly when it happened, but I know it happened in a thrift store (the best things usually do). What happened was that I heard a Gordon Lightfoot song over the oldies station that usually provides the thrift store soundtrack. I think it was Sundown. I hadn't heard one of his songs in years and all at once childhood memories came flooding back...summer days at home, my sister and I playing with our Play-doh at the kitchen table while my mom washed dishes and sang to the album, evenings spent with my mom and dad where they actually sat around and played records on the record player all night long. Great memories. And I found myself humming along in the thrift store and realized how truly awesome his music is, in a way that was really profound. Partially because of the memories it brought back, but also because of the richness of the stories his songs depict. You can see them in your head if you listen well. So when I heard he was coming to Columbus I bought tickets. Monday night was the concert. My mom came into town and we made a night of it! First stop: Barcelona in German Village.

Barcelona has arguably one of the best patios in the city. It's lush with plants and has a wonderful sounding fountain in the middle, loaded up with giant koi. It makes you feel like you could be just about anywhere in the world.

If you go to Barcelona at lunch time, you'll be confronted with a fairly approachable menu that almost anyone will like. The menu changes quite a bit at dinner. Gone are the sandwiches, replaced with seriously Spanish inspired fare... tapas, lovely cured meat plates, salads, and serious entrees (serious in heft and price ;). We ordered an assortment of dishes and shared. Sort of. I hogged my fritters! Bread always comes first with a dish of olive oil and a bit of a tomato puree.

My mom ordered the Jamon Serrano. Basically aged prosciutto. Prosciutto=delicous in my book. My green bean salad was fantastic! Refreshing, lightly dressed and the beans still had a light crunch.

Don't even get me started on the Croquetas! Yeah, the fritters. Serrano ham and manchego cheese all deep fried to crispy perfection, with honey mustard as a yummy accessory. Holy moly...

My mom ordered a Ensalada de Setas (mushroom salad), and Sopa de Maiz, a lovely corn chowder which was gorgeously creamy with just a bit of spice.

We really wanted dessert. I mean there was a Tres Leches cake on the menu with blueberries and peaches! But the concert was nearing and we were running out of time to get to the theater, so we had to forgo the sweet end. sigh.

I was one of the youngest people at the show, which sadly is not the first time that's happened. I'm an old person inside pretty much. It's alright.

The Palace theater is a gem of a theater. It's like a pastel ball gown inside.

So, I'm a good person...obeying all of the signs that say "No recording or photography" (it's probably the old person inside of me), and I think it's kind of rude to whip out my bright screened phone in a dark theater, and disturb my neighbours to get a shot of the artist. So, I have no pics of the man himself. Maybe this blogging business will make me gutsier and I'll throw caution to the wind...probably not. The show was great. Gordon Lightfoot went and got old. Seventy-four years old to be exact, and having suffered a six-week coma and a tracheotomy tube down his throat as a result of a stomach aneurysm, it's amazing he can still sing a note. He definitely has lost the ability to hit many notes, and he's a bit mumbly, but in a way, his songs lend themselves to that style. And he's seventy-four!!!! He sang my mom's favorite song, the Canadian Railroad Trilogy, so she was a super happy woman.

I still had his songs in my head after the show so I subjected my coworkers to a playlist which included Early Morning Rain. Hey, they all have headphones.

Here's the man I remember form my childhood.