Notable quotes of the evening included one made by Jerry Lucas that Ronnie was �heavier than heroin, very addictive� and poet-bouncer Reg Bovaird, who acknowledged Ronnie�s wife, Wanda, �without whom a lot of us would be in jail or dead�. Ian Thomas, after expressing his gratitude that Ronnie had remained in Canada all these years, joked about breast development among the aging male population and then asked the crowd if they had any special requests. Someone inevitably shouted out �Painted Ladies� to which Ian good-naturedly replied �Oh, piss off�, and instead played �Rise Above It�, accompanied by Bill Dillon and Steve Hogg. He finished his set with a collaborative effort with Bill Dillon entitled �Life Goes On� - ain�t that the truth? Speaking of Bill, I had the pleasure of meeting his young �niece�, Emily Swift, and her equally excitable friend, Courtney Gale. These two lovers of the retro tie-dyed fashion trend are definitely Hawkettes-in-training!
Although the immense room was set up like a regular nightclub, with large circular tables and chairs, the non-smoking regulation (or maybe just Frenchie McFarlane�s not very funny schtick) probably put a bit of a damper on the excitement factor, at least for some of the audience members, including Ronnie himself. Although the performers put on a fabulous show, the crowd was quite often very muted in its enthusiasm, and I can�t help but wonder how many of them resented having to go outside (two levels down) to smoke, or even abstain, not wanting to risk missing a particular performer.
Unless you have a photographic or encyclopedic memory, it�s very nearly impossible to remember and acknowledge every musician who has played with Ronnie throughout the last 40-odd years, but his management team has certainly done its best, between the Massey Hall show in Toronto and the Hamilton Convention Centre, to accommodate as many of them as possible. A summarized history of Rompin� Ronnie�s background can be found at his website, www.pipcom.com/~thehawk/, or for those who want a more in-depth perspective, there are currently two biographies - Last of the Good Ol� Boys, by Peter Goddard, and The Hawk - The Story of Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks, by Ian Wallis.
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