Gordon Lightfoot to bring half a century of songs and stories to June 16 concert at Eisenhower
One of Canada’s greatest and most prolific singer-songwriters will perform his music in concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
An Evening with Gordon Lightfoot will feature songs selected from the singer-songwriter’s 20 albums, ranging from hits to deep album cuts for die-hard fans. Lightfoot will tie together the songs with behind-the-scenes stories from a career that has spanned more than 50 years.
Purchase tickets, which are $85 for a premium seat in rows AA–FF and $60 for a seat in the remainder of the orchestra level. Student and group discounts are not available for this promoter presentation.
His impressive catalog includes memorable songs such as “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway,” “Sundown,” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me,” “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “Ribbon of Darkness,” “Beautiful,” “Song for a Winter’s Night” and “Rainy Day People.”
“Lightfoot became a mentor for a long time,” Bob Dylan said. “I think he probably still is to this day. I can’t think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don’t like. Every time I hear a song of his, I wish it would last forever.”
Lightfoot has made a name for himself among music legends with half a century of hit song-making and international album sales in the multi-millions. He has earned five Grammy Award nominations, five number-one hits in the United States and 17 Juno Awards (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammy).
“Gordon Lightfoot has created some of the most beautiful and lasting music of our time,” said country singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson.
In recognition of his prominent role in helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s, Lightfoot was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.
His songs have been recorded by a who’s who of folk, pop and country artists, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Sarah McLachlan, Judy Collins, Anne Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Barbra Streisand, Jane’s Addiction, Glen Campbell and Toby Keith.
“If You Could Read My Mind,” his 1970 breakout hit in the United States, has been covered by some 300 singers.
“I’ve always been trying to write songs like Lightfoot,” said easygoing hit maker Jimmy Buffett. “A song of mine like ‘Come Monday’ is a direct result of me trying to write a Gordon Lightfoot song.”
In “Lightfoot,” a 2017 biography, author Nicholas Jennings describes the singer-songwriter as a gifted musician who transcends troubles with women and alcohol to find peace and sobriety in his golden years.
“In Lightfoot’s songcraft, still waters run deep, or at least deeper than you’d expect for someone who became branded an easy-listening artist,” wrote Don McLeese in his review of the book for the Washington Post. “… Lightfoot wasn’t an artist who followed formulas or trends; he was a significant artist with a singular sound.”
Find more information about the concert and the artist.
Greenhouse Productions presents the concert. Tickets are nonrefundable and may not be exchanged for tickets to a Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State presentation.
Concert parking in the Eisenhower Parking Deck is $5 per vehicle. Patrons with Penn State faculty/staff parking permits will not be charged for parking.