Toronto Recap-Part 2
Telekidd
concerts was the indescribable pleasure of meeting so many of the GL internet
community/"net people"/Lightheads (pick your favorite term!). Yes, I had to
endure the living hell of meeting and having to spend time with Peter T--but
hey...nothing's perfect! :) (Of course, I write that only because I know he's
travelling and isn't here to defend himself. You can call me chicken, cowardly
and gutless...and goshdarnit, you would be absolutely right!)
Seriously, it was just a fantastic time--both the times I was able to spend
individually with people (or in small groups), as well as the bigger group
activities such as the trip to Niagra Falls, or the barbecue at Char's on
Saturday. Knowing how lonely and utterly desperate I am, Peter very
thoughtfully provided me with a new friend--Skippy the Inflatable Kangaroo,
which I was compelled to inflate in front of an audience at Char's party
(please keep all obvious comments to yourself!). Skippy is here with me now,
but he must be feeling a little depressed as his mood can best be described as
deflated.
For me, personally, the highlight were the music sessions. I felt so
privileged and honored to be in the company of all these great players--I swear
if we didn't have the concerts to go to, we would have played for 10 hours a
day. That coupled with the vocals from the Massed Lightfoot Choir and...well,
the best word I can think to describe the total effect is MAGIC, pure and
simple.
Many of you, I know, have seen the following, so you can feel free to stop
reading here. But for others, there were a series of emails going around
amongst those who were going to be in Toronto giving details concerning
transportation, timing of certain events, and so on. I had written an email on
the plane home to that address list expressing my thanks to them for an
unforgettable time, but I would like to repeat it here. It is my hope that
those of you who were not able to be with us can read this and at least share a
little of the feeling in Toronto--and it is my sincerest wish that when the
next Massey rolls around, we will ALL be able to be there and share it
together.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day! Here's the email:
****
Greetings all:
I am currently typing this at a flight level of 39,000 feet, and will send it
off when I get home (late in the afternoon, California time).
First, I sincerely apologize to anyone reading this who had previously asked to
be taken off the list--I'm simply using the address list by "responding" to a
previous group email, and I can no longer remember if any of the names on it
had wanted to be removed.
For all of those who could not make the trip to Toronto, I am sincerely sorry
you were not able to join us. You were deeply missed--as fun as all the
different convention activities were (not to mention the concerts), they would
have been even more wonderful had you been able to be with us. However, rest
assured EVERYBODY was with us in spirit, and knowing you were out there and
thinking of us gave us an additional positive aura which stayed with us
throughout the entire time in Toronto.
For those who were there, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank
you from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul for your laughter,
your warmth, your intelligence, your smiles, your kindness--in short, all those
things that make the Lightfoot internet community such a delightful community
to be a part of.
It was an experience beyond any superlatives I could come up with to both once
again spend time with some dear friends, and also to make new ones. If there
is any regret I have about the Toronto experience, it is that I wasn't able to
spend extended amounts of time with everyone on an individual basis--that's how
much I loved meeting everyone and basking in the warmth of their company.
Finally, I wanted to avoid "naming names," as the last thing I want is for
anyone I had the honor of meeting to feel slighted in any way. I could have
spent the whole time in Toronto with each and every one of you on an individual
basis and would have loved every second of the experience. However, I ask for
your indulgence long enough for me to publicly express my sincerest, deepest
thanks to Jenney for all her hard work. It really was a labor of love, and she
poured herself into every aspect. It is a tribute to her organizational
skills, as well as her enthusiasm, deep love for the music of GL, and her
unparalleled warmth and spirit. I would also like to say thank you to Darin
for creating the wonderful t-shirts--I think it is no exaggeration to say
everyone wore them with pride and delight. And a warm hug and thank-you to
Char for allowing us to invade her house on Saturday--it was a truly wonderful
time and a GREAT afternoon. I feel quite certain that, had there not been a
concert that night, many of us would have been there 'til the wee hours,
playing, chatting, and laughing.
Words cannot express my thanks to Ed, Cathy, Kenyon, Matt, Lori and Donnie for
the honor and privilege of being able to play and sing all those great songs
with you. It was a thrill beyond compare to have been able to take part in our
jam sessions--but hey, I could have gladly put down my guitar and simply
listened. Unfortunately, Taylor guitars have a mind of their own...and my
Taylor insisted on playing EVERY note with you! I simply live to obey!
Finally (although he's obviously not on this list!), thank you to Gordon
Lightfoot--whose music has touched all our lives in so many ways and on so many
levels. We are borne upon the wings of his music--and the friendship, the
love, the laughter, the smiles, the sharing and the multifaceted bonds between
us are the thermal currents upon which we soar.
My love, my humble and sincere thanks, and fondest wishes to each and every one
of you!
Derek