'There was something in the atmosphere': Gordon Lightfoot's last ever show played in Winnipeg

Gordon Lightfoot fans who attended the iconic folk singer’s concert at Club Regent Event Centre last October didn’t know they had witnessed history.

“He played Club Regent a couple of times before. That was his last show at our venue, and that was his last show,” Kelly Berehulka, Club Regent’s entertainment program manager told CTV News Winnipeg by phone.

The singer-songwriter died Monday in Toronto of natural causes, his publicist confirmed. He had suffered numerous health issues in recent years.

He was 84.

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Berehulka emailed his condolences to Lightfoot’s manager, who confirmed the Winnipeg concert had been his last.

Berehulka spent some time with the then-83 year-old backstage. He recalled him taking great care to tune his guitar and signed countless autographs with pristine penmanship.

When he took the stage, his presence was palpable.

“There were three standing ovations through the night, so really well deserved for a Canadian icon, music legend, really the spirit of Canada. Just amazing the aura that he brings into the room,” Berehulka said.

'CANADA LOST A LITTLE BIT OF ITSELF'

Brenda Morrisseau was one of the lucky audience members who got to witness the performance. She came to his music later in life, frequently hearing him on an oldies radio station on her morning drive to work.

“I really enjoyed his music,” she said. “’Oh So Sweet’ – it’s a very lovely farewell song. It chokes me up to hear the words.”

Morrisseau went by herself to see the show, and quickly made friends with other fans who were equally excited to see a living legend perform.

“There was something in the atmosphere that showed that honour and respect for him,” she recalled. “It wasn’t just about hearing the old hits. It was about seeing the man that he is and getting a glimpse of the young man that he used to be.”

Susan Phillips has been a Gordon Lightfoot fan since she was a girl. His records were in constant rotation at her childhood home.

“I probably learned every word to every song, so that just kind of carried with me my whole life,” she said.

Phillips first saw him perform in the early 2000s at Pantages Theatre, and then again in October 2022 at Club Regent. While both were special, she is honoured to have been in the crowd for his last show.

“When he talked, everybody listened. You could hear a pin drop. He was very cordial. He talked about his early career and he made jokes,” she said.

“I really feel that Canada lost a little bit of itself last night.”

Lightfoot was one of the acts on Brian Gilchrist’s live music bucket list.

“There are people that you have to see in concert at least once in your life. He was one of them,” Gilchrist said in a phone interview.

He scooped up tickets to the Lightfoot show at Club Regent, which was originally scheduled for 2020 and then moved to 2022 because of the pandemic.

He said Lightfoot sat for most of the concert and used an inhaler during breaks.

“It didn’t distract from the show at all. You could tell he loved to be out there.”

Morrisseau says she is forever thankful to have seen his final performance. Tuesday, she put on the t-shirt she bought at the concert to mark his passing.

“All over the world, people are singing his songs,” she said. “He was a storyteller.”

Berehulka too sees Lightfoot’s death as an immeasurable loss to Canadians and the world.

“Everyone will be playing Gordon Lightfoot songs today, for sure.”

RADIO PERSONALITY RECALLS MANY MEETINGS WITH LIGHTFOOT

Veteran radio personality Beau Fritzsche has a long history with Gordon Lightfoot.

Fritzsche got his start in radio in the ‘70s, in an era when Lightfoot rose to prominence with hits like “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “If You Could Read My Mind.”

Their paths didn’t cross until the late ‘80s, however, when Fritzsche had an unexpected guest join his table at a Juno Awards after party in Toronto, Ont.

“All of a sudden, here comes Gordon. He comes in, grabs a beer, sits across from us, and he starts chatting like we're old friends,” Fritzsche recalled.

The two spent most of the night talking.

In 1993, the two met again backstage at Lightfoot’s show at the Centennial Concert Hall.

Fritzsche took his wife Sharon, a fellow Lightfoot fan, and his then-nine-year-old son with a fitting name.

“We actually did name him - not just for Gordon Lightfoot. My wife's dad, his name was Gordon as well, but we named him for both of them - Gordon and Gordon.”

Fritzsche counts Lightfoot as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and cherishes the time they spent together over their decades-long careers.

“I don’t think there will ever be another Gordon Lightfoot.”

- With files from the Canadian Press