CONCERT REVIEWS

Columbia, MD
Merriweather Post Pavilion - July 20, 1991

Among Gordon Lightfoot's favorite things are trains, boats and planes, and he sang of each at Merriweather Post Pavilion Saturday night, reviving mostly acoustic versions of "The Canadian Railroad Trilogy," "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald," "Early Morning Rain," and other hits.

Although the Canadian singer-songwriter performed with a four piece band, it was basically a one man show, with the arrangements discreetly tailored to show off his handsome, reedy and instantly recognizable voice in both uncluttered folk and country pop settings.  It was also about a faithful a representation of his recordings as one could want; save for the new love song "Only Love Would Know," the focus of the concert was almost entirely retrospective and, truth be told, more than a little predictable.

Still, anyone who came solely to hear Lightfoot breathe life again into his epic balladry and sea songs, or effortlessly revive such durable hits as "Sundown" and "If You Could Read My Mind," was rewarded with a midsummer night's dream of a concert.

- Mike Joyce