The thunder cracked against the night in Toronto on Sunday. Bob Lind was in town
What an absolute blast! Bob's performance at Hugh's Room was a gift to his fans in the area as well as those who travelled some distances to see him.
A truly commanding stage presence was woven with very real contact with the audience. Bob made it seem that he was playing for each person as an individual and carried it off with panache and style. His between song chatter was poignant and funny. When he told us "you guys are tough" referring to the late October temperatures in Toronto, the crowd roared its approval. I have not been to many concerts where the sense of excitement and expectation was so palpable. Even the wait staff was in high gear, as we swapped memories of what Bob's music has meant to us over the years.
The music itself was incomparable. It was an incisive mixture of some from the far past, some from the recent past, and some from his present writings. Bob described himself as a songwriter, but we were presented with a consummate performer and talented musician. It is no wonder that so many others have adopted his songs.
After the show, Bob greeted his audience in the lobby freely signing the club posters and talking in a personable, approachable way that was imbued with his personal warmth and charm. It is obvious that Bob cares about people and appreciates their diverse views of his music and legend. We hope that he enjoys hearing our memories of his talent. I took my two teenagers (13 and 15) and both were thunderstruck. On the way home, one said over and over again "Amazing!". I can only hope that they both now have memories of a man and his music than will affect your entire life.
All in all a stellar evening from a man that says he is not a star. Yes you are Bob. In the hearts and minds of those who get the chance to meet you and with whom you gift by sharing your incredible talents.
All too soon, it seems, it was we who were going home. But the things he had to say are now well know.
We hope that you are back to us soon. Thanks for the entertaining and inspiring experience.
Donald
Bob in Toronto
Bob in Toronto
Last edited by Donald on Wed Feb 09, 2022 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Matthew Dryer
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:01 pm
- Location: Buffalo
- Contact:
More on Bob in Toronto
Looks like Donald beat me to it with a message about Bob's show last night in Toronto. But here's mine.
I gather that many of you living in south Florida have had the opportunity to see Bob many times over the decades, and may not appreciate just what it is like to finally get a chance to see him in concert for the first time after being a fan for over 41 years. I finally got the chance last night, driving from Buffalo up to see him perform in Toronto. I was a little worried that Bob could not possibly live up to my hopes, since I really had never looked forward to a concert as much as this one. but he did. He was absolutely great.
He did three completely new songs (if my count is right), namely three that aren't on any of his CDs, that show how his song-writing is still in great form.
I confess that after hearing the same version of his older songs so many times for so many years, it takes me a few listens (though only a few!) to get used to hearing a different version, expecially the songs whose originals were produced by Jack Nitzsche. But interestingly, I didn't experience this with Drifter's Sunrise: the new bare acoustic version immediately sounded as good if not better than the original. Thanks, Bob, for doing my request for Truly Julie's Blues. He did four songs that were originally on Don't Be Concerned, two from Since There Were Circles (the same two he did on Luna Star Cafe - Bob, they're both great songs, in fact Spilling Over is one of my favourite of all your songs, but they are lots of other great songs on STWC), four songs that first appeared on Luna Star Cafe, and my favourite song of his post 70s music, Roll Down the Window, from the Home In Time For Twilight download album. He also did Tom Paxton's Bottle of Wine and a blues tune, and I may have forgotten something (I'm doing all this from memory).
It was wonderful to meet Bob at last. It felt like I had always known him - and in a sense I always have. He has a great stage presence, he is very confortable with himself. Donald's message says it all.
I had to leave after the show for the two-hour drive back to Buffalo and unfortunately didn't get much of a chance to talk much to Bob. I do want to say this to Bob "Thanks for the impact your music has had on my life!"
When I crossed the border back into the US at one on the morning, they asked me if I'd acquired anything in Canada. I didn't tell them that I was bringing back memories of an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Matthew
I gather that many of you living in south Florida have had the opportunity to see Bob many times over the decades, and may not appreciate just what it is like to finally get a chance to see him in concert for the first time after being a fan for over 41 years. I finally got the chance last night, driving from Buffalo up to see him perform in Toronto. I was a little worried that Bob could not possibly live up to my hopes, since I really had never looked forward to a concert as much as this one. but he did. He was absolutely great.
He did three completely new songs (if my count is right), namely three that aren't on any of his CDs, that show how his song-writing is still in great form.
I confess that after hearing the same version of his older songs so many times for so many years, it takes me a few listens (though only a few!) to get used to hearing a different version, expecially the songs whose originals were produced by Jack Nitzsche. But interestingly, I didn't experience this with Drifter's Sunrise: the new bare acoustic version immediately sounded as good if not better than the original. Thanks, Bob, for doing my request for Truly Julie's Blues. He did four songs that were originally on Don't Be Concerned, two from Since There Were Circles (the same two he did on Luna Star Cafe - Bob, they're both great songs, in fact Spilling Over is one of my favourite of all your songs, but they are lots of other great songs on STWC), four songs that first appeared on Luna Star Cafe, and my favourite song of his post 70s music, Roll Down the Window, from the Home In Time For Twilight download album. He also did Tom Paxton's Bottle of Wine and a blues tune, and I may have forgotten something (I'm doing all this from memory).
It was wonderful to meet Bob at last. It felt like I had always known him - and in a sense I always have. He has a great stage presence, he is very confortable with himself. Donald's message says it all.
I had to leave after the show for the two-hour drive back to Buffalo and unfortunately didn't get much of a chance to talk much to Bob. I do want to say this to Bob "Thanks for the impact your music has had on my life!"
When I crossed the border back into the US at one on the morning, they asked me if I'd acquired anything in Canada. I didn't tell them that I was bringing back memories of an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Matthew
Last edited by Matthew Dryer on Wed Feb 09, 2022 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Lost In The Crash
Many thanks to Donald and Matthew for those reviews. Seeing a fine concert inspires people to put their thoughts down on paper (or today via the internet) and that is an added bonus for them and for us reading them.
Matthew, I am reminded of Oscar Wilde's reply to the question about having 'anything to declare' when crossing the border. His reply was:
'Only my genius!'
Matthew, I am reminded of Oscar Wilde's reply to the question about having 'anything to declare' when crossing the border. His reply was:
'Only my genius!'
Last edited by Lost In The Crash on Wed Feb 09, 2022 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Terry Smith
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri May 27, 2005 8:25 am
- Location: Cazenovia, NY
I posted this on the wrong Toronto site. I meant it to go here...
My wife and I also had the pleasure of seeing Bob at Hugh’s Room in Toronto on Sunday night and I thought you might like to get yet another person’s perspective on how it went.
(First, a quick sidebar: If you ever get a chance to go to Toronto, visit Hugh’s Room. It a great venue, serves a nice dinner – if you want it - and the staff, headed by Todd, the club manager, is terrific. It’s warm, friendly, and personal. They also did an unbelievable job of promoting Bob’s visit.)
I’ll break this down into three parts: fan reaction, music and personal:
Fan reaction: Bob mentioned at one point between songs that he didn’t consider himself a “star”. You could have fooled the audience. Perhaps if you go by pure quantity of fans I might buy it. However, if you go by level of enthusiasm for him and his music (let’s call it quality), he’s off by a wide, wide margin. Every person I heard couldn’t have been more “juiced” about seeing and hearing him. By my count, three encores is a pretty good indication of how everyone felt.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the music part… not because it wasn’t good, (actually it wasn’t, it was great), but because anyone who’s on this site knows Bob’s music and doesn’t have to be convinced. My guess is the ratio of new to old was about 60/40 or 70/30, which was fine. It’s all great stuff. Bob’s voice is a mystery to me. He sounds as good today (perhaps a little “fuller”) as he did forty years ago. A couple of unexpected highlights: Bob has talked, on this site, about his version of Tom Paxton’s Bottle of Wine. It was very different and, knowing Bob’s background a little, much more melancholy and personal than any other version I’ve heard. The other song that was a wonderful surprise was If I Loved You (yup, the one from Carousel), which was really bluesy and out of context for Bob. I tend to think of Bob as a singer/songwriter, not necessarily as a “guitarist”. My mistake. He did a terrific job with it. Bob’s last encore was How the Nights Can Fly and, given the audience reaction, you have to wonder why this song has never gotten much more attention.
On a personal note it gets more difficult to share. I suspect that most of us who visit this site have never met Bob and think of him on a very different level. His music hits such a personal chord, but in a way that we don’t have the talent to express. Consequently, we elevate our perception of him to an almost (sorry, if this is leaning too far towards hyperbole) mythical level. This is probably most accurate for those of us who have listened to his music for forty-plus years. When we made our plans to go to Toronto I had a weird sort of apprehension about finally seeing and, perhaps, meeting Bob. It was more than just a little bit of awe as well as, truthfully, a little bit of concern. (At one pre-concert point I confided to my wife, “Jeez, what if he’s a jerk?”)
Well, he’s not. Bob Lind was one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. After the show he stayed and talked to whoever wanted to visit with him. I spent far more than my share of time with him (and would have spent significantly more if I hadn’t felt embarrassingly guilty about monopolizing him). What was particularly notable to me was his level of appreciation for my/our support. He spent as much time thanking me as I did thanking him. He was generous and warm and seemed truly grateful.
Too often we’re let down by expectations we set too high. Not for me. Not this time.
Thanks again, Bob.
T
My wife and I also had the pleasure of seeing Bob at Hugh’s Room in Toronto on Sunday night and I thought you might like to get yet another person’s perspective on how it went.
(First, a quick sidebar: If you ever get a chance to go to Toronto, visit Hugh’s Room. It a great venue, serves a nice dinner – if you want it - and the staff, headed by Todd, the club manager, is terrific. It’s warm, friendly, and personal. They also did an unbelievable job of promoting Bob’s visit.)
I’ll break this down into three parts: fan reaction, music and personal:
Fan reaction: Bob mentioned at one point between songs that he didn’t consider himself a “star”. You could have fooled the audience. Perhaps if you go by pure quantity of fans I might buy it. However, if you go by level of enthusiasm for him and his music (let’s call it quality), he’s off by a wide, wide margin. Every person I heard couldn’t have been more “juiced” about seeing and hearing him. By my count, three encores is a pretty good indication of how everyone felt.
I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the music part… not because it wasn’t good, (actually it wasn’t, it was great), but because anyone who’s on this site knows Bob’s music and doesn’t have to be convinced. My guess is the ratio of new to old was about 60/40 or 70/30, which was fine. It’s all great stuff. Bob’s voice is a mystery to me. He sounds as good today (perhaps a little “fuller”) as he did forty years ago. A couple of unexpected highlights: Bob has talked, on this site, about his version of Tom Paxton’s Bottle of Wine. It was very different and, knowing Bob’s background a little, much more melancholy and personal than any other version I’ve heard. The other song that was a wonderful surprise was If I Loved You (yup, the one from Carousel), which was really bluesy and out of context for Bob. I tend to think of Bob as a singer/songwriter, not necessarily as a “guitarist”. My mistake. He did a terrific job with it. Bob’s last encore was How the Nights Can Fly and, given the audience reaction, you have to wonder why this song has never gotten much more attention.
On a personal note it gets more difficult to share. I suspect that most of us who visit this site have never met Bob and think of him on a very different level. His music hits such a personal chord, but in a way that we don’t have the talent to express. Consequently, we elevate our perception of him to an almost (sorry, if this is leaning too far towards hyperbole) mythical level. This is probably most accurate for those of us who have listened to his music for forty-plus years. When we made our plans to go to Toronto I had a weird sort of apprehension about finally seeing and, perhaps, meeting Bob. It was more than just a little bit of awe as well as, truthfully, a little bit of concern. (At one pre-concert point I confided to my wife, “Jeez, what if he’s a jerk?”)
Well, he’s not. Bob Lind was one of the nicest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. After the show he stayed and talked to whoever wanted to visit with him. I spent far more than my share of time with him (and would have spent significantly more if I hadn’t felt embarrassingly guilty about monopolizing him). What was particularly notable to me was his level of appreciation for my/our support. He spent as much time thanking me as I did thanking him. He was generous and warm and seemed truly grateful.
Too often we’re let down by expectations we set too high. Not for me. Not this time.
Thanks again, Bob.
T