Sheffield May 24, 2012

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Roger USA
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Sheffield May 24, 2012

Postby Roger USA » Thu May 31, 2012 8:12 pm

Well, I arrived back in North Carolina yesterday afternoon and after all the unpacking the first thing I wanted to do was post a review of the excellent Sheffield concert I attended on May 24th.

My trip to England was my second visit in 12 months, but only my third in 6 years. The timing of the trip had been planned around my ability to get to see a Gordon Giltrap concert somewhere. My previous two England trips had been focused on London and then where I had most recently lived in the south west around Bristol and Bath and favorite places in Devon and Dorset. This time I was visiting family and staying with my brother and his wife in Lincoln, so the Sheffield venue, about 80 minutes away, seemed ideal.

After arriving in England to find temperatures at a shivering 9°C, we were blessed with a heat wave with temperatures above 25°C. On the Wednesday I had taken my four year old son Ethan (a big GG fan) on a tour of a very sunny Derbyshire Peak District and returned to Lincoln via Sheffield to judge Thursday’s journey time.

Considering Ethan to be just too young for his first concert I took my brother and father along. We had an easy journey and found the Greystones pub with no difficulty. The venue had been used by many artists over the years and Gordon had actually performed there previously in around 1974, although he didn’t realize it until he arrived as the pub's name had changed. The room had a small stage and held around 70-75 people. It appeared to be close to a sell out and the room was very hot after such a warm day. I managed to seat myself on the second row.

Gordon started his show with Shining Morn, a bright and optimistic note on which to start any concert. This was followed by Appalachian Dreaming and Maddie Goes West. Gordon name checked me (and Ethan) and introduced me to the audience early on, which was a complete surprise and much appreciated. The set he then played included close to everything you could hope for. The first half of the show included a first performance of a beautiful piece called Loren and great performances of Mrs Singer’s Waltz, Angie and Nursery Chimes, before ending with an outstanding version of Dodo’s Dream.

During the interval I was able to meet Gordon and buy some signed CD’s for Ethan, my wife and other family members – including myself! I had brought my camera along to take photos and videos, but as I sat down for the start of the show I discovered I had left the battery in the charger back at the house! Fortunately my brother had his phone with him, so I at least have some visual mementoes and managed to get my picture taken with Gordon after the show.

If I could have designed a set for Gordon to play this would been pretty much it from start to finish. Over twenty tunes crammed with my personal favorites. The second half included Ives Horizon, On Camber Sands, Isabella’s Wedding and Splinter. There were brilliant performances of Heartsong and Tailor Bird before finishing off with a stunning Lucifer’s Cage. All that was missing was Down the River, which Gordon then performed as his encore!

The first piece of Gordon’s music I ever bought was the twelve inch single of Fear of the Dark (in 1978 I think – I still have it), but this was the first time I had seen him perform live. In many ways it reminded me of my first visit to New York over twenty years ago. Everything you are seeing and hearing is new, while still being very familiar, because you have seen and heard so much before. Like New York, Gordon lived up to and then exceeded my high expectations.

During his performances Gordon exudes immense personal charm, with a sense of humor and easy way of talking that makes his audience warm to him immediately whether they are diehard fans or first timers. He took the audience on a wonderful musical journey that was full of energy, despite the heat. He was generous with his time and made the whole evening light and fun – the audience clearly enjoyed every minute of it.

Gordon is a true virtuoso and I feel very fortunate to have been able to see him in concert and meet him. It was my first show, but will certainly not be my last, I have already promised my wife and Ethan that they will get to see Gordon perform! Sorry if this posting has gone on too long, but for me it was a real night to remember. Thank you Gordon.

Roger

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GORDON
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Re: Sheffield May 24, 2012

Postby GORDON » Thu May 31, 2012 10:10 pm

It was a profound pleasure sir I can assure you.

Haste ye back my friend and say "hi" to Ethan from me please.

Be Well sir.

G.


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